Dear Shri. Anna Hazare, Shri. Santosh Hegde, Shri. Aravind Kejriwal, Shri. Shanti Bhushan, Shri. Prashant Bhushan, Swami Agnivesh, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Dr. Kiran Bedi and other Anti-Corruption Crusaders:
I, a humble citizen of India and an admirer of ‘India Against Corruption’, write you this letter with hope you will give serious consideration to the humble views and suggestions I put forward herewith.
Considering the pros and cons of the unfortunate situations prevailing in India now, I think, a Well-Organized, Comprehensive, Coordinated and Constructive Nationwide Movement to Combat Corruption is the need of the hour. And, I think, the existing India Against Corruption under the leadership of Anna Hazare and all of you can, if it shows the necessary will and wisdom, soon transform itself into the proposed highly powerful and organized Nationwide Movement. This Mega Movement, of the people, by the people and for the people, can serve as an Umbrella Organization for all NGOs and Individuals working on this field. Such a Combat Corruption and India Reconstruction Movement can, no doubt, ensure good governance at all levels of our private and public lives.
Considering the hard realities grappling our country today, genuine efforts to curb corruption, should no doubt take precedence to one and everything if we, as a nation, are to make any substantial progress and development. It is true that we have sufficient resources and manpower to make ours a developed country, but nothing would be of avail, unless we make earnest efforts to combat this cancerous corruption which has now unfortunately spread to almost all walks and spheres of our lives. Tackling the corruption that stifles the common man should ever be high on our agenda.
Anyone who wages a war against corruption and injustice is now more vulnerable to loss and defeat because of the tyranny, wickedness and unity amongst the forces of evil as against the scattered strength of the non-corrupt and the good-intentioned. So what we find now is that more and more people who are good-natured by themselves are tending to become silent and inactive and indifferent and tolerant to more and more acts of corruption, injustice and cruelty. This should change. The responses that ‘India Against Corruption’ could garner in its recent campaigns for the Jan Lokpal Bill, is evidence that the change is happening, that the country is now on the awakening. But it is only by raising their awareness levels, by encouraging and supporting them to stand up and fight , by equipping them with enough courage and strength, by organizing them for valiant action, by providing them the necessary background and backup that we can successfully combat this scourge of corruption. It is under these circumstances that a Well-Organized and Comprehensive Nationwide Movement to Combat Corruption becomes inevitable. A movement as proposed will be real empowerment of the people.
Such a Movement by its sheer assertion of strength and determination to combat corruption at all levels will prove deterrent to the corrupt, to a large extent. When the people are groomed to be vigilant and pro-active by such a programme, supported and strengthened from the top, there is bound to be a tremendous check on corruption right from the grassroots. Such a movement will ensure that all governmental and non-governmental activities (including that of corporate and other private bodies) will come under the scanner of one or the other branches of this Movement. Under the arms and eyes of such a nationwide coordinated Movement, measures such as necessary legal and fiscal reforms; clear cut legislations and enforcement of stringent laws for those found guilty of corruption; supportive justice delivery mechanisms; time bound unearthing of black money; strict monitoring and evaluation of all vital activities; generation of awareness and vigilance amongst the common citizens; creation of Combat Corruption Armies at all levels; reinforcement of existing crime detection, anti-corruption and vigilance agencies; engendering greater and constructive media participation; tapping on the advancements in science and technology to ensure corruption reduced and effective governance etc. will, no doubt, bring about the desired results. In due course, it would also be possible to evolve and implement a sort of ‘Five Year Plan to Combat Corruption’ with a multi–pronged strategy, by a joint body comprising representatives of the Government and of this Movement.
The proposed Movement, I think, should have an Apex Council at the national level followed by a hierarchical structure of councils at the state, district and primary or grassroots level. The primary level could represent a village/municipality/corporation or a suitable combination of any of such adjacent units. Although the functioning of the Movement will be from bottom to top, the origin and structuring of the Movement will have to take place from the top. At the outset, the present anti-corruption crusaders at the national level need to call forth a national level preliminary meeting/meetings to discuss the possibilities and modalities of such an Organized Nation-wide Movement. Following this, once a national level council of the movement is formed and the organization is registered, state level preliminary meetings should be held. Subsequently, after formation of state level councils, the campaign should be intensified to encourage the formation of district level councils. Care should be taken to see that no politicians, however clean they be, are allowed to become members of these councils. Next comes the primary and the most important grassroots level. This level should be held open to clean politicians too (be they of whichever party). Membership at the grassroots level could be classified into three, as Working Members, Nominal Members and Advisory Members. Awareness campaigns should be intensified and efforts should be made to enroll, as many citizens as possible, as at least nominal members at the grassroots level. After the initial constitution of councils at various levels, a selection mechanism can be enforced to ensure time-bound ascension of willing and qualified members to higher levels.
Anybody found guilty of crime or corruption should strictly be prohibited from enjoying membership of this Movement at any level. Stringent rules and regulations need to be made for the conduct of this Movement at all levels. A code of conduct needs to be framed and implemented for the members. Highly transparent, honest and effective accounting practices should be maintained with respect to fund raising, allocation of funds, expenditure, etc. In due course, a student’s wing of the Movement can also be launched for inculcating principles of honesty and fair governance amongst the youngsters. No doubt, if conducted well, this Movement will, in course of time, serve as a school for better citizenship and sound leadership. Up the way, members groomed up by this Movement will find their rightful places in our parliament and state legislatures. Politics will by then become a lot cleaner and our country will be on a real developmental track.
Reforms engendered with wisdom and foresight is required in almost all spheres of our social and political life. Consciously implemented slow and steady reforms aimed at a total revamp are always preferable, for any country, to a naturally and inevitably occurring total revolution, which will bring in a lot of destruction and deceleration. In order that things move in a very orderly, non-violent and democratic manner (without creating an unhealthy civil unrest and without jeopardizing the stability of our country) and in order that we achieve the desired ends before situations worsen, I think, no short-cuts would be of avail, only the hard but effective means need to be pursued – and those means rightly point towards nothing short of a Well-Organized, Comprehensive, Coordinated and Constructive Nationwide Movement to Combat Corruption. Hope, all great personalities and organizations of our nation engaged fearlessly in efforts to safeguard honesty, transparency, righteousness and justice, will give serious thought to this line of thinking and at level one come forward to become the torch bearers of this great Movement to Combat Corruption, of this great Mission to Reconstruct India, of this Glorious Revolution.
What I give here is just food for thought. Kindly put in your hearts and brains, and come up with the right solutions.
With thanks and best wishes,
Kannan G.
