IDEAL ABORTED
by almost all parties concerned and all groups involved – it seems to us on a closer examination of developments leading to the moving and passing of Lokpal Bill in Lok Sabha but stalling of it in the Rajya Sabha. No doubt it is a good ideal to aspire for – the establishment of an incorruptible and effective institution of Lokpal with sufficient powers and jurisdiction to curb the omnipresent and ever increasing cancer of corruption in the country – but at the same time the aspiring persons, groups and parties must also have the benefit of distilled wisdom and tested experience of the times. We must also realize that any one institution or person cannot be the panacea for all the ills of the society. Any constitution, law or institution cannot rise or work above the character and commitment of the persons who operate the same and this applies to the proposed Lokpal even. Also after the initial victory of the Anna Team in making the entire Parliament bow down and consent to pass an effective Lokpal Bill, through the ‘Sense of the House’ resolution, the Anna Team ought to have tried conciliatory methods for convincing the various dissenters as also the different political parties and tried to forge a consensus than to unnecessarily embroil themselves in a confrontationist melee. Also some of the extreme postures they adopted did not strike a consonant note with other dedicated social activists or well meaning political parties even. This has no doubt been taken advantage of by vested interests and self-aggrandizing politicians who have succeeded in considerably diluting the Bill and finally stalling it in the upper house. One has to realize that this complex problem has more to do with the general socio-economic exploitation in the country exacerbated by the privatization, globalization policies and the fast growing predatory capitalist ‘free market’ spree and cannot be viewed or tackled in isolation from such malaise. The constitutional ideal of building a humane, people’s welfare oriented socialist setup has to take precedence and any movements for additional structures for better governance have to be in accordance with it. §§§
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