Some Learnings from the Anna Episode

I learnt quite a bit based on events, actions and comments made before, during and shortly after the Anna Hazare fast:

Pre-event arrests are easier than post-event arrests: It is possible to arrest guys who plan to lead peaceful protests at the speed of light. But it is not possible to arrest politicians even after the crime (think of how long it took to arrest Kalmadi or Raja). But even that comes up with a caveat: “political activists” who block highways and burn buses when they go on strike cannot be arrested before the bundh.

The right to free speech is selective: It’s OK for MP’s to do name calling (e.g. Manish Tiwari can call Anna to be “steeped in corruption”). But it is not OK for non-MP’s to call MP’s as illiterate or donning masks. That’s free speech, the MP version.

The meaning of “cut and thrust in a debate”: Manish Tiwari’s apology for calling Anna corrupt? It happened during the “cut and thrust of debate”, he says! Apparently, calling names is Parliament lingo for a debate. And a very high level of a debate, at that.

Wikileaks is right about Rahul Gandhi: Remember what happened when the Election Commission started acting against politicians during TN Seshan’s era? The government diluted its power by making it a 3-person panel and stating that all decisions had to be made by majority. After all, what were the odds that 2 people who intended to act would ever sneak through the top posts? So Rahul Gandhi announced that the Lokpal should be made similar to the Election Commission. That way, politicians can appoint ineffectual, powerless, corrupt people as the bosses of the Lokpal. Wikileaks was right: Rahul is no longer an “empty suit”, he is a seasoned politician.

The middle class is always wrong: As per the likes of Arundhati Roy, a Maoist who kills (random) people is morally superior to the middle class person who protests peacefully. And it’s OK for the poor and oppressed to not support the middle class on matters that the latter cares about. But when the middle class reciprocates the same attitude towards the poor, then that’s termed as lack of caring for others.

Comments

  1. KumarSeptember 8, 2011 at 2:28 PM

    Sure, an intelligent guy can learn many things from the Anna episode. And other episodes too.

    However, the politicians always keep leaning only one thing all the time and from all episodes: how to keep gathering more power and more wealth!

    In a dictatorial country, the ruler is honest. He (or she) makes it abundantly clear he is 'the dictator'. "I am the mightiest. I will do what I please. I dare you to stand up against me..." It is a straight game really!

    In a democracy, the rulers want to be as mighty as Stalin or Hitler or Genghis Khan or any other dictator of supreme might. But they are fantastic liars because they pretend that they harbor no such ideas. They know that speaking as if they care for people's welfare is the only way to gather their own might; so they do it. As to doing good to people in real terms, well, doing it to some extent is part of the game. So they do it no doubt. It helps making big claims, "See I have done it! I have done it!! I only do good things for you people. I I I I ...Now where is your vote? Give it to me...,me...me!"

    To a large extent we people never seem to vote for the ones who are competent to rule us. We vote because someone else may be even worse. A pretty pessimistic picture indeed but it is not my idea at all. I have heard it so often in India and from so many people. It is the lament of the intelligent middle class people. I also feel it may after all be true. I am certainly not able identity any 'leaders' among our politicians. All of them so far have only politic-ked, never lead! Let alone leading, most of our politicians do not deserve any respect too. (One politician beat up an official in the state government office in broad daylight and in everyone's presence. This got televised for the benefit of the whole nation. The politician said, "What wrong have I done?" He seems obviously surprised that physically beating up officials is suddenly being looked upon as something wrong. His party supported him and made some political statements (lies) showing full support to him. From that incident everyone can understand that all bureaucrats have to live in mortal fear of our politicians. They may beat them up to a pulp possibly! If someone says we have to show respect our politicians, it can only mean one thing and I leave the meaning of that "one thing" to you!)

    It is unfortunate that the intelligent middle class has made tremendous contribution to the nation, sometimes to the world even, but they are treated pretty shabbily by the political @%^$&*#^ of this nation. If the middle class can rouse and teach the unwilling and uncaring politicians a lesson, it would do good to our society and a show respect of justice.

    Till a turn for the better happens, let's keep up our hope.

    ReplyDelete

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