The success of anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare’s protests could be both encouraging and ominous. Whether the benefits accruing out of Hazare’s movement will outweigh some inherent risks will be known in the coming days, maybe months.
To the thousands rallying behind him, this is renewal of Gandhism, or the methods and principles of Mohandas Gandhi, and marks the start of a “second freedom movement”.
Let’s look at some likely outcomes of this upsurge.
What may be to be achieved? Freedom from corruption. From self-centred politicians who don’t look beyond their noses. From power-brokers. People will be able to haul up the corrupt the way they deserve to be. From the highest offices to small-fry government servants, everybody will fall in line. All this can be achieved by bringing in the Hazare-backed draft of a bill for a graft-busting ombudsman. There must be a much tougher Lokpal Bill than what is envisioned in a bill cleared by the government.
To critics – and there are many – Hazare is pushing a nation to anarchy by not recognising either his limit or Parliament’s. He is hurtling people down a path of reckless and obstinate agitation that overlooks India’s successful democracy. Hazare’s agitation ignores the fact that the fundamentals of India as a nation-state have not eroded in anyway.
As a consequence, the restive crowds on Delhi’s streets are giving the impression that India is a banana state without strong institutions. Which is simply not true.
Both the above scenarios – of a new freedom and anarchy – cannot be casually dismissed.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could have pre-empted things from coming to such a pass, but all his government managed to do was fumble, bumble and bungle.
If the government is ‘sleeping’ – as is often said in Hindi about someone not aware of the reality – Hazare could be daydreaming. If one were to so sincerely believe that a law — no matter how draconian – could end corruption, this must be a dream, not vision.
Hazare has not clearly defined what his idea of corruption is? If it is illegal amassing of wealth, than his version of the Lokpal Bill aims giving an ombudsman sweeping powers to probe every part of public life. It is about graft-busting, not graft preventing. The latter may require more innovative solutions, like I-T enabled systems to lessen human interface. And, of course, the moral compunction.
Hazare wants an un-elected, politically unaccountable ombudsman with powers of a Superman. But what will happen if the Superman were to turn rogue? There will about 6 lakh junior ombudsmen all over the country. What is the guarantee that they will be holier than thou? In most countries, similar ombudsmen are not only politically accountable but also complement other anti-graft agencies.
