Finally, the Lok Sabha has passed the Lokpal Bill, albeit with many deficiencies. This would not have been possible but for the continuous pressure exerted by Shri Anna Hazare and his team on the political class in general and the government in particular.
It is a general perception that the institution of the Lokpal under the Bill that has been passed by the Lok Sabha will not be sufficiently strong and independent. The appointment and the removal of the Lokpal are indirectly controlled by the Government. Doubts have been expressed about the constitutional validity of certain provisions. Apart from this, on the major objection to the Bill is that the government has retained control over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This is a legitimate objection. Every government has influenced the working of the CBI to suit its purposes. Without independence to investigate and prosecute, the CBI has lost its credibility as well as effectiveness. These views have been expressed by more than one retired Directors of CBI. They have, in no uncertain terms, stated that the CBI has to follow the orders of its political masters even in the matters of investigation, prosecution and filing appeals etc.
It is disappointing that the proposal of the government to give constitutional status to the Lokpal could not muster the requisite support.
In the Rajya Sabha where the government did not enjoy even simple majority the Bill could not be passed. The Government possibly deliberately avoided voting on the Bill. More than one MP stated that Parliamentarians were not ‘public servants’ and they should not be covered by Lokpal. Some of the MPs created ruckus, criticised Anna Hazare, tore the copy of the Bill and threw it on the floor of the House. Parliamentarians tell the citizens that the Parliament is supreme. But when MPs themselves create pandemonium and lower the prestige of the Parliament one is left wondering. We are back to square one without a Lokpal institution in place.
Disappointed Anna Hazare has ended his fast and also called off his proposed protest by masses courting arrest. Partly this retreat is on account of lack of expected crowd at the venue of the fast. This is not to say that there is no public support to the movement against corruption. However, it is difficult to sustain the kind of public participation that one saw in last April and in August. Also, there are many who feel that the approach of Team Anna in insisting that only the draft of the Bill prepared by them is acceptable is rather extreme and unacceptable.
There are lessons to be learnt by all from the events relating to the issue of Lokpal. Citizens have realised that if they strongly feel about something and voice that opinion through various forums the government cannot ignore it. The government and the ruling party should accept the fact that after all it is the citizens who are supreme and the Parliament is expected to reflect the opinion of the public. The educated urban middle class and youth are becoming aware and active; that constituency cannot be taken for granted. The opposition on the other hand should learn that they need to take a stand and make it public rather than sit on the fence and try to take advantage of the predicament of the government. The Civil Society should understand that in a functioning democracy one cannot expect or insist that only one view is right and that alone should be accepted. Let us hope that the movement against corruption continues and sooner than later we have a strong, independent and effective Lokpal.
The year 2011 is coming to a close. It is time to look back and ponder over the events of the year. The world saw change of guard in Egypt, the uprising in Syria. Dictator Gaddafi was killed in Libya with support from NATO, Kim Jong II another dictator died in North Korea while terrorist Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by US forces. Economies of European countries as well as US are not in the best shape. Closer home, Indian economy has not been doing as well as one would like it to be. Interest rates have been consistently rising, the rupee has lost value in the recent months, and inflation has been only going up so also the trade deficit. The growth rate is lower than what was planned or expected at the beginning of the year. Industrialists attribute this lower growth in the Indian economy at least partially to ‘policy paralysis’, while the Prime Minister and Finance Minister blame the business heads for spreading the atmosphere of despondency. Huge scams rocked the nation and Tihar jail became a VIP hostel.
The year 2011 also saw audit reports of Comptroller and Auditor General making news. One must complement Mr Vinod Rai, the Comptroller and Auditor General for the excellent work done by him. He exposed major scams, inefficiencies, favouritism and faulty decision making. In spite of tremendous pressure and criticism, he went about doing his duty. He makes the profession of auditors proud. Recently, he has been appointed by the United Nations as the chairman of the panel of external auditors that audits and reports on the accounts and management operations of the United Nations and its agencies. The CAG has also shown how person occupying an office can make that office strong and effective. One experienced similar phenomena when T. N. Seshan became the Election Commissioner and Mr. N. Vittal became the Chief Vigilance Commissioner. Each of these individuals made an impact by their performance, courage and conviction while discharging their duties without getting perturbed by the limitations, criticism or pressure.
The year also saw the death of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Jagjit Singh and Bhupen Hazarika from the world of music, celebrated artist and painter M. F. Husain, Mario Miranda who brought smile to many faces with his cartoons, Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor the two evergreen doyens of Bollywood, Satyadev Dubey from the field of theatre, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the cricketer. Each of these individuals directly or indirectly touched the life of many Indians.
In the ensuing leap year 2012 may India progress in leaps and bound.
Wishing you all a very Happy 2012.
Corruption is nature’s way of restoring our faith in democracy —Peter Ustinov
