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
November 2nd, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Corruption in India, Elections Analysis, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India |
one comment
*** 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
- inability to raise funds and
- worries about family responsibilities and loss of income
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
October 26th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Corruption in India, Current Affairs, Elections Analysis, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India |
10 comments
1. DGP and BJP MP B P Singhal examines “The sting and the truth about Gujarat” including this Aaj Tak faux pas:
It was therefore truly shocking that on 25.8.2007, Aaj Tak harped on the same old refrain that “Modi did not call the army until three days had passed“. Even more outrageous was their insistance on this point. When Aaj Tak contacted me on phone to get my response, I told the anchor that the Godhra carnage took place on February 27, 2002, that the Hindu backlash commenced on February 28th and the Army was doing flag march on the forenoon of March 1st …………
He cut me short by saying that “this is exactly what we had said, no action was taken by Modi on 29th, 30th and 31st thus giving three clear days to the murderers ……..”
I had to cut him short by reminding him that the date 28th was 28th of February, 2002 and there was no 29th, 30th or 31st in that month.
2. A post from Ideas of Civilisation which questions whether politicians should have to contact voters…
3. …and a heart-warming and inspiring story about a cell centre being run by the blind in India.. The young men and women working here are truly a source of inspiration…
Brief excerpts from all the articles below.
Keep Reading…
September 26th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Godhra, Media Related, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India |
2 comments
In a recent TIME magazine article, Michael Elliott suggested that Japan’s experience may be a clue to a post-modern era in which “…politics, something that we have assumed for 200 years was the wellspring of national success or failure, is somehow just not that important..”.
Keep Reading…
September 24th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Politics and Governance |
no comments
I chanced upon this article in the latest issue of TIME magazine. It has some very interesting data about taxes and spending in Alaska. After about an hour of google search today, I found a little bit of data (along these lines) on some Indian states too…I will share that with everyone in Part II of this post (either tomorrow or the day after).
In the meantime, enjoy reading some excerpts from Sarah Palin’s Alaskonomics by Michael Kinsley:
…Of the 50 states, Alaska ranks No. 1 in taxes per resident and No. 1 in spending per resident. Its tax burden per resident is 2 1/2 times the national average; its spending, more than double. The trick is that Alaska’s government spends money on its own citizens and taxes the rest of us to pay for it.
…Alaska is, in essence, an adjunct member of OPEC. It has four different taxes on oil, which produce more than 89% of the state’s unrestricted revenue. On average, three-quarters of the value of a barrel of oil is taken by the state government before that oil is permitted to leave the state. Alaska residents each get a yearly check for about $2,000 from oil revenues, plus an additional $1,200 pushed through by Palin last year to take advantage of rising oil prices.
…As if it couldn’t support itself, Alaska also ranks No. 1, year after year, in money it sucks in from Washington. In 2005 (the most recent figures), according to the Tax Foundation, Alaska ranked 18th in federal taxes paid per resident ($5,434) but first in federal spending received per resident ($13,950). Its ratio of federal spending received to federal taxes paid ranks third among the 50 states, and in the absolute amount it receives from Washington over and above the amount it sends to Washington, Alaska ranks No. 1.
Wonder what the figures are for Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Bihar etc etc…If any of you have any idea of where might I find similar statistics for the states in India, please send me an email at jai.dharma AT gmail.com. Thank you.
Related Post: The forgotten “J” in J&K
Adjacent Post: There is a “राष्ट्र” in “महाराष्ट्र”…
September 23rd, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Indian Economy, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India |
no comments
Some of you may have picked up the news on Friday that US has (once again) included China in its list of ”Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs) mentioned in the International Religious Freedom’s annual report*. The report lists countries and regimes who restrict or suppress religious freedom..The worst violators are mentioned as “Countries of Particular Concern”.
China has been on this list since at least 2005 (possibly earlier) and was first included in 1999.
Against this backdrop, read how China treats its religious minorities in these excerpts from Ramadan Curbs Imposed in China:
…Local governments in a Muslim desert region in western China have imposed strict limits on religious practices during the traditional Muslim fasting month of Ramadan…according to the Web sites of four of those governments.
The rules include prohibiting women from wearing veils and men from growing beards, as well as barring government officials from observing Ramadan.
…The Web site of the town of Yingmaili lists nine rules put in place to maintain stability during Ramadan.
They include barring teachers and students from observing Ramadan, prohibiting retired government officials from entering mosques and requiring men to shave off beards and women to doff veils. Mosques
cannot let people from outside of town stay overnight and restaurants must maintain normal hours of business. Many restaurants close in daytime hours during Ramadan because of the sunrise-to-sunset fasting.
In nearby Xinhe County, the government has decreed that Communist Party members, civil servants and retired officials must not observe Ramadan, enter mosques or take part in any religious activities during the month. Worshipers cannot make pilgrimages to tombs, so as to avoid any group event that might harm social stability…
…Shayar County, which includes the town of Yingmaili, said on its Web site that migrants must register with the police, and that any missionary work by outsiders is banned. Even outside Ramadan, China is wary of missionaries doing any kind of work in the country.
The city of Artux is also preventing its teachers and students from observing Ramadan. As a result, schools have to keep serving food and water, city authorities said.
More on CPCs here: http://www.stimson.org/pub.cfm?ID=603
P.S. In case you are curious, India has been mentioned too (although not as a CPC)
Related Posts:
India and China: Apples and Oranges
Does “secularism” mean “favouritism towards Muslims”?
If only we were Chinese…
When is it OK to shut down a place of worship?
September 21st, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
China related, Current Affairs, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Politics and Governance |
5 comments
French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lvy on thecrisis inDarfurquoted inGuernica, June 2008:
…I was there (in Darfur)…just one year ago nearly to the day, smuggling myself across the border with Chad, crossing 500, 600 kilometers of a devastated Darfur. And I must say what I saw then, what I experienced there never left my mind and my heart since. I was deeply shocked in the most intense sense of the word by this experience, even if I lived many others in my life since my youth in Bangladesh, in Pakistan. What I saw in Darfur in a way bypassed, overwhelmed a lot of things which I experienced before.
I would like to sum up the conclusion I did draw from this journey. My first conclusion was and still is that we should stop speaking of the crisis of Darfur or even the war in Darfur. It is not a crisis. It is not a war. A war presupposes of course a frontline, presupposes organized battles, and presupposes, even more, two real armies. It is not a war between two armies. It is a war by an army against civilian populations. It is not a civil war, it is a war against civilians.
…My second conclusion, which I drew from this journey, is that we should get rid of at least … part of the myth of the Janjaweed. There are a lot of big stories about the Janjaweed, these horsemen of the devil, ill-equipped themselves, arriving in the villages burning the huts, spreading fear, like in the Middle Ages. What I saw is not exactly that. I saw huge holes in the ground, craters from bombs which were the result of a bombing…This is not Janjaweed. This is a real bomber. What everybody told me is that these Janjaweed when they arrive, generally in lorries, in trucks, they are commanded by people in uniforms or have uniforms that happen to belong to the Sudanese Army.
…Another thing which I never saw to this extent (and which makes the polemic about genocide completely outrageous and frivolous) is the impossibility of giving the real number of dead. Nobody knows if it is 200,000 dead, the number which has been given on and on for years, if it is, which is my evaluation, closer to 300,000 or 350,000; some human rights organizationsserious onessay 400,000, maybe 500,000. From 200,000 to 500,000nobody being able to decide which is the right figure? Which means that there might be in Darfur hundreds of thousands of children, women, men, raped, killed, burnt without any memory, without any inscription anywhere, without graves, without a face, without a name, without a number.
The question now is to know why. My last, or nearly last remark: why? And why is the international community so passive? For more than 4 years [facing] this situation, why this passivity? Why this inability to [make] decisions or, when they are made, to make them respected? Of course, there are some obvious reasons: the regime in Khartoum, the regime of murderers has some oil.
…You have also the reason (which is true) that the Khartoum regime managed to make the Western countries, and especially America, believe that they had a card to play, theyKhartoumin the war against terrorism.
…And to end, what can we do facing that? Facing this devastation? Facing this uncomparable mass murder?
First of all, of course to try to make it visible…
Number two: we can and we should, and it is possible, to ask for real sanctions on the state of Sudan, despite the oil…
…And last but not least, there is one weapon which we have pleaded for, Mia Farrow in America and myself in Europe, for months and months. There is one actor in this terrible game, who has huge power, and can do a lot if it wants. This actor is China.
…China provides the weapons. China buys a big portion of the oil. China protects the Sudanese regime in the Security Council of the United Nations.
So the real pressure, the most efficient pressure should be and is still today the pressure on China.
And we have a tool, as you know, on China. We have a real weapon, which would prove to be very efficient if we tried. It has been tried for a few days about Tibet. It has already given results: the resuming of the dialogue with the Dalai Lama. It should be implemented [against] the Darfur tragedy, [and it] is the weapon of a boycott of the Olympic Games. …If we accept going to Beijing for the games, it will belike in Berlin in 1936games of blood and shame.
…all this should prevent us from saying that we are impotent, unable, that there is nothing to do. There is a lot to do to save what is still savable in Darfur.
Here are some shocking photographs of the tragedy.
The question is who will bell the cat?
Related Posts:
Chinas investments and expansion in Africa
India and China: Apples and Oranges
P.S. As many of you would know, China’s role in Sudan is well documented and its critics range from the George Clooney to Steven Spielberg…
June 27th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
China related, Current Affairs, Geo-Strategic Issues (incl. Nuclear, Oil, Energy), Global Terrorism, Politics and Governance |
one comment
Yesterday, I was alerted to this news-report from earlier this week in whichIranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejadwasquoted as saying:
the state of Israel will cease to exist with or without the involvement of his country.
‘This will happen whether we are involved in it or not,’ the Iranian leader told a news conference…..
He had been asked to explain his statement earlier this week in which he said the Jewish state would soon disappear from the map.
This isnot the first timethat Mr Ahmedinejad has expressed similar sentiments…But the reason this particular report caught my eye was an interviewI had just finished reading whichhad actually discussedthe broader context around such remarks.
The interview was withpolitical scientist and thinker, Matthias Kntzel (currentlya research associate at the Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism (SICSA) in Jerusalem and author of several books including, Jihad and Jew-Hatred: Islamism, Nazism and the Roots of 9/11).
I am reproducing some excerpts below (emphasis mine)in which Mr Kuntzel talks about Iran, anti-semitism and the world view that appears to underpin and support the violent ideology of Islamism.
*** Excerpts Begin ***
Alan Johnson: Let’s turn to Iran. In a stream of articles and lectures presented around the world, you have pleaded with us to ‘take the Iranian leader’s Weltanschauung [worldview] seriously as a specific outlook with its own principles and history‘. You have invited us to ‘look inside Ahmadinejad’s fantasy world and seek to grasp the immanent logic behind his attacks, even if this involves insights which may send a shiver down the spine‘. You see the regime’s ideology a ‘mish-mash of Jew-hatred, Holocaust denial and Shiite death-cult messianism‘ as the real context for its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Let’s begin with that aspect that most observers find frankly bizarre Holocaust denial. What is the meaning and import of what you call ‘this new form of Holocaust denial: creative, modern, unrestrained, and extremely self-assertive‘?
Matthias Kntzel: I should say first that I am convinced that they believe what they say. It’s not just propaganda for their public. They are also trying to influence UN debates, suggesting that Israel should not be allowed to ’spread the lie of the Holocaust’ and so on. Iran is pushing its own ‘truth’ within institutions. And this is little understood.
Keep Reading…
June 5th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Debates & Discussions, Geo-Strategic Issues (incl. Nuclear, Oil, Energy), Global Terrorism, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Islam & Reform, Politics and Governance |
no comments
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)
Heres how to fix thesystem
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.
April 24th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Corruption in India, Current Affairs, Debates & Discussions, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India |
70 comments
Many of you read and commented on Sanjeev Sabhloks guest post on this blog re. the Freedom Team.
The team has grown to about 25 members since then and there is an active and robust discussion going on at Yahoo! Groups regarding the approach, policies and tactics that will be necessary to make the vision of the team a reality.
One important outcome of those discussions has been a draft document that encapsulates the teams position with regards some fundamental issues.
They have been grouped under the heading of policy snippets and further categorised under first order, second order and third order functions. As can be expected, the draft is being revised almost daily as members debate and discuss the various points.
I am putting the Reform of Governance and First Order Core functions here on this blog to attract further comments and responses from a wider audience.
The latest version and the full draft of policy snippets is here.
Please be aware that I am not necessarily in complete agreement with all the points here. This is work in progress and must be treated as a draft document only.
Meanwhile, ina heartening development, I came across another new political party: “Bharatiya Democratic Party“. It is led by Sh. N P Singh and Sh. Gagan Bhatia. Over the next few days, I will try and get in touch with them to hear their views on various issues.
Hopefully this could be the third part in the series (parts one and two are here).
Keep Reading…
March 29th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India |
4 comments
This thought was prompted by an exchange in the comments section of this post.
Courtesy of Acorn, please read and reflect on this extract from a speech by the Honourable Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on 25th November 1949:
“If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form, but also in fact, what must we do?
The first thing in my judgement we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. It means we must abandon the bloody methods of revolution. It means that we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha.
When there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods.
But where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods.
These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for us.”
.
I look forward to your thoughts and views.I think this could be a very interesting discussion.
Related Posts:
There is a ??????? in??????????
Reassessing Mahatma: Did Gandhi-giri reallyworked?
February 27th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Debates & Discussions, Godhra, Modern Indian History, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India, Post Independence History, Ram Janambhoomi, Ayodhya, Terrorism in India |
one comment
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:
Keep Reading…
January 9th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Corruption in India, Debates & Discussions, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India |
96 comments
Regular readers of this blogwould recall a short series of posts I did earlier this year (see here and here) on the emergence of newpolitical parties in India being formed by young professionals who had chosen to join politics as a conscious career choice - with a view to reform the system.
While ideas like Times of India’s recent “Lead India” campaignmay have created an image of (Indian) politics being “hip and fashionable”, the reality is far from this perception.
In spite of all the “feel good” stories abouteconomic growth and technological developments, politics in India (by and large) continues to be mired in corruption, entangled with all sorts of unsavoury elements and bereft of ideals.
So efforts like Bharat Punarnirman Dal(BPD),Lok Paritran (LP), Bharat Uday Misson(Bhumi) deserve all the encouragement and support we can muster. I felt I could help them in my own little way by publicising some of their thoughts and views on the core issues that we face as a nation.
To that end,I sent a series of questions to the various “parties” requesting their responses to some of these issues.
In response, Geeta Gokhale, National Treasurer of BPD emailed me her thoughts on some of these topics (the list of questions is large - sothe interview is in two parts).
Unfortunately, barring BPD,I have not heard back from anyone yet.
If anyone of you has access to theleadership ofLok Paritran, Bharat Uday Mission or other similar groups, please requestthem get in touch with me - better still, pl. prod themintoresponding to some of thesequestions…
Of course, all of you are welcometo have a shot at the listof questions too!
Below are Geeta’s thoughts… Please bear in mind though that BPD is still in a nascent stage and the party’s stand on various issues is evolving. Hence these views should be strictly treated as Geeta’s personal views and not necessarily reflecting the stand of BPD or having the endorsement of the party leadership.
Keep Reading…
October 12th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India |
4 comments
A few weeks ago, I had asked the question:Why is a Hindu nation automatically assumed to be a fundamentalist, fascist state led by Hindutva fanatics?
My hypothesis was: A Hindu state canbe the ultimate secular state since respect (not just tolerance or indifference) for all beliefs and religions will be enshrined as part of the constitution - officially
Last week, I chanced upon this article by Husain Haqqani in the IHT: “Tolerance and tradition in Turkey”
In the article Husain talked about radical secularism being as dangerous as religious fanaticism….and explored the concept of defining “secularism in the Muslim world as a political system ensuring separation of theology and state rather than as an anti-religious ideology…
Someof his words could apply equally well to Hinduism and India and be relevant to the idea that I proposed in my earlier post.
Excerpts:
***
“Turkey, the first secular republic with a majority Muslim population, is expected to soon have a president who prays in public and whose wife wears a headscarf as a manifestation of her religious convictions.
Anti-religious secularists in the Muslim world see this development as a threat to Turkey’s laicism. But it could also be an opportunity to define secularism in the Muslim world as a political system ensuring separation of theology and state rather than as an anti-religious ideology.
For almost a century, secular elites in Muslim countries have equated secularization with renunciation of Islamic symbols and practices.
…The threat to secularism in the Muslim world comes from religious intolerance, not from individual acts of piety.
Turkey’s election of a conservative Muslim president need not be seen as a deviation from its secular ideals. It is a much-needed embrace of a path different from that of radical Islam as well as radical secularism.
Although the AK Party grew out of a succession of Islamist parties banned by Turkish courts, it describes itself as a moderate conservative party rather than an Islamist one. It does not seek the enforcement of Shariah law, and its performance in office during its first term confirms its claims.
…
For too long, the Muslim world has been polarized between secularists who want all public manifestations of Islamic religion banished from their countries and Islamists who insist on reverting to obscurantist theocracy.
This polarization cannot come to an end without secularists tolerating the practice of religion and Islamists moving away from radical Islam to a middle where individuals can be Islamic even though the state is secular.
As in the West, Muslims need to be able to fuse faith and enlightenment while also accepting the rights of unbelievers.”
***
Read the article in full here.
And now it seems Morocco is “learning” from Turkey’s Islamists too. From “Belief and the Ballot” published in TIME magazine, dt Sept 10 ‘07 by Aboubakr Jamai:
“…Long ago, the PJD (Morocco’s Islamist Party of Justice and Development) leadership decided that the Algerian Islamists got it all wrong when they chose an outright confrontation with the army. Instead, they admire the wise persistence and incrementalism of Turkey’s Islamists…”
The article concludes by saying that:
“Nonetheless, its (the Moroccan regime’s) strategy of accommodating, rather than attacking, political Islam should be closely followed throughout the Middle East and the West. ”
Indeed.
Latest News (19th Sept ‘07): Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for the lifting of a ban on women wearing headscarves at state universities.
Related Posts:
Secular Fundamentalismalive & kicking inIndia
Hinduism as a secularconcept
October 1st, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
An Indian Identity, Current Affairs, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India, Post Independence History |
27 comments
Or more accurately, how to begin fixing the system.
Some of you may have read my recent comments (here and here) in which I mentioned about writing a post on corruption. Two days ago, in an amazing coincidence, I received an email from Sanjeev on this very issue.
In the email, Sanjeev wrote,
“…my only concern would be that the initiatives cited (eg. the zero value rupee, 15% commission to Ghaziabad municipality, etc.) are likely to be cosmetic and unsustainable.
India needs systematic reforms of its governance, of the sort covered in my book. That is, in my view, the only long term solution.
My recent TOI article (on reforming the bureaucracy) is part of the attack we need to launch against corruption. Here are the responses I received….If you’d like to, I particularly recommend a relatively short chapter 5 entitled, “An analysis of political corruption in India“.
I read the chapter yesterday and I was stunned by the clarity of Sanjeev’s arguments and his insightful analysis.
Sanjeev’s basic contention is “socialist policies have created the opportunities for corruption in India, and our flawed electoral system design (which forces 99% of our candidates to get huge amounts of black money and to liaise with the mafia while contesting elections) creates the incentives for corruption. Governance reforms are therefore needed at both levels - to reduce opportunities, and to eliminate the incentives”
If you think of yourself as a concerned citizen of India - or someone who loves India and wishes it well, please do read it IN FULL - Chapter 5 An analysis of political corruption in India.
But for those of you pressed for time, below is a summary of the chapter, including Sanjiv’s diagnosis�and his suggestions for reform.
No doubt I have lost a lot of flavour and punch in condensing an 18-pg document in a few bullet points; Hence the request to everyone to read the article full.
***
The Situation Today aka The Rot in the System
- Our society and political system has failed to throw up outstanding leaders of stature, intellect and probity
- Whatever else we may be today, we are definitely not a role model for anyone in the world on ethical standards
- The kind of people our system attracts are power- and money-hungry individuals “who are not reflective on their use of power, unaware of the concept of freedom, and unwilling to listen to expert policy advice or innovations designed to create a great India. “
- We therefore experience a depressingly corrupt and ineffective democracy in India where the qualifications for being given a ‘ticket’ to contest elections are: possession of a modest intellect, capped with serious moral defects, and�(a) the ability to play fast and loose with public money, (b) close association with genuine, mafia-type criminals and (c) ability to threaten honest candidates to prevent them from contesting elections.
leaders
- Unless we “build systems that will attract some of our best people to run for government…we are destined to perpetual mediocrity; perhaps much worse. “
The root of the current malaise is: “There are also so many compulsions for dishonesty built into our electoral system that good people simply aren’t interested in representing us.”
***
The Barrriers and Compulsions that prevent good people from joining Politics
- There is no reason to be honest
- On the contrary it “hurts” to be honest; The system makes it financially punitive to do so and keeps prudent people out of the process (unless they are willing to compromise their integrity and honesty)
- The low salaries (Rs 12k per month for an MP) keep the competent away from participating in the process
The underlying issues are:
a] the artificial (and ridiculously low) limit on electoral spending (Rs 25 Lakhs)
b] the routine violation of this limit
c] the lack of accountability and consequences of such a violation
***
The Remedies
- Raise the wages of MPs and MLAs, at least by a factor of ten; probably more, while getting rid of all of their ‘perks’.
- Ensure state funding for elections
- Dismantle election expense limits (that are routinely breached); instead have very strong audit systems with severe penalties for violations
- Initiate a wider set of reforms of the electoral system e.g. making public the property returns of our representatives
***
For those of you who wish to read more, the entire book is available for download (for free) on Sanjeev’s website.
I would encourage you to do that…but above all, I would humbly request everyone reading this to drop a short note to Sanjeev (or leave a comment here) appreciating his work and effort.
Sanjeev: I hope this generates some discussion and thought. As you said, this needs wider publicity and wider discussion. Unless we all agree on the “need” for reform, change will be hard to come by.
Sharon and Pragya: I hope this triggers some thought and you find the time to read Sanjeev’s chapter in full.
.
Related Posts:
Do we deserve the politicians we get?
How to earn Rs 50 crores in 5 years
End big-time corruption? I dont think so
Corruption in Public Life: Are we the only ones?
BPD, BM, LP: Light at the end of the tunnel?
September 14th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Corruption in India, Current Affairs, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance in India |
20 comments
and my inferences are based on...
