They came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
High drama running around the country.It's my nation which suffered 20 lakh crores because of scams till this date from independence and every one should remember that these are the scams which came into light.Hongkong till 1970's was more or less same like today's India but with in 35-40 years Hong Kong has become one of the most honest nation.What happened in HongKong?
Why N.R.Narayana Murthy should attend round table conference on reforms?Why Ratan Tata accused an aviation minister?Why Nandan Nilekani became helpless? Sri sri Ravi shankar has joined the Anti-corruption movement.The loving Guru of many disciples who always talks of Love and compassion has to finally make this move for millions of poor in this nation.Every one knows that no country is completely free of corruption but the question is why is it rampant in India?
Lobbying is the biggest business in the world.Even Radia,the character artist of the present show was introduced by the former minister Ananth Kumar and she has every right to do her own business.The same with Burkha and Vir Sanghvi but why these lobbyists and journalists don't work for the public good in India?
Now comes the most important question.Why the entire nation woke up after 2 years of every thing happened and why we are shouting whether Raja should be punished or not? Is it that important to punish Raja? Is it that important to criticize these people for some time and forget every thing when some other issue comes to head lines?Are we really insane?Do we know the link between corruption and development or we are being part of this drama because of abstruse anger?
Hong Kong was one of the most corrupt nation in the world just like India now.people took to streets. The island was forced to set up an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) with functional autonomy, headed by men and women of merit, drawn from many disciplines. And it cleaned up the system. To begin with, they dismissed scores of top level cops. Today, Hong Kong is one of the most honest countries.
What's wrong with India?Can we bring Hong kong type reforms in India?A look at the structure of our anti-corruption system shows that there is not a single anti-corruption agency that is independent of the government or has the complete powers to take action.
The CVC and CAG are independent but merely recommendatory. The government often ignores their advice.
CBI has powers but is completely dependent on the government for permissions for investigations and prosecutions. CBI’s lawyers are appointed by the Law ministry and report to it as well. That is the reason why everyone demands a Supreme Court monitored CBI investigation (as is the case in 2G spectrum).
Our anti-corruption systems have inherently and intently been kept flawed. Even the Lok Pal Bill pending since 1968 falls in the same category as it is also proposed to be a recommendatory body.
Therefore, no vigilance or anti corruption body in our country is independent and final. Either an agency is recommendatory or it is vulnerable to political influences or both.
That has led to a situation where the high and mighty never get punished for corruption. There is clearly a class divide. We have police stations for the poor but CBI, CVC and CAGs for the rich with nearly NIL recovery of ill usurped wealth.
Therefore, India needs a total overhaul of the anti-corruption delivery system. We believe that the country immediately needs a statutory, effective and independent investigating and prosecuting multidisciplinary agency, paid from the Consolidated Fund and led by independent professionals searched, and not merely appointed and barred for some years from re-employment, to ward off political vagaries.
Why corruption is rampant in India?Corruption is not about bribing or being bribed.Corruption is larger than this.If an employee is not working,it is corruption and We know,how well our Government employees work in our system.With out work,being on pay scale they are bribed by us as the salary is nothing but our taxes.A voter being paid to execute his vote is also a form of corruption and every one knows how well our system works during elections!
Even Loksatta stated,"We can't blame trees(Raja) for the forest(India)". Corruption became our culture.Even we never complain about our money-lost or we never complain about the hapless happenings around us.We take entertainment out of News and we want to know whether that corrupt individual,who was unfortunately came into light was sacked from the present position.There ends the game.We all set a vicious cycle.We complain but for punishment not for prevention.Even Arun Shourie stated,"The visible Government of India keeps changing, but that invisible government of India remains completely stable".No elaboration needed.We know everything but we deliberately shut our eyes like Manmohan Singh said,"Coalition Government has its own limitations",that means he implies,'Coalition governments are protectors of corruption." If we won't feel betrayed after this statement,we are really shameless.
An excerpt from Arun shourie's interview.
Don't you think the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) also has a lot to answer for in the current situation?
I don't see the difference between the two. I feel they (the BJP and the Congress) are one party. They are jointly ruling. It is a dinner party. They meet at dinners. They meet socially. They decide on what has to be done about issues.
It is all very cooperative behaviour. They (the BJP) are shouting (for a Joint Parliamentary Committee). They know that it will kill the investigation.
A JPC will raise side issues and that is what both sides want. Because the corporates behind both sides are the same. They don't want the 2G spectrum investigation to proceed.
He questioned,"Today also the reportage is about what (former telecom minister) A Raja says, what Arun Shourie says. Is that the end of the story? I hardly read newspapers now. I just don't watch television. There is nothing to be learnt.
Why are journalists going for sound bytes? Why don't they take the documents home, study it and come to their own conclusions?"
No more evidences needed to prove our irresponsibility and the vicious cycle we set in.
Finally there is chronic problem in the way we do things.Not only in this issue but in everything.Take for example the 2G scam. To begin with, the minister was not exactly a natural choice for this important ministry. The main fixer was not somebody who can in any way be described as a public or social policy strategist, or even someone who could be remotely described as a technologist of some repute.
Many of the companies that obtained licences at throwaway prices had no proven expertise in this field and they promptly sold a part (or all) of their holdings at obscene premiums to other players even before any market was developed by them.
Recall the exemplary success of the initial spectrum auction held in the United Kingdom that every nation wanted to emulate. Well, what is worth pointing out is that the person who led the UK auction, in its design and implementation, was not a fixer, was not a civil servant and certainly not a minister.
He was a reputed professor in game theory and economics, who went back to his academic career after the successful auction.
What we need to do? I remember a scene from recent film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan sey.In that Surjaya asks a teenager,"Why you want to be a part of this revolution?".The teenager replies,"I want my foot ball ground but British occupied it and I want to send them home." Yes,every one has thier own priorities in life.Tribals don't want their land to be acquitted by Government under land acquisition act because it's unfair.
I need my things done in a proper way and I should not face any problems in getting government services because I'm paying the taxes every day,every minute.Now we need to tell them,we are watching you and we want it to be a democracy not 'demonocracy'.Martin Niemoller, a German pastor has written the poem,"First they came" during world war2 and now if we stay silent it will lead to the situation of the person in the poem.
Pick a post card/M.O(Re.1) and send it to P.M.Send an email.Sign online-petition and make your voice heard by Prime minister of India and tell him that we won't tolerate this.
Courtesy;-Arvind Kejriwal,Dr.Jayaprakash Narayan,Arun shourie,Swapan Das Gupta,Loksatta,Shubhashis Gangopadhyay,Gowtham Challur,Martin Niemoller etc.,
