From: Amriteshwar Deva
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:01:17
To: AM-GLOBAL
Subject: Rational for Opposing The Agenda Of...
Baba
Namaskar,
We know that Gandhian followers like Anna Hazare advocate the Lokpal bill which states that there should be a singular, all-powerful body overseeing the government. They think this is the way to end corruption in the Indian government.
Here below are the stated loopholes of the Lokpal bill from one contributor:
"The draft which has been proposed by Anna Hazare, it is pertinent to note that he along with Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and others have proposed to make Lokpal, an absolute authority on this issue with it’s members having powers to investigate, prosecute and even pass judgements equivalent to a court. Well, in my opinion, that is something which is against the basic tenets of democracy. All these three functions cannot and should not be done by one agency.
Another provision is the nomination of members in the Lokpal committee in which they propose to have one chairperson and ten other members. These ten members will be selected by another committee comprising of members from parliament, two seniormost Chief Justices of High Courts, two seniormost Supreme Court judges, Bharat Ratnas, Nobel Prize winners of Indian origin, two Magsaysay Award winners, CEC, CAG, Chairman NHRC etc. While most of these proposals are quite okay it may be worthwhile debating the composition of this selection panel. For instance, I fail to see the point of having Nobel prize winners of Indian origin who may or may not be residents of India. Also, having a someone like current chairman of NHRC Ex Chief Justice of Supreme Court Balakrishnan on this panel, who himself is a fit case to be investigated for corruption, is a mockery of this institution.
Yet another issue worth debating is their proposal of having an investigating wing within the institution of Lokpal. They’ve also proposed that anti-corruption wing of CBI be under it’s ambit. While on the face of it, this may be a good proposal but it also raises other relevant questions. Is this doable? Also, does CVC, Enforcement Directorate and other investigating agencies continue to be under home ministry or should they also be made answerable to Lokpal only. If not, what is the point of having so many separate investigating agencies? Please note that these are already existing organizations with relevant staff and infrastructure. Just that their mandate is currently dictated by political parties in power. Isn’t there a requirement to look into these aspects as well?
Lastly, the draft bill of Anna Hazare does not want the office of Prime Minister to be included under the ambit of Lokpal. Well, that needs to be debated. Given the number of cases of corruption/ignorance/incompetence on the part of the current incumbent I’d rather keep the office of PM also under it’s purview. Mind you, if you exclude the PM, it’d be quite logical for Chief Ministers to say that they too should not be under the Lokayukta at the state level. Also, what happens when the PM or the Chief Minister is holding an additional charge of another ministry, like home or finance or some other ministry. Does it mean that the additional ministry too will be out of Lokpal’s ambit or not?
The point I’m trying to make is that there has to be a proper debate on what Anna Hazare is proposing. Apart from the issues that I’ve raised there may be many more which you need to discuss threadbare. Also, you cannot have an all powerful Lokpal answerable to no one but itself. We have to have checks and balances. What Anna Hazare is proposing will eventually become a super monster cop and judge who will be too big for it’s own boots." (from one contributor)
By reading the above it is clear that Lokpal bill has many weak points. The main defect being: What is going to stop this "top agency" from falling into corruption. If the government itself can fall prey to corruption then how will this "all-powerful" committee sponsored by the Lokpal bill remain corruption-free. Where is the guarantee?
You must have read this concern in the above article.
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:01:17
To: AM-GLOBAL
Subject: Rational for Opposing The Agenda Of...
Baba
== RATIONAL FOR OPPOSING THE AGENDA OF ANNA HAZARE ==
We know that Gandhian followers like Anna Hazare advocate the Lokpal bill which states that there should be a singular, all-powerful body overseeing the government. They think this is the way to end corruption in the Indian government.
Here below are the stated loopholes of the Lokpal bill from one contributor:
"The draft which has been proposed by Anna Hazare, it is pertinent to note that he along with Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and others have proposed to make Lokpal, an absolute authority on this issue with it’s members having powers to investigate, prosecute and even pass judgements equivalent to a court. Well, in my opinion, that is something which is against the basic tenets of democracy. All these three functions cannot and should not be done by one agency.
Another provision is the nomination of members in the Lokpal committee in which they propose to have one chairperson and ten other members. These ten members will be selected by another committee comprising of members from parliament, two seniormost Chief Justices of High Courts, two seniormost Supreme Court judges, Bharat Ratnas, Nobel Prize winners of Indian origin, two Magsaysay Award winners, CEC, CAG, Chairman NHRC etc. While most of these proposals are quite okay it may be worthwhile debating the composition of this selection panel. For instance, I fail to see the point of having Nobel prize winners of Indian origin who may or may not be residents of India. Also, having a someone like current chairman of NHRC Ex Chief Justice of Supreme Court Balakrishnan on this panel, who himself is a fit case to be investigated for corruption, is a mockery of this institution.
Yet another issue worth debating is their proposal of having an investigating wing within the institution of Lokpal. They’ve also proposed that anti-corruption wing of CBI be under it’s ambit. While on the face of it, this may be a good proposal but it also raises other relevant questions. Is this doable? Also, does CVC, Enforcement Directorate and other investigating agencies continue to be under home ministry or should they also be made answerable to Lokpal only. If not, what is the point of having so many separate investigating agencies? Please note that these are already existing organizations with relevant staff and infrastructure. Just that their mandate is currently dictated by political parties in power. Isn’t there a requirement to look into these aspects as well?
Lastly, the draft bill of Anna Hazare does not want the office of Prime Minister to be included under the ambit of Lokpal. Well, that needs to be debated. Given the number of cases of corruption/ignorance/incompetence on the part of the current incumbent I’d rather keep the office of PM also under it’s purview. Mind you, if you exclude the PM, it’d be quite logical for Chief Ministers to say that they too should not be under the Lokayukta at the state level. Also, what happens when the PM or the Chief Minister is holding an additional charge of another ministry, like home or finance or some other ministry. Does it mean that the additional ministry too will be out of Lokpal’s ambit or not?
The point I’m trying to make is that there has to be a proper debate on what Anna Hazare is proposing. Apart from the issues that I’ve raised there may be many more which you need to discuss threadbare. Also, you cannot have an all powerful Lokpal answerable to no one but itself. We have to have checks and balances. What Anna Hazare is proposing will eventually become a super monster cop and judge who will be too big for it’s own boots." (from one contributor)
REFLECTIONS
By reading the above it is clear that Lokpal bill has many weak points. The main defect being: What is going to stop this "top agency" from falling into corruption. If the government itself can fall prey to corruption then how will this "all-powerful" committee sponsored by the Lokpal bill remain corruption-free. Where is the guarantee?
You must have read this concern in the above article.
We Ananda Margiis also want the government to be corruption free, but Prout is the answer not the Lokpal bill. Ihis is why as Proutists we do not support such a bill.
Indeed, as Ananda Margiis we should not support any movement other than Prout. It is well-proven and firmly established that other philosophies are outdated. Those guided by devotion will surely support Prout 100%.
Some people do not think about this issue in a devotional way. For this reason they support various movements like Anna Hazare, in spite of the above logic and reasoning. They should also think rationally.
Namaskar,
Amriteshwar
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