Saturday 31 December 2011

Pass Lokpal and let the government off the Hook:


The biggest beneficiary of passing the Lokpal will be the Central Government. Because with this action the government will be able to pass on the responsibility of cleaning of system to a bureaucratic setup and will be off the Hook.

For citizens of this country the government (past and present) is responsible for this rotten corrupt system. A Majority will hold the Political Leaders responsible for the same.''

Everybody remembers who Late Mrs Indira Gandhi was, but how many of us remember who all Chief Secretaries served under her. In the world stage we all know who Obama is but do we remember the bureaucracy details in his government. And in a Democracy this is how it must be.

It is the Political leadership who come to the citizens with their manifestoes and gets elected. No where a bureaucratic position is selected by citizens, it must be the prerogative of the Government. We have given the responsibility of running to our country to our Political Leadership and not to the Bureaucracy. Again, in a Democracy this is how it must be.

This does not demean Bureaucracy but this is how a democracy must function. It is the Political Leadership who must take all the credit as well as the blame for the Governance.
With Lokpal all this is going to change.

Once a Lokpal will be passed, it would have the sole responsibility to deal and clean this rotten System. The Political leadership will be able to hide behind the Lokpal. For every issue they would claim they created the Lokpal. Is this how democratic setup should look like?

In the recent times RTI was passed. Should we allow the government to say that it is the responsibility of RTI to clean corruption and please don’t make us responsible for the same.

But after Lokpal this can change. The government will get the breathing space and will be able to put all the responsibility on the shoulders of Lokpal.

Lokpal can be one of the paths to have a cleaner system.

The government has been chosen by us and we should left the prerogative of the path to be taken with the government. We should help the government in telling them what all paths are available. We should determine the performance of the government by the actual result of removing corruption. We should not force them in take a specific path and if they fail using that path they would be let off the hook by saying we said you so.

Friday 30 December 2011

Anna and Team: Danger to Federalism



Union is the Center and Federal are the different states.
In a democratic setup we separately vote and select a Central Government. Similarly we separately vote and select our respective State Government.

This needs to be communicated and explained very clearly to Anna and followers.

All the time the Central Government is reminded and even sometimes lectured on the Right of the States.
But in case if Anna and team start campaigning for the States Election due in Feb 2012 we will no longer be able to exert Moral Authority on the Center regarding Federal rights.

The reason: Why in a state Election we need to raise the Question of Lokpal. A State Election needs to talk only and only about Lokayukt because that is the domain for the same.

UP Elections must be fought on the Basis of UP Lokayukt and not Central Lokpal. But Team Anna for UP Election is not interested in UP Lokayukt set up by BSP but Central Lokpal to be setup by UPA. Similarly for Punjab Elections, they are not interested in Punjab Lokayukt but Central Lokpal.

Nobody is interested in questioning the Punjab government or the UP Government on their Policies and action towards a Lokayukt. But everyone wants to determine the Election Results on the basis of Central Lokpal.

Are we are going to punish the State Unit for a policy of the Union Government. Well that is what Anna and followers want.

So how is this danger to federalism?

Today if we are going to determine a State Election Result on the basis of the Policies of the Central government and not on the Policies of the State Government.

Then Tomorrow the central government will have the moral authority to take over the State Policies and justify it by saying that since it is the policies of the central government that are determining the state election result then the center has a moral right in directly participating in the states role.

We should not allow this to happen and must clearly point out that UP Elections must be fought on the basis of the Performance of the BSP Government and not on the Basis of a central Lokpal.


Team Anna, pls don’t make Central Policies to overlap with State Elections. It will mean mixing of Union over the State. And once you blur this line then it can lead to a New Pandora Box.

(Anna and team will argue that by bringing the Lokpal they will bring in Lokayukt. Buy after the parliamentary debates; it is the issue of Lokayukt that created problem in passing of the Lokpal)



We the Mathematicians (Not the People & Not the Lokpal )


I believe this is the line our constitution must start with. I don’t think, We the People suits us anymore.
Lokpal will not be able to resolve any of our problems because it is mathematics (not number of seats in parliament) of money and morality that fails us.

Please consider the following examples:

1.       I skip a Red Light. I get caught. My fine is 100 Rs. The Traffic Policeman asks for 30 Rs.
      My profit 70 Rs. I don’t want Lokpal in the picture as my Mathematics is giving me Profit.
(In this case if my Morality has 71 Rs then only I will suffer loss)


2.       I DON’T skip a Red Light. I still get caught. My fine is 100 Rs. I argue with the Policeman. The Traffic Policeman asks for 30 Rs.
Mathematics:    Going to grievance Cell:
1.       Take Paid Leave from my Office: 500 Rs
2.       Parking Fee: 10 Rs
3.       Travel: 50 Rs
4.       Harassment and Running Around and Coffee: 50 Rs
Total Cost:  610 Rs
I pay 30 Rs to the Policeman and move forward. My profit 580 Rs. I don’t want Lokpal or Grievance Cell as my Mathematics is giving me Profit.
(In this case if my Morality has 581 Rs then only I will suffer loss)


3.       I have my Number Plate broken. Repeat case 2
Mathematics is again making me richer by 580 Rs. Why do I need the Lokpal again.

4.       I am a builder and am constructing a Building in Posh South Delhi Area. I have all the approvals.  MCD guys come and ask for their share of 20000 Rs.
Mathematics: Going to grievance Cell:
1.       Stop work at my building site for 10 Days. (Assuming within 10 Days my case will be resolved). This costs me 50000 Rs of Loss.
2.       Harassment and Running Around and Legal Aid: 15000 Rs
Total Cost:  65000 Rs
I pay 20000 Rs to the MCD and move forward. My profit 45000 Rs. I don’t want Lokpal or Grievance Cell as my Mathematics is giving me Profit.
(In this case if my Morality has 45001 Rs then only I will suffer loss)
5.       Simple Mathematics. I get an IT Notice. MY Tax is calculated to be 80000 Rs. The Tax man asks for 20000 Rs for closure of case.
Mathematics is again giving me Profit of 60000 Rs. Who wants a Lokpal.

I can go on and on and on. This will not end.
The moral of the story is that the cost of the Bribe in comparison to the cost of the Purpose is mathematically perfect.

It only pinches you temporarily, but when you calculate it in comparison to the Total cost of fighting the system, bribe actually smells sweet. Obviously I am considering the cost of Morality to be ZERO. And if anybody argues that it is not so then I will like to respond by saying: Howcome so many Indians are paying bribe to So many Other Indians.

Has anybody heard of putting a stone (lokpal) in quicksand and expecting the quicksand (corruption) to disappear? Clean the System, Adding additional laws will not help.