I'm not ANNA HAZARE..!!

I AM NOT ANNA HAZARE AND I AM SIMPLY NOT SORRY ABOUT IT !

By Sharon Elizabeth Thomas

https://www.facebook.com/adilsud#!/notes/sharon-elizabeth-thomas/i-am-not-anna-hazare/10150247116016594 

Humble me is seriously confounded hearing "me pan Anna Hazare" everywhere. Its amusing to see so much enthusiasm among the youth and the old alike to fight corruption...YEAH that's the keyword CORRUPTION and that’s what the junta claims they are fighting against...Corruption...I can’t help wondering if the thousands on the road even know what exactly they are bargaining for...

Firstly how many of them exactly know what’s the difference between the LOKPAL bill and the JAN LOKPAL bill?

The LOKPAL bill framed by the Indian legislature is an attempt to curb corruption by bringing the past and present ministers of the union, all members of parliament, companies, trusts, directors etc under the Lokpal which will take action against complaints of corruption and impose punishment. It does not include the sitting prime minister (simply so that he can do his duty without fear or favor) but he can be investigated and punished after his tenure. Sounds good enough...what den is the JAN Lokpal bill?

The JAN LOKPAL bill has been framed by team Anna Hazare. It demands that everyone from the PM, the judiciary and even the neighborhood cop should be brought under Lokpal. Lokpal alone investigates and imposes punishment. The CBI will be under the control of the LOKPAL. LOKPAL will have the authority to sanction phone taps and intercept communication of any person. What it tries to create is superman like person who has control over the entire county..

How smart it is to transfer power into the hands of a single authority. POWER CORRUPTS, ABSOLUTELY POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY...are we trying to make way for some kind of a dictatorship??

It’s insane to demand that the entire political system work under the control of an uncontrolled authority. Its a threat to democracy...further just wondering what if this LOKPAL happens to get influenced by corruption? What den?? Who controls the Lokpal? Heard an argument somewhere that only the most honest and diligent people will be appointed to the Lokpal...I have a suggestion why not appoint these most honest people to the government instead, may be that would eliminate the need for JAN Lokpal and also help the corruption issue of the government..The threat to the democracy disappears too...

I am not claiming that the government’s bill is perfect but neither is Anna Hazare's... combining the two can give the best. But Anna's demand that either his bill or no bill is plain stupid...

Corruption is not something that just the government specializes in. the citizens are corrupt too. They try to find an easy way out by bribing, even at places where they are not required to. Cleaning should begin with oneself. If the people getting themselves arrested for Anna’s sake decide that they would they stay corruption free themselves the need for a draconian Lokpal will disappear. If you want to clean the country why not begin with your own house. Let’s free ourselves from corruption and den try to free the country.

On a completely different note making laws will not simply end corruption. JAN LOKPAL is no magic medicine... in that case the anti dowry laws should have eliminated the dowry problems, the child labor laws should have eliminated the labor problems…all people screaming blood for JAN LOKPAL should realize that that Lokpal is a mechanism to deal with corruption not a magical remedy.

Very importantly fast unto death is no solution. Its pure blackmailing. Why doesn’t the Anna camp follow constitutional methods to get the bill tabled? You can’t threaten the government into accepting your demands by fasting. Tomorrow Kashmir will fast for its independence, the telengana for its birth, the Bodos for Bodoland. The government can’t fall for blackmailing. It’s setting a bad precedent to the country. A precedent that’s going to be misused gravely.

We are an indirect democracy. A mob of 1 million cant frame rules for the country and hence every adult above the age of 18 elects MP’s to parliament. These Mp’s legislate for us. They have been employed by us, if we do not like the way they function we need to fire them and appoint more capable people. Standing on the sidelines and blackmailing is no solution. It’s just kiddish behavior. In a democracy power is divided into three camps- the legislature, executive and the judiciary. The legislature alone makes laws, nobody else. You either get proper people elected to the legislature or just simply get yourself there if you are capable. It’s not in the interest of the democracy to stand out and act hooligan.

Everybody who screams I am Anna Hazare but hasn’t voted for the elections, hasn’t got themselves even registered, earns but doesn’t pay tax has no bloody right to criticize. Do your duty first and scream yourself hoarse. It’s easy to point fingers but simply too hard to be a citizen in the real sense of the term. In a democracy active participation just doesn’t mean participating in rallies, it also includes timely fulfillment of duties.

Anna Hazare must have surely elected an MP from his constituency. The constitution requires him to get this Jan Lokpal bill of his presented in the parliament through the MP. If the bill is passed by both houses it becomes a law. He has no right to demand that the parliament should tear off its own bill and accept Anna’s. He should get the bill presented through his MP...Why doesn’t the nearly 80 year’s old wise man realize that? The government is willing to negotiate but negotiation involves an element of flexibility. Anna’s demand that things should work only is way is frustrating. The solution lies only midway, somewhere in between Anna and the government’s stand.

There are a million things more important plaguing the country and no one cares. The largest number of woman harassment cases (by the people not the government thankfully…should the government fast unto death that these should stop?) malnutrition cases, a plethora of issues which need immediate attention. Will the people scream for this too? I sincerely hope.

Some one from the north east Irom sharmila has been fasting for 10 years for Manipur and the AFSPA issue. Wonder how many of the people even paid attention to that. It’s simply irritating that most people on the road hardly know what they are fighting for or what they are fighting against. The politicians may not be educated but we definitely are. Why then are the people behaving like mindless fools. Democracy is precious gift. Corruption is a deadly disease. Corruption must go and people must demand the elimination of corruption but unfortunately Jan Lokpal is not he answer.

The answer lies in a compromise between Lokpal and Jan Lokpal in such a way that the democracy is not threatened. Let’s learn a lesson from the Hitler-Mussolini history of the world. And lastly even Lokpal will all its powers is pointless until WE THE PEOPLE decide to stop the bribing thingie…The change begins with US, let’s not forget that.