Start this weekend by finding out why Nandan Nilekani feels obliged to use his position and ideas ”to make a difference to a country on verge of transformation”.
Continue with Why India needs Narendra Modi….
and end with the “usefulness” of History, courtesy Varnam.
Brief excerpts from all the articles below.
Dear Friends, Thanks to all of you for an overwhelming response to my two posts: Who is B Shantanu? and Changing India - One Step at a Time.
I am more hopeful than ever before and absolutely convinced that we are heading towards a transformation of the political landscape in India…It will not happen overnight…or even in weeks or months…But the fire of “hope” has been lit…and it is spreading slowly but steadily…
Many of you who emailed or called me after these posts asked what should they do, how can they help and what were my next steps. This post is an attempt to answer some of these questions…
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*** What can you do? How can you begin participating in this noble cause? ***
1. Read and read lots…Unless we are well-informed and aware, we will be hostage to media manipulation, poor arguments and suspect statistics. So please make sure that you set aside time every day to read about the issues that face us (and I dont mean newspaper headlines about murders and rapes) and how would you think about them if you were in power? By way of reading list, I would recomend the monthly magazine “Pragati” and a collection of blogs on politics and economy (some names that jump to my mind include Offstumped, Acorn, Deeshaa, Indian Economy, Bharat-Rakshak etc; there are many others…this is just a sample list).
2. Discuss. Try and have regular informal discussions amongst your friends and acquaintances on these topics…they could even be at a social occassion…and need not be very structured…The important thing is to get people “thinking” about India’s problems - and how the roots for all these lie in poor leadership, ineffective governance and bad policies…and of course, please do join the various discussions on this blog. For those of you who would like to join in serious policy discussions, I would recommend the Freedom Team’s Google Groups where many policy-related issues are discussed in great depth (You of course don’t have to agree with everything that is expressed).
3. Get involved directly: Please think about joining one or more of the new political groups/parties that have recently been formed. There is more information on them here and here. Pl. try and use some of the “tools” that we now have to ensure more accountability, such as RTI. If you are in India, please consider these two excellent initiatives…If you have some more time, pl. consider helping ADR
.
*** How can you help? ***
4. You can help in this by spreading the word…Some of you have already done that…Thank you, in particular to Varnam and Dr Surya…but this work is ongoing …and we cannot afford to be complacent.
5. and finally, If you can help organise meeting(s), seminar(s) and/or fund-raising dinners in your city for me, please let me know by emailing me at jaidharma AT gmail.com The “funds” raised thus will be chanelled towards organising the first-ever meeting of leaders from new political parties, hopefully sometime early in 2009 (pl. see point # 6 here). More on this particular point, later.
I have some more ideas which I will share in the coming days. In the meantime, If you need to talk to me with some specific suggestions or ideas, please email me at jaidharma AT gmail.com and we can set up a skype/ googletalk call…or of course speak on the phone.
Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
Related Posts:
Fixing the “system” - getting down to the nuts and bolts
Lets come together to build a *new* and proud India
Politics & Corruption: Here�s how to fix the “system”
Last week, I was alerted to two excellent initiatives: Jaago Re! and ADR.
Jaago Re!’s focus is to get India’s one billion voters to register and participate in the electoral process.
Its uniqueness lies in exploiting technology “…to make registering to vote online a possibility. It also serves as a one-stop-shop solution to all your voting needs.”
On top of that, “…it gives you the opportunity to run your own voter registration drive and be a part of the movement to get the entire country registered!” I whole-heartedly support this initiative and recommend everyone to at least have a look at the website.
I believe Jaago Re! is also partnering with Loksatta in Maharashtra to accelerate voter registration in the state.
ADR or Association for Democratic Reforms was formed almost 9 years ago by a group of academics from IIMs at Bengaluru & Ahmedabad and NID, Ahmedabad. The story of its “birth” is interesting:
It came into being with the filing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court asking for mandatory disclosure of criminal, financial and educational backgrounds of candidates contesting elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures, prior to the polls. The Delhi High Court in 2001 gave a judgment in favour of ADR and the same was challenged by the Government in the Supreme Court. Several political parties also intervened in the matter opposing the Delhi High Court’s judgment.
After a long hearing, the Supreme Court in a land mark judgment upheld the High Court Judgment and directed the Election Commission to issue orders making it mandatory for candidates contesting elections to Parliament and state assemblies to submit affidavits along with their nomination papers giving information about criminal cases pending against them, if any; financial assets of the candidate, his/her spouse and dependents; financial liabilities and educational qualifications of the candidate.
In a bid to dilute the full effect of the judgment, the Government issued an Ordinance amending the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951, partially implementing only the Supreme Court directions. ADR challenged this ordinance and amendment act before the Supreme Court.
In September 2003, the Supreme Court struck down the amendment as unconstitutional and restored its earlier directions. Several State Election Commissions have also passed orders making such declarations mandatory even for Panchayat/local bodies’ elections.
ADR also conducts “Election Watch” activities throughout India, spending considerable time and effort to dig into the backgrounds of political candidates and their antecedents.
Again, I would request everyone to spend some time on their website and think how we can help and work with them.
***
I have an introduction to Prof Trolochan Sastry of IIM-Bangalore, one of the founders of ADR and I hope to speak to him in the next few days.
I do not know Swati and Ramesh Ramanathan of “Janaagraha” (who are behind the Jaago Re! movement) but if any of you know them and are willing to make an introduction, I shall be grateful…otherwise I will “cold call” them in the next few days.
Related Posts:
Politics & Corruption: Here’s how to “fix the system”
What is stopping you from joining active politics?
Fixing the “system” - getting down to the nuts and bolts
Lets come together to build a *new* and proud India
*** CAUTION: LONG POST ***
My name is Shantanu Bhagwat. Some of you who are reading this know me…Most of you do not.
I am a partner in a venture capital firm in London. I have spent more than seven years at this firm…working with some very smart people, investing in a few fascinating ideas and meeting some truly talented people …
Prior to Amadeus, I worked briefly at another great firm…Monitor Co. Some of you may know of Monitor as Michael Porter’s firm. Others may have heard of Monitor’s blue-chip connections.
And before Monitor, I was part of India’s “charmed circle” - the civil services – as a diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service…During the time that I was in the IFS, were the several years I spent in Japan. That was also where my daughter was born. Japan will always have a special place in my heart.
But this post is not about Japan. It is about India.
Compared to a vast majority of my fellow citizens, I have had a privileged existence – at least for the past many many years…And I was also extremely fortunate to have the opportunities to realise my potential…
Many of our fellow citizens are denied this opportunity. For them, the doors to a better, brighter future are shut…for them, the joy of achievement is something that they may never experience.
For them, each day is a monumental struggle, each moment a study in despair, frustration and hopelessness…
It does not have to be like that.
I belong to a very rich and blessed country…Yet my fellow Indians are destitute and miserable.
Have you ever paused to think why? Have you ever paused to think what can you do about it? Have you ever paused to think how can this be changed?
Until a few years ago, whenever I had thoughts like these, I used to talk to a few friends, make a few phone calls, find something worthwhile that someone was doing and make a charitable contribution…
I could then sleep peacefully at night – believing that I had done my bit for my country…Isn’t charity very uplifting and ennobling?
Gradually it dawned on me that charity will not solve this problem – it cannot. I realised that the roots of our poor development, the suffering of millions, the pain and the despair that the vast majority face everyday were elsewhere.
*** Identifying the roots of the problem ***
It was becoming clearer to me that India’s *fundamental problem* was poor governance and bad policies… and there was only one way to change that…Fortunately that way did not require a bloody revolution.
One of the “blessings” of being an Indian is to belong to a democracy, to a system where change can be brought about by popular will – and does not have to be forced down the barrel of a gun…
But living amidst freedom, amidst a free society, entails responsibilities and duties…somewhere along the way, we – the healthy, educated and fortunate citizens of India - began to take the “fruits” of freedom (free speech, individual liberties, rule of law) for granted and forgot the responsibilities that these entailed…
Responsibility to think about our policies, responsibility to participate in the political process, responsibility to act…
For this, I do not blame the vast majority of our population whose life is a daily struggle for survival and basic dignity…You cannot think of policy on an empty stomach…and you cannot feel patriotic as you walk miles to get a “haandi” of “drinkable” water…
But what about you and me? You and me who are most likely reading this sitting somewhere comfortable, with our stomachs full, with enough bread on the table, enough food in the refrigerator, enough water to have a bath twice a day if you want?
What about you and me who are fortunate but shy away from thinking about the unfortunate?
What about you and me whose stomachs are full but who salve their conscience by donating to charity?
What about you and me whose response to misery has so coarsened that looking away from a beggar is no longer a conscious activity but a reflex action?
What about you and me who only feel patriotic on 15th August and possibly 26th January?
What about us?
Why don’t we think about what is wrong with our policies? our governance?
What can possibly cause starvation deaths in a country that produces enough food for its billion-plus population?
What can possibly cause farmers to attempt suicide and sell their daughters for a few dollars?
How can it be water is actually “sold” in Cherrapunji – which receives the highest rainfall anywehe in the country?
How can it be that we can launch satellites in space but cannot ensure a basic dignity of life to the millions who are our poor?
*** The way forward ***
These questions began to trouble me…and have been haunting me for the past few years.
Alongside, there were other issues…many issues that made me feel angry, helpless, frustrated and dejected…
During the last few months, it felt that this cycle of anger, frustration, despair and deep desire to do something radically different was being repeated ever few days…
Reading the news every morning used to make the stomach turn or cause my blood pressure to rise…Every discussion about India came to be tinged with bitterness, anger and rage…until I stopped discussing “politics” with friends completely.
My only solace was my semi-anonymous blog and a few internet groups where I found kindred souls..
Then something happened…
Almost unconsciously, I felt the change…
I still remember the triggers…The first was probably the shameful perversion of democracy on the floor of the house on 22nd July. In response to my post on this subject, Sanjeev Sabhlok challenged everyone to either rise and do something about it or shut up.
That shook me to the core….it hurt ..but it probably hurt even more because it was true…
How long can we wail and beat our chests about the rot, the decay in the system? How long can we continue to cry about the despair and the frustration it generates? How long will we contend ourselves with post-dinner discussions and wake up the next morning pretending (or worse, forgetting) that everything was really OK?
The second trigger were the blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad…Ironically, I had been to both these cities just a few days before…But strangely it did not feel like I had cheated death…
I tried to remember when was the last time I had felt really close, very close to being scared…
Regular readers of my blog (and friends) noticed the change in me…one even said, they could feel my anger by reading the posts on the blasts.
I was glad that my feelings had found an outlet…but this was not enough…clearly a lot more needed to be done…
Somewhere down the line, sometime in the last few weeks, these feelings turned into something positive – a positive determination to do something…a positive determination to bring about change…a positive determination that we will succeed.
Other events and things happening around me, helped make the decision…I watched with awe and fascination as the Obama campaign changed the paradigm of fund-raising in the US by reaching out at the grassroots… I began to read about interesting experiments that were happening around “crowd-funding”.
I realised that I had to think differently – almost like an entrepreneur - here…what I had was an idea and a grand vision that could change the world…now I needed to make that happen…
I tried to distil down all the years of insight, experience, things I had learnt sitting on the other side of the table.
I began to think how could a group of committed and passionate people break the mould?
How could we change the paradigm of popular politics, of vote-banks, electoral compromises and sub-serving of national interest? How could we take this powerful idea - an idea of changing India – and actually make it work?
Success in this “venture” may not make any of us super-rich but it will put India on a vastly different growth trajectory…I realised that if we did succeed, we will have a chance to make the 21st century, India’s century and help India reclaim her rightful place of pride in the community of nations…
…and even if we failed, it will not be for want of trying…
But this is not about the risks of failure…it is not about failure at all…This is about determination…a determination to change the way things are…a determination to create opportunities for our fellow citizens…a determination to try and do our best so that millions may live better…
This is about determination to “Change India”…and it is about hope…
Hope that many will support us…Hope that we are not alone…Hope that the time has come…Hope that when the going gets tough, we will not loose heart or courage…Hope that even in darkness, we will be able to carry the light in our souls…
And it is about belief…Belief and faith in ourselves…and the strength of our convictions.
For me, this is a defining moment, there is now no turning back.
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Next: “Changing India: One Step at a Time”
This is a dark story* in many ways befitting tonight’s ”Amavasya” (eve before the new moon). It comes from Bengaluru which - one believed - had managed to raise itself from the mire of corruption, crime and dirty politics that pervades Bharat. Unfortunately this story could have come from any big city in India…
But as hopeless as the situation looks to be, we cannot let this dampen our spirits. As Anil Chawla wrote in a comment on this blog: “…We have to keep the lamp of faith and hope alive….May we be filled with hope when everyone else despairs…”
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*** Excerpts from “The Godfather of Bangalore” by Scott Carney ***
It’s a little past midnight, and a lonely parcel of farmland not far from the new international airport in Bangalore, India, is soaking up a gentle rain. At the center of the lot is a house surrounded by a low stone wall. There’s a hole in the roof and a bushel of ginger drying under an awning. Large block letters painted on the wall read: this property belongs to chhabria janwani. Inside, eight men—two armed with shotguns—confer in hushed voices as they peer out the windows. Is it safe for them to go to sleep, or should they stand watch another few hours? A guard wearing a dirty work shirt is the first to notice signs of trouble. In the distance, flashlight beams sweep the roadway. The lights advance, accompanied by a chorus of voices. Then the sound of people scrambling over the wall. One of the guards makes a break for the gate, sprinting toward a police station a mile away. Before the others can do much more than scramble to their feet, 20 attackers brandishing swords and knives emerge from the shadows. Some carry buckets of blue paint. It takes them only a minute to overrun the building. Three guards who stood their ground lie bleeding on the floor. The others surrender.
Firmly in control, the marauders shift gears. They pull out rollers and slather paint over Chhabria Janwani’s claim to the land. By the time a police jeep pulls up, the sign is only a memory. The attackers have achieved their goal. Thanks to the convoluted rules surrounding land ownership, the removal of Janwani’s lettering throws his claim into question. The dispute is no longer just a criminal matter of a gang of outlaws taking over a piece of ground; now it’s a civil issue that will have to be mediated in the courts. This kind of legal battle, with its near-endless appeal process, could easily last 15 years. If Janwani hopes to develop or sell the parcel during that time, he’d be better off just letting his assailants have the property in exchange for a fraction of its value.
*** UPDATE ***
You can still participate in the poll by clicking on clicking on this link. Thanks
***
A few weeks ago, I requested you to take part in a poll on “What is stopping you from joining active politics?“.
I am very pleased with the level of participation. I got over a 100 responses and also some though-provoking comments e.g. “…Fear that at the end I will be forced to be corrupt for survival sake” and “no inner party democracy in any party…”. But first, the results…
Poll: What is stopping you from joining active politics? (only one response was allowed)
Inability to raise funds for campaigning: 24%
Family responsibilities: 20%
Loss of income: 18%
Worry about personal safety: 15%
Fear of not succeeding: 8%
Risk to personal reputation: 6%
Not worth it: 5%
Other: 4%
The single biggest reason(s) stopping good, thinking, committed people from joining active politics are
Sanjay of Freedom Team conducted a similar poll on the FTI website for FTI members. The results from that poll revealed that although members were keen to contest elections, 60% of them cited “lack of funds” as the prime reason of dropping out.
Surprisingly, only 10% gave “family reasons” as a reason for not contesting (I guess this is because most FTI members are senior professionals in various fields and are less worried about potential loss of future earnings).
Interestingly, 20% (as against 8% in my poll) mentioned “pessimism of winning” (fear of not succeeding) as a reason for not considering joining active politics. Does this mean there are more pessimists amongst FTI members - or are they more realistic? I will look forward to thoughts and comments from Sanjay, Sanjeev Sabhlok and others on this.
I will add my thoughts and analysis (hopefully) later today…
In the meantime, please share your thoughts, suggestions and ideas on the results…and what would you do to change people’s perceptions re. active politics.
Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
Related Posts:
What is stopping you from joining active politics?
Fixing the “system” - getting down to the nuts and bolts
Lets come together to build a *new* and proud India
I first heard of “Jago Party” a few months ago during some meetings I had in Delhi. Earlier this month, I finally got around to visiting their website and leaving a comment requesting an interview with their founders/ leaders.
I was impressed by the speed of response…My comment was acknowledged within a day and I got responses to my email questions within a week…Without further ado, below is an email interview with Deepak Mittal, Founder President of ”Jago Party”.
Please also read Interview with Ujjwal Banerjee - Part I and Interview with Geeta Gokhale, BPD - Part I
*** Interview begins ***
Q. What is your stance towards economic reforms?
A. In a recent (2008) survey done by World Bank in respect of ease of doing business, India stands at the dismal rank of 122 out of 181 countries. There is an urgent need to facilitate private investment in all areas of economy. Besides, several government and public sector enterprises are working as a drag on the economy by remaining financially unviable, inefficient and corrupt. They should be either privatized or run on commercial lines. Number of taxes and tax rates need to be reduced drastically. Government spending in the name of the poor by way of various welfare schemes and subsidy is ridden with massive corruption and inefficiency and hence it must be completely dismantled. This should be replaced by direct transfer of cash to the poor. All these measures have already been included in the manifesto of Jago Party.
Q. What is your position on campaign finance? Corruption in elections/ vote-rigging?
Some of you would remember NDTV’s “Big Fight” from a few weeks back where the topic was “Younger politicians - time to take over“.
I had taken some notes while watching the programme and what struck me was that none of the participants (mainly leaders from mainstream political parties) identified what I felt were the *real* reasons why you dont see more “young politicians”…
While I was discussing this with a friend last week, he suggested taking a straw poll on my blog to find out why youngsters (or anyone else for that matter) do not consider politics as a conscious (or a realistic) career choice.
But before that, some quotes from the “Big Fight”:
Abhishek Singhvi: “(we)…need to change the system so that people with alternative talents can get into politics…we have to make politics somewhat of a meritocracy”
Rajiv Pratap Rudy: “…politics has become discredited…No one wants their son or daughter to become a politician today…
Shahid Sidiqui: “…stop demonising politics and politicians; media only shows (the) negative face…that is not true…there are good things in poliics…”
Tavleen Singh: “…we must have younger politicans…but young people who are interested in politics…in doing something for the country…we don’t have that yet…
I have maintained for a very long time that you will not see more people into politics unless you make it pay and it becomes less *risky* (in a real, physical danger sense of the word).
So one of the first challenges is to redefine the way “politics” is currently understood and practised in India…
To check that I am not living on another planet - and following my friend’s advice, here is a quick straw poll:
UPDATE: You can still participate in the poll by clicking this link:
http://www.polldaddy.com/p/969643/
***
Poll continued on sidebar…It will remain open for a few more weeks (I have got about 80 responses already)
Please indicate your votes on the sidebar widget.
***
I will keep this open for a few weeks and then publish the results. Please actively participate and forward this link to your friends. Thanks.
Related Posts:
Fixing the “system” - getting down to the nuts and bolts
Lets come together to build a *new* and proud India
Politics & Corruption: Here’s how to fix the “system”
Do we deserve the politicians we get?
In Alaskonomics and Bihar - Part I, I raised the point about distribution of taxes and income amongst various states in India.
This matter is at the heart of several controversies – the most recent being Narendra Modi’s demand that revenues from Gujarat should largely be spent in/on Gujarat. It also has a bearing on issues such as the anti-North-Indians movement in Maharashtra. But most importantly, this analysis is key to understanding and dealing with under-development in Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, AP and MP…all of them states having large swathes of land where the government has no role and no influence, forget authority.
In that sense, this discussion not only influences national economic development but also has ramifications for internal security (with regards the influence of Maoists) as well as the evolution of India’s federal structure (and the relationship between states and centre).
However, my search for data to support this analysis was not very fruitful…I did unearth some very interesting nuggets but there are still large gaps without which it is difficult to formulate any hypothesis on this sensitive subject. As the title of this post suggests, a lot of these “nuggets” had to do with Bihar and how it compares vis-à-vis other states.
The first excerpt is from an article provocatively titled, “The economic strangulation of Bihar” (originally published in 2004). In the article, Mohan Guruswamy and Abhishek Kaul, the two authors contend that: Bihar is being systematically denied even its rightful due from the Centre, let alone the additional assistance its economic and social condition deserves.
The picture they paint of Bihar is not pretty.
Like most of you, I watched and read about the proceedings of the last few days with a sense of sadness and great shame…Amidst all this, these words by Radha Rajan touched a raw nerve… Please read and think…(emphasis added)
*** The Nation as Draupadi ***
Parliament on 22nd July resembled the court of the Kauravas with the Speaker playing Dritharashtra. Every individual in parliament on that day, notwithstanding the party to which he or she belonged, was some character in the shameful court and I was the nation.
When the Prime Minister scornfully tabled his written response to the two-day debate with the Speaker instead of facing the Members of Parliament and addressing their concerns verbally, he was only underscoring parliament’s irrelevance in concluding international agreements and treaties.
This is a serious deficiency in the country’s democracy in theory and in practice because when parliament is rendered impotent to influence government decisions impinging on national security, it amounts to disregarding the sense of the House and the will of the people. It is a chilling truth that on that fateful day not one member in the august house, in the treasury or the opposition, faithfully represented the voter who put him or her there. As the end results proved, many of them were disloyal even to the party to which they belonged.
�
The Lok Sabha voted, not on the nuclear deal (it has no locus standi, as pointed out, to decide on international treaties) but on a trust vote sought by the Prime Minister on behalf of his government. Had the Prime Minister lost the trust vote, the country would have been faced with premature elections with the distinct possibility that several sitting MPs may not return to the House.
Not surprisingly, while the government did not want to fall, MPs fearful of not returning to the next Lob Sabha, also did not want the government to fall. The game of dice began and in the bizarre context of the ruling party and a section of the opposition sharing the same anxiety, the players staked the nation’s resources, her interests and eventually her dignity.
I do not hold any brief for Mayawati-ji (although I admire her guts) but this does not smell right:
The CBI is all set to chargesheet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in the disproportionate assets case…In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the probe agency asserted that there was sufficient evidence to proceed… [ link ]
Perhaps this has something to do with our national interest?
Related Posts:
How to earn Rs 50 crores in 5 yearsand
P.S. I was amusedthat the CBI had to assertit was “an autonomous body solely guided by the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code…” :-)
A few weeks ago, I had asked the question, Can NRIs become MPs in India?
I now understand that not only NRIs but even foreigners can apparently become MPs provided they have the right documents
.the CBI in its final probe report before the Supreme Court said the documents produced byCongress MP from Assam Mani Kumar Subbato claim Indian citizenship were “not correct”
If the findings of the CBI are held to be correct by the apex court after scrutinising the response of the MP, Subba could stand to lose his membership in Parliament as only Indians can be elected to both the Houses.
Shri Subba had allegedly escaped from a Napalese prison hospital to Assam’s Tinsukia district via Sikkim in 1962
He may have avoided all this trouble if he had spent just a little bit of money. After all, Rs 7,500 is all it takes to get a genuine passport(and with the recent “glut” in the market,the price may actually be coming down)
And for a little bit more, you can get a ration card, a PAN card, a voter I-Card, a birth certificate AND a passport in other words, a bullet-proofidentity.
Shri Subba may or may not be a Nepali citizen but what about the continuing mass infiltration from across our eastern border that shows no signs of abatement? What about the increasing presence of Jihadis in the region?
Looking at the way in which the tentacles of terror are spreading, I wonder, is any state/city now safe?
Related Posts:
Some startling stats from the easternfront
Bangladesh and the criminal-jihadinexus
First, the good news.
Last week Freedom Teamreleased the first issue of its magazine with the following preface:
…We all want a Great India. But why is there so much failure around us despite these good intentions? ……bad governance and bad policies have added up to make India a highy corrupt, poor nation…why should our governance be so bad?
We believe it is primarily because our best peopledo not enter politics. The Freedom Team has chosen to fix this problem. The Team will bring togther 1500 leaders…andprovide Indians with high qiuality candidates at elections. We all deserve to get our very best people into parlaiment.”
I would strongly encourage all of you to have a lookand share your thoughts/ comments. (Disclosure: I am a member of Freedom Team)
If you have questions about the Team or its plans, you can ask them here. And as always, pl. feel free to leave a comment.
Personally, I find this effort hugely encouraging especially in the context of resurgence in activities of LokSatta and many other similar outfits (see e.g. this report about Lok Paritran planning to contest elections in Karnataka)
Although this is a big step forward (and in the right direction), my optimism is laced with the reality of current day politics.
And I am not talking of India.
This brings me to the bad news:
A few weeks ago, I came across this article in TIME magazine that talks about the power of lobbyists in Washington and how even John McCain - who has a relatively *clean* and reformist image - is not immune from it.
John McCain has been in the news in past for exposing alleged corrupt practices by his peers in the Senate.. However, this is now proving to be a double-edged sword.
Bear in mind what is being discussed in the TIME article is happening in this day and age in a relatively mature and transparent democracy (i.e. the US of A)and this is not an isolated, one off incident. Politics everywhere appears to have become enmeshed with big money, lobbyists, scandal and corruption.
I do not even need to mention what goes on in the corridors of power in Delhiwhich brings me to the depressing thought that we can try as much as we can but it may be almost impossible to reform - of *fix* - the present system of politics and governance in Indiacertainly not within the next 10 or even 20 years.
Where does that leave the Freedom Team and other similar efforts?
I am not sure I know the answer…but I would like to ask this question of all my readers, of all the members of Freedom Team and anyone and everyone who has ever wondered about the sad state off affairs in India especially its political system and governance.
Related Posts:
Corruption in Public Life: Are we the only ones?
Good news and badnews..(Part 1)
P.S. If you want to get more depressed, read this news-storywhich analyses in some detail how the BJP ignored the caste equations in Karnataka and how this has caused has caused heart burn among the minority groups who had been supporting the party in North Karnataka districts.
The dark clouds may be parting…
In the last few days, I came across two more movements for political reform, at least one of which I was unaware of.
The first was LokSatta, which I had briefly mentioned before and which appears to be getting more active now; the second is Professionals Party of India (Thanks, Sundeep).
LokSatta appears to have a good base of volunteers, one of whom stumbled on my blog and sent me an email with this information (Thanks, Dnyanesh; emphasis mine):
“…We are a group of professionals in the age group of 35/55 working together under leadership of our National Cordinator,Dr. Jaiprakash Narayan ex IAS (who resigned from services at the age of 38 years in 1996 ) & who leads the movement.
…Most of the solutions that we have so far offered are in the nature of administrative reforms & according to us while they are necessary they are not sufficient. It has been found that the route cause of problems in India are due to the Political System (First Past The Post System) that we have adopted Every other reform will flow from a good political governance be it Administrative , Judicial , Educational or Economical. It has been found in our research that among others, Criminalisation, the level of poverty & corruption are symptoms of lack of political governance arising out of FPTP system..
Our style of operation is collaborative, non partisan and non adversarial. We believe in working as allies with all stakeholders to generate solutions.
…Other details about movement & other reforms that we are working on can be accessed at website www.loksatta.org
We share a common goal to make India a superpower & the best place to live on earth…We need to attain good governance through a peaceful political process rather than wait for a bloody revolution to take place.”
Professionals Party of India believes that the solution to the problems that we face is “A democratic paradigm shift” involving…”the 200 million or so professional Indians to roll up their sleeves and dirty their hands…set up a political party, win elections and form a government….that is perhaps the only way the unrelenting morass of ineptitude, incompetence and corruption our country is sinking into can be arrested.”
Their challenge of course is to get middle-class Indians, professionals involved in this process…define what they should stand for and capture public imagination. The party is habving its second convention this Saturday (16th Feb) in Pune…If you are in Pune, or know someone from Pune who may be interested, email sundeepg AT gmail.com�to find out more.
For the record, here is a quick list of various groups that I am aware of (in no particular order and with only an indicative list of people involved):
LokSatta (Dr Jaiprakash Narayan and others)
Lok Paritran (Chandrashekhar, Tanmay Raj Purohit and others)
Bharat Uday Mission (Santosh Nargund, Aditya and others)
Bharat Punarnirman Dal (Ajit Shukla, Ravi Kishore and others)
Professionals Party of India (RV Krishnan, Sundeep Gupta and others)
Freedom Team of India (Sanjeev Sabhlok & others)
There are many other movements that aim to reform governance and eradicate corruption. What makes the groups mentioned above stand apart is that they are all willing to contest elections to change things.
As I have noted elsewhere, this is essential because it is only through political power, that one will be able to implement the kind of reform(s) that we all wish for…Civil initiatives, NGOs and think-tanks do a great job but there are natural limits to their effectiveness.
I will end this with a humble request to all readers: Please consider at least some kind of participation in one or more of these groups…we need all the strength and support we can get. In case I have missed someone, please let me know and I will happily make amends.
My ambition is to help craft a basic common agenda that could be shared/supported by all these groups…Unfortunately I am in “hibernation”, snowed under work and unable to do much at present…but someday I hope to make it happen.
Together, we can make it happen.
Jai Hind.
* Courtesy Chairman Mao��
Dear All, it is my pleasure to publish this guest post by Sanjeev Sabhlok.
As you know, good governance in India is something very close to my heart. I am glad that Sanjeev has taken the initiative on this. A great deal of effort and clear-headed thinking has gone into this document.
Please do read and discuss it with your friends, acquaintances and everyone who is passionate about doing something for our country.
This topic deserves serious attention.
*** POST BEGINS ***
����� I’d first of all like to thank Shantanu for giving me the opportunity to write this guest article. His blog raises a range of matters of concern from time to time and allows open and free discussion from a wide range of perspectives. I consider his blog to be a valuable contribution to the evolving culture of freedom in India. This article is about building a Freedom Team for India. I’ll summarise below what I mean. I hope that you will be interested in pursing it further. I’ll take queries on this blog.
����� The concept of Freedom Team is discussed at length in more detail in my book, “Breaking Free of Nehru” (preview available at: http://sanjeev.sabhlokcity.com/breakingfree.html). First, why Freedom? I show in my book that India is not as free as it should be. I argue that if India were to become more free, the first thing that would change dramatically would be its governance. We would get first-rate political leaders and bureaucrats and world class governance. Improved governance will immediately help India to get rid of corruption. It will create opportunities for entrepreneurship and provide high-quality education to all of India’s children. In this manner, but also directly, it will eliminate poverty.
����� None of this will happen on its own since the current crop of political and bureaucratic leadership is neither capable nor interested in such things. That India desperately needs good political representation focused on freedom is no longer in doubt. But it won’t happen on its own. On the other hand, merely jumping into politics with brash fervour will not solve any of India’s problems, either. There has to be a very systematic effort.
����� The process has to begin by people good and competent Indians stepping forward to take the message of freedom to the people; people willing to personally step forward to provide India with good governance through electoral politics. I suggest in my book that a Freedom Team should be formed at this stage to form the critical mass to kick-start a freedom movement (the previous one was not a freedom movement but an independence movement). When only good, selected, people are allowed to join and to continue, the Freedom Team will strengthen quickly. No person of poor moral character should be allowed to join; or if selected by accident, allowed to continue. Even one black sheep can destroy the Freedom Team’s good name.
����� An immediate goal would be to collect 1500 good persons. This will give roughly three outstanding leaders for each of India’s 550 constituencies. That way, if one of them can’t contest the elections at the last minute, then two others will be ready to stand up. And if that second one is killed by the mafia, then the third will stand up. Whoever is left will contest the local assembly elections. In this manner a good government will be formed in India, and the message of freedom taken to the state assemblies. Hopefully, among a billion people, 1500 good people will be relatively easy to find. The Freedom Team should target that women should form half its membership.
����� Members of this group should meet the following criteria:
