I will Quit India if Jan Lokpal is passed
I love this country not because I was born here, not because it has the most wonderfully crafted natural beauties in the world, not because it has the diversity of people, language and religion. I love this country for it’s democracy, a setup the whole world feels jealous about. We gave this world elections, we taught them how to micromanage such a large vibrant country and we showed them how to make a constitution that helps every last man in this country. I love this country because it allows me venerate Godse and bash the father of the nation, I love this country because it allows me to go on the streets and protest against the government. I love this country because it gave me the right to express what I want in this blog.
I always thought the love affair with your country is similar to the love you have on your mother something that doesn’t end but alas my love affair is nearing it’s end because of my country’s learned citizens. It’s coming to an end because of a group of people, who claim to be the representatives of me and trying to end the very basis of democracy that I loved in this nation. I think there are innumerable blog posts, articles and debates on TV about the bill. I am not going to get in to the nuances of the bill because the Janlokpal is dangerous and how dangerous it is will be known only when it’s passed in this country. If you still want to know why a few people is claiming it’s dangerous, read the articles listed below
1.Acorn’s article on Why Anna Hazare is wrong and Jan Lokpal is a bad idea.
2. @calamur’s article detailing the different problems in Jan Lokpal
3. Amba Salelkar’s article in Yahoo
4. CP Surendran’s blog in TOI on Why Anna Hazare should not win ? (perfectly echoes my POV)
The picture is licensed through Creative Commons from Lindsay Silveira through Flickr
What I am hurt more is the herd mentality of my country men. The way they blindly think that passing a law will magically transform the nation in to an uncorrupt nation is naivety at it’s heights .I am hurt by corruption too in day today life and had been a victim in the past. When I had to register my plot in Tanjore, I had to pay a bribe to get it registered. I asked why should I pay but I was helpless, I was just a mute spectator. But a Jan Lokpal is not the solution to curb corruption. Another law, another independent committee, another 1000s of Crores of my taxes going in to the drain. Strengthening of current laws and implementation will set the law part right but a stronger will to say no to corruption in our daily lives is more important.
I don’t know how many of these people who are there sitting and protesting in different parts of the country have read the Jan Lokpal and understood what it will do to them. The only thing they know is here is a man who is challenging the government on the issue of corruption, let’s join the bandwagon and protest. Have you ever read the bill? Have you understood what it will do to the people? Why a few judges, legal experts are against it? Why Anna’s demands are not feasible in this country? The problem with people like us is that we jump in to the mob without knowing the real implications and most of it are fed by the unscrupulous media which will even show live murders if their TRP is rising. The high moral ground taken by this people are extremely baffling as if they are not part of the system of corruption. The problem with the movement is they believe that corruption is top-down but it’s bottom-up in reality. Every individual is ready to circumvent a process in order to get his things done. We are basically a corrupt nation but the Jan Lokpal takes a single point of view that “Citizens are honest while sub netas chor hai”. Mind you, we are also the reason for people to be corrupt.
Moreover, the comparison with Freedom struggle and emergency struggle is even more saddening as they are unaware of the history of this country. Friends you would have been shot like birds if it were the British and you would have been beaten up in Jail if it was Indira Gandhi. Just give the government some respite, yes what they did was a mistake but they are not as bad as what you propagate in the media. I just pity on the people who have a simplistic view that Jan Lokpal will eradicate all corruption like magical bullet. I dunno how a farmer from rural TN who has to pay a bribe for getting EB connection will be helped by this magic called Jan Lokpal.
If this Jan Lokpal is passed in the way Anna Hazare and his team wants, it will become a wrong precedent to the whole nation where laws can be made on streets. Another day, another mob with another so called Gandhian leader will come and ask for another noble cause. If the country is ready for that, just go ahead support this man. Lets break down the parliament, let’s burn the consitution and let’s make vigilante laws in streets. A few of my friends even where in the view that it’s good to have such dictatorial committee to govern us. But they didn’t understand,the power to say that was given by our democracy. Another pathetic thing about this movement is considering people who are against the movement as pro-corrupt and pro-government.
For instance one of the Twitterers was hounded by hate messages because that person was against the movement. When Nandan Nilekani tried to explain why this will not work out in an interview, he is considered to be mouth piece of government. Read the comments in the posts I have mentioned earlier in this article, you will find how unreceptive these people are or you can also wait to see the comment streams in this blog post. When you have the right to express and right to protest, these people also have the right to express their concerns about the bill. I am more worried about the herd mentality of the people and the possible disintegration of democracy that my country is proud of. It pains alot my dear friends, it pains to see my country’s democracy in to pieces.
I just say I will quit India if Jan Lokpal is passed – my way of showing the dissent to the murder of democracy. After all, I have the right to express myself and that was given by the same democracy which you are killing.
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Facebook comments:
hmm.. good post.. Lemme do some research and write a similar one! I have a feeling you are right!
:)
joe
Thanks for the comment Joe and that’s what I am also saying to people – please do a research before supporting or going against a particular issue :)
good article sylvian…. i did find a copy of the lokpal bill and read through it before taking any sides. and after i was done, i decided not to take any stance on it. after all, doing nothing is still better than doing the wrong thing, :-)
Thanks brat. Well said. It’s better to do nothing instead of doing the wrong thing.
Thanks for the post…one sane voice amidst all this madness…
Thanks Priyanka. There are quite a lot of sane voices – legal experts, ex-judges who are trying to raise up the voice against them but the media categorically shows only what it wants to show. Let’s hope for the best for this country.
hi, really liked your post. I share the same thought. Wrote this post: “Anna tum sangharsh karo, par mein tumhare saath nahin” http://t.co/buy6FcN
Thanks for the comment – will read your post and comment :)
With all the due respect dude.. do you feel that this article shows your “intellect”. You and people are absolute poison to the process. Your arm chair philosophers better quit the country as you said.
We do not require unwanted mess like you in this country. I am sure Rahul ‘dumbwit’ Gandhi will join you in this paadyatra for aam aadmi who you would have last seen in a television.
PS: Please get your spellings and grammar right.
Thanks for the comment Ramani and sorry for replying late. I dunno whether it shows my intellect and I don’t write in order to show my intellect. I wrote it to express my point of view on something which affects me. And thanks for considering me as arm chair philosopher, really proud to be listed in that list as most of the scientists, economists and writers are there. How come you people could not take a single criticism about your movement? I have the same right to express myself like you have the right to protest. I show it through my blog, that’s it.
Thanks for the suggestion about my grammar and spelling, I will try to improve them. I am learning to write
@Sylvian, please leave the country now itself and I am curious in which heaven you are planning to go. Give it a thought at-least. Also, leave citizenship. You don’t have any respect for freedom. Thank God that you did not take birth pre-freedom time. Otherwise you would have been against Gandhi Ji also. You just think that all those people protesting with Anna are stupids. No dude, they need to face corruption daily. This is not a mob given some 100 bucks per day to sit there.
Thanks for the comment Sumit. And thanks for not understanding my sarcastic title on the movement you support. I think you will send a lot of people out by the act of this movement. A wonderful mass murder of democracy. I had faced corruption daily and my dad suffered a lot due to corruption but he never went the wrong way. Practically speaking and don’t be rhetoric , tell me how this will eradicate the corruption at the grass roots level
you have put forth a very strong argument .. but have very conveniently side stepped many issues ..!! it is important to note that the law operating in our country and our constitution for that matter have been formulated by a group of people to ensure well being of al its citizens based on the scenario which existed then and with a certain amount of foresight !! IT IS NOT A PERFECT PIECE OF LEGISLATION !! i understand making such a statement is very dangerous !! when things started changing we made new laws for everything except corruption .. be it in income tax .. social law ..what not !! the check on corruption was the delicate balance that existed with the judiciary being an independent body !! the pillars being legislature executive and judiciary !!
we have reached a stage where each pillar is not acting against the other because it seeks some favour from it !! am i suggesting the judiciary come under the lokpal ? no but an independent commission can be set up !! with time people have figured how to manipulate the system !! its time to make some changes !!
Coming to anna hazare , he does not claim to represent india .. all he does is exercise his right given to him by the very DEMOCRACY YOU LOVE and demand from his parliament that his bill be passed. if many people join him so be it . Even if people dont understand the bill and support it , it does not undermine their demand … il explain .. The system which india operates under is based on trust .. we elect somebody and trust them to represent us for 5 years .. for that reason people who voted for mayawati dint know anything about the nuclear bill .. nor did she .. yet it was passed … what has happened with the sequence of events over the last 2 years is people dont trust this govt to come up with a strong anti corruption bill … hence they blindly trust anna !!
unfortunately that is reality .. not just in india … how many americans understood the complex bull shit formula wall street came up with for the bail out package … how secretly and quickly was that bill passed? .. !! we have to choose the best possible option .. !! a perfect world exists only in theory .. !! if all of us have to understand our constitution, laws and the economy .. there should only be once course in school and colleges .. all of us should do the same job . its not possible for everyone to be experts !! trust plays a very important part ..!!
btw if your sick will you go see a doctor or start studying medicine ?? how will you decide which doctor to see ?? past record ?? education ?? if you do go to the doctor and he screws it up then what ?? this comparison might sound atrocious .. but the point im trying to make is ……for more than one human being to co-exist on this planet trust is essential .. be it on politics or otherwise !!
i dont agree completely with the JAN LOKPAL either.. BUT DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE WHAT ANNA has done .. made the whole country sit up and take notice of the garbage we have been living with for years .. hes tapped in the conscience of many indians…. we were reaching a stage where we thought it was normal .. hes slapped us in time .. and yes lokpal is not a magic wand .. but that is no excuse to not take the first step … it might be dangerous but were doing something about it after 43 years .. thats what matters !!
and corruption cannot be dealt with down up or up down .. il explain .. if it has to be down up .. tomo if you hv to cremate your grandfather and have to pay a bribe to cremate him .. what will you do ? the problem is we are dealing with emotions .. if a terrorist has hostages we dont take rational decisions .. we take emotional decisions ..!! you cannot get rid of emotions .. !! im not suggesting it should be top down .. but both should happen together in order to progress !!
i do not want to start bitching about this government and their clever tactics .. thats another essay altogether !!
just few thoughts which crossed my mind !!
peace !!
Nice to see ur article patric – its happy to know not all youngsters are not fools – as majority of our youth dont know – what is happening in ramleela ground with anna hazare – but all support and support – shame about them – but people like u are doing ur best… go ahead..sandeep, kuwait
Sir, I can’t do anything other than liking this post.
Superb Article