Can an experiment in Mumbai be a political idea for India?
It is too immature to view Anna Hazare’s campaign in terms of victory or defeat. Half victory means half defeat too, and such narrow descriptions don’t do any justice to the extraordinary qualities of the movement.
In any case, it has not achieved much in terms of the original goal, and as Anna himself puts it, the work is only half-done. The real task has just started and the challenge now is to keep the momentum going.
It should not be difficult now. The movement has delivered a jolt to the slimy and arrogant political class by reducing it to the level of ordinary mortals — this must be one of its biggest achievements so far.
Now that their double standards have been ruthlessly exposed and the movement has admirably stayed steadfast on being apolitical, leaders are expected to be more amenable to discussion on reforms of all kind.
It was clear that the civil society had managed to wrest the advantage from politicians and shake them out of complacency. Now it should aim higher.
“The crux of the matter was changing the relationship between Parliament and people,’’ said activist Medha Patkar yesterday. The change was visible in several speeches made in Parliament on Saturday. It was clear that the civil society had managed to wrest the advantage from politicians and shake them out of complacency. Now it should aim higher. Momentum is a big factor in mass movements of this nature.
The civil society is apparently prepared to make the most of the current mobilisation. Anna, while breaking his 12-day fast, promised not to stop at the Lokpal Act. He said he would focus on the right to recall elected representatives and right to reject electoral candidates. Great ideas. Both would make leaders more accountable, keep parties on their toes and basically change the nature of how politics plays out at different levels.
But there’s scope of these rights being misused too. Given the nature of our politics, this could become the recipe for instability. The Jan Lokpal Bill attracted criticism because it was poorly thought out and was not the product of a broader consensus. Any further reform initiative from the civil society must avoid these weaknesses.
While on the topic of reforms, here is one stray thought. Why not reduce the preponderance of politicians at lower levels? In Mumbai, a small experiment is afoot. The residents’ association in Juhu has elected its own citizen corporator, ignoring the political party candidates. Many other associations have evinced interest in fielding their own candidates for the civic body polls of 2012. It is worthwhile to encourage such a trend. More politicians unattached to political parties would dilute the disproportionate influence the parties have on our routine lives.
But there’s a word of caution too. The civil society is feeding off the public disenchantment with the political class at the moment. It should not go too far in undermining its position. The country needs its politicians. They bridge several segments of the society and bring coherence to the scattered aspirations of an electorate with multiple demands. Moreover, the humiliated political class would be looking for revenge. It is likely to strike back at the civil society once the public mood gets distracted.
The idea of victory and defeat is dangerous given that the country needs the spirit of reconciliation to reform and rebuild. Hope both sides would take note.
It is too immature to view Anna Hazare’s campaign in terms of victory or defeat. Half victory means half defeat too, and such narrow descriptions don’t do any justice to the extraordinary qualities of the movement.
In any case, it has not achieved much in terms of the original goal, and as Anna...
It is too immature to view Anna Hazare’s campaign in terms of victory or defeat. Half victory means half defeat too, and such narrow descriptions don’t do any justice to the extraordinary qualities of the movement.
In any case, it has not achieved much in terms of the original goal, and as Anna himself puts it, the work is only half-done. The real task has just started and the challenge now is to keep the momentum going.
It should not be difficult now. The movement has delivered a jolt to the slimy and arrogant political class by reducing it to the level of ordinary mortals — this must be one of its biggest achievements so far.
Now that their double standards have been ruthlessly exposed and the movement has admirably stayed steadfast on being apolitical, leaders are expected to be more amenable to discussion on reforms of all kind.
It was clear that the civil society had managed to wrest the advantage from politicians and shake them out of complacency. Now it should aim higher.
“The crux of the matter was changing the relationship between Parliament and people,’’ said activist Medha Patkar yesterday. The change was visible in several speeches made in Parliament on Saturday. It was clear that the civil society had managed to wrest the advantage from politicians and shake them out of complacency. Now it should aim higher. Momentum is a big factor in mass movements of this nature.
The civil society is apparently prepared to make the most of the current mobilisation. Anna, while breaking his 12-day fast, promised not to stop at the Lokpal Act. He said he would focus on the right to recall elected representatives and right to reject electoral candidates. Great ideas. Both would make leaders more accountable, keep parties on their toes and basically change the nature of how politics plays out at different levels.
But there’s scope of these rights being misused too. Given the nature of our politics, this could become the recipe for instability. The Jan Lokpal Bill attracted criticism because it was poorly thought out and was not the product of a broader consensus. Any further reform initiative from the civil society must avoid these weaknesses.
While on the topic of reforms, here is one stray thought. Why not reduce the preponderance of politicians at lower levels? In Mumbai, a small experiment is afoot. The residents’ association in Juhu has elected its own citizen corporator, ignoring the political party candidates. Many other associations have evinced interest in fielding their own candidates for the civic body polls of 2012. It is worthwhile to encourage such a trend. More politicians unattached to political parties would dilute the disproportionate influence the parties have on our routine lives.
But there’s a word of caution too. The civil society is feeding off the public disenchantment with the political class at the moment. It should not go too far in undermining its position. The country needs its politicians. They bridge several segments of the society and bring coherence to the scattered aspirations of an electorate with multiple demands. Moreover, the humiliated political class would be looking for revenge. It is likely to strike back at the civil society once the public mood gets distracted.
The idea of victory and defeat is dangerous given that the country needs the spirit of reconciliation to reform and rebuild. Hope both sides would take note.
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