No good ever came out of collective behaviour and there is no thing such as collective thinking (aah, the oxymoron). While the media has been rife with coverage of what has become its latest obsession ~ Anna Hazare and the Lokpal Bill, I continue to be shocked by the lengths people in this country will go to avoid thinking for themselves.
If it isn’t clear yet – I do not support Anna Hazare or the Lokpal Bill (the people’s and/or the government’s).
Why? The last time I checked, India was a democratic country. We elect our governments. If we believe that the government is corrupt, we have the right to elect a new government. We also have the right to stand for elections ourselves if we deem none of the parties worthy of our votes. Anna Hazare proposes that a body more powerful than the current government be established. This body will not be elected by the people (and they will have no say in the matter of who comprises of this body) but appointed by judges, IAS officers, Padma Bhushan winners and so on.
Firstly, do we not already have enough laws that go unimplemented? Why aren’t we focusing on implementing the current laws? There’s an array of anti-corruption laws that already exist.
Secondly, do we really need more government? Creating more levels of government can never be the solution to beat corruption. It will only create opportunities for more corruption. More government is not the answer. More liberalization is. All the big scams that involved the government (2G scam, CWG) happen because the government and politicians have far too much power.
Thirdly, what is the proof that this committee is incorruptible? On what basis is this assumed?
Fourthly, corruption arises when one party has unfair power over another. Do we really want to place an unelected committee over the government in the power hierarchy? If this committee misuses its power, is influenced by the opposition party, etc. it could prosecute the current government unfairly. We might as well resign all our election rights and let dictatorship take its course. That would be quicker, wouldn’t it?
Lastly, we all know the solution to stop grass root corruption yet it’s widespread. What’s the reason? It’s not only because cops ask for bribes, it’s because we pay them. All forms of corruption is a two-way process.
It’s convenient now to come to the streets to show support and protest. But it’s difficult to not be a part of the process in your day-to-day life. It’s convenient now to shout slogans in herds and target the government and government officials. It’s convenient now to take a ‘holier than thou’ stance against the government and government officials and forget that YOU are equally guilty and corrupt for feeding such a system. This ‘holier than thou’ stance that everybody in this country seems to have taken is what I resent the most.
The sheep ‘protesting’ on the streets of India know naught about the Lokpal Bill and its long-term implications. I do not blame them for being desperate to see a change in the system, but desperate times do not call for stupidity and they most certainly do not call for letting someone else do your thinking for you. Indians are all about idol worship, but it has gone a bit too far this time, hasn’t it?
We need an objective and rational solution. Not an emotional and impulsive one.
No comments:
Post a Comment