Re: [HumJanenge] Who is the real enemy ?

you are in the wrong media

 

Wishing you a lifetime of winning days, 

 

Akhil Marfatia

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From: Devasahayam MG <mgd@airtelmail.in>
To: humjanenge@googlegroups.com
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 7:42 PM
Subject: Re: [HumJanenge] Who is the real enemy ?

My published article soon after Anna Hazare commenced his fast is worth reproducing

Manufacturing 'Messiahs' to combat corruption!

                                                                                                  M.G.Devasahayam

The simmering public anger and fury against the massive scams and horrendous corruption in the country had unnerved the powers-that-be and their patrons. Something needed to be done to water down this fury before it boiled over. For this purpose a play had to be enacted and a 'Messiah' manufactured to redirect people's attention.

The play had all the trappings of a Bollywood block-buster.  In a well choreographed hype, orchestrated by the electronic media, a bunch of anti-corruption 'heroes' converged on Jantar Mantar. What followed was singing, chanting and candle-lighting across cities and towns with socialites and cinema-stars rooting for the 'Jan Lokpal Bill'! The villain-Government of India-went through the motion of a 'fight' and caved in with the Notification setting up a joint drafting committee. It all happened in a jiffy!

Media declared victory in the 'war against corruption' and proclaimed 'Armyman-turned-Gandhian' Anna Hazare as the 'Messiah'. He in turn declared that the Bill alone will 'eliminate 95% corruption in the country'! Days later, still reveling in the media-hypnotism, he boasted that if he had continued his fast for three more days, the government would have fallen!

For the newly ordained Messiah it is nothing less than 'Second Freedom struggle'. If only he had elementary knowledge of India's post-independence history, he would have known that country's original Freedom, achieved on the midnight of 14/15^th August 1947, ended on the midnight of 25/26^th June 1975, when the then President of India signed a crisp four-line proclamation imposing a state of Emergency in the country stating: "security of India is threatened by internal disturbances."                                               

 

He should have at least known that Emergency was a direct sequel to the massive movement against corruption and maladministration started by the students of Bihar and Gujarat in 1973, and later spearheaded by Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan (JP). Emergency and the extinction of freedom in the country brought about a direct confrontation between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and JP who was jailed. While the former was the epitome of power and pelf, the later abjured all desire for power, but wielded immense moral authority. By the time the confrontation ended in March 1977, JP had won with India regaining its Freedom.

 

Acknowledging this, veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar writes: "He (JP) wasn't built to be a hero: slight of figure, racked by illness, battle-worn. Yet, he proved to be the outstanding hero who won us the second freedom in 1977, 30 years after the first one."

 

While this is the historical reality, how could Anna Hazare claim to spearhead the 'Second Freedom struggle'? Since when did we need a 'freedom struggle' to draft a legislative bill? Have freedom movements led by the first and the second 'Mahatmas' become so cheap? Is it that Anna Hazare is so naïve that he does not know about JP, his Movement, resultant Emergency and regaining of Freedom in 1977? Or is it just a media ruse to take the sting out of the anti-corruption movement and in the process wipe out memories of Emergency, which is a standing stigma on the ruling dispensation? 

 

Be that as it may, on the table is the civil society's "Anti-Corruption, Grievance Redressal and Whistleblower Protection Bill, 2010" that aims to replace the existing, mutually exclusive anti-corruption agencies with a single, autonomous Lokpal combining within it the vast powers and mandate of the CBI and the CVC and with jurisdiction over ministers, bureaucrats and judges. Eleven members of the Lok Pal will be selected by judges, citizen-representatives, constitutional authorities and Magsaysay award winners and not by politicians. The whistleblowers, currently under the supervision of the CVC, will also come under the protective purview of the Lokpal.

 

Prominent civil society leaders have already pointed out serious flaws in the draft bill and have expressed fears that the proposed Lokpal could potentially turn into a 'Frankenstein's Monster'. Former Chief Justice of India JS Verma wondered if the envisaged draft would not amount to amending the basic structure of the constitution. Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra is of the view that 'prima facie the Bill appeared to have been drafted without any understanding of how the government functioned'. Consensus is that the bill should take into account 'the concerns and priorities of as many individuals and groups as possible' and not just the conflict-ridden five-member drafting committee.

 

But 'India Against Corruption' (IAC), the make-shift outfit that propped up Anna Hazare, is not interested in such consensus building. In fact it has hijacked and short-changed the on-going anti-corruption movement. For over a decade now Gandhian Seva & Satyagraha Brigade (formerly Lok Seva Sangh) led by 93 year old Shambu Datt, who had participated in the 'Quit India' and JP Movements, has been pursuing a three-point anti-corruption agenda. Besides enactment of a stringent and deterrent Lokpal Act, the agenda included disqualification of corrupt or criminally charged candidates for Parliament & State Legislatures as well as confiscation of illegally acquired property of politicians, bureaucrats & businessmen.

 

In pursuance of these demands Shambu Dattji and four of his octogenarian colleagues commenced 'fast-unto-death' on 30^th January, the Martyr's day. They were dissuaded by an IAC team comprising of Swami Agnivesh, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi with the promise that they would work with the Satyagraha Group in chalking out and pursuing a comprehensive anti-corruption agenda and launch a common struggle. Based on this promise the Gandhian fast was postponed for three months. Having achieved their purpose, IAC proponents went ahead and created a 'Messiah' through the media-hyped 'fast-unto-death' by Anna Hazare with just a single-point agenda!

Ruling Congress facilitated this task by appearing gracious, and the BJP too appeared pious and condescending. In the process the current ruling elite stage-managed its own triumph, by crafting a 'sensitive' response to a television-media conjured 'popular upsurge', thus spending-up the public fury against corruption. Having done do, they with the help of the very same media, set upon demolishing the credibility of the civil society representatives in the joint drafting committee by indulging in character assassination. The motive is obvious-to derail the Lokpal Bill! Cumulative effect is the weakening of 'people's power' and strengthening of state power. What a travesty!

With the kind of governments we have, 'Manufactured Messiah's' cannot combat corruption. India could do better without them!

                                 _________________________________

 

 

On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 7:32 PM, Sarbajit Roy <sroy.mb@gmail.com> wrote:

The Jan LokPal Bill drafting Committee lies in tatters.

Arvind Kejriwal on national TV sounds even more effeminate and shrill than he usually does (it seems he takes voice training lessons from Kiran Bedi - you wouldn't be able to tell their voices apart in a dark room)
The Con gress is going ahead with their plans to have a "strong and effective LPB which is the natural corrollary to the RTI Act" - presumably by giving the people even more useless LokPal institutions (like the Central Information Commission) to buy them extended time in office..

The question is who is behind all this (and why we should care)

Here are the facts - veried at very high levels <smile><wink><nudge nudge>

A) All the 5 person "appointed by Mr Anna Hazare" are CONGRESS stooges and Collaborators.

B) The masterminds behind this movement are the well known NAC haramis who take truckloads of money from USA but do the bidding of CHINA.

C) The entire script to slice up India has been scripted in CHINA

D) The script is a rehashed version of 1960-1962. with a similar cast

i)  Another weak and spinelss Prime Minister
ii) A corrupt and kowtowing PMO packed with the most dishonest Malyalis you will find packed within any 1 square km radius on the planet. (I have great regard for normal people from Kerala so please don't misunderstand this)
iii)  Another Govt headed by a "Nehru Gandhi"
iv) Another completely worn-out and underpowered set of armed forces.
v) An intelligence system in compelte disarray and cross fighting
vi) Another Defence Minister from Kerala (we all remenber Krishna Menon dont we ) whose only qualification for his post is his genetic obsequity and political guile
vcii) Hindi-Chinii Bhai Bhai rules again, what  with Indian traders setting up bases in China (with 2nd wives freely available there)
and so on ..

E) The Government is now so distracted by political compulsions and the internal "enemy" that the Army/ CCS is unable/unwilling to even move a muscle when CHINA is creating havoc on our borders and slicing off Arunachal Pradesh and.J&K one little km inwards every day.

So dear HJ group, lets get our priorites straight and make this Govt work.on the real issues

Sarbajit