People have always been wondering why the laws tend to protect the white collar law breakers. Ofcourse, the maxim is there 'Innocent till proven guilty'. However, many a crime, especially venal crimes like corruption peter away on technical grounds. Great effort and time that goes into detection, investigation and prosecution gets frittered away on flimsy grounds. Courts are helpless as they can only uphold law as available on statute books.
Many of the Institutions like Lokpal, Lokayukta, Human Rights Commission, Minorities Commission have little powers being more of advisory in nature. In respect of persons holding political or beuracratic positions, one big hurdle is that permission is needed to prosecute them even in a normal court of law. Several offices are exempt. Ofcourse, people are to be protected for performing their duties, from frivolous and vexing litigations from aggrieved parties.
However, winds of change started blowing in a not small way, first through courts entertaining Public Interest Litigations and secondly with enactment of Right to Information Act.
Can't we get round the problem by easing laws of prosecution but at the same time tightening laws against character assassination and blackmail? Likewise can't 'Right to Information' elaborated to 'Obligation to Furnish Information'?
It is also puzzling why there should be secrecy about information already in possession of authorities - like names of persons having unaccounted money abroad, etc.
Recent newspaper reports are heartening that courts, public persons, individuals are exercising their minds about these issues e.g.
Wikileaks' Assange announcing imminent release of around 2000 names of persons round the world having secret Swiss Bank accounts.
Indian Courts questioning the need for keeping information secret about Indians who have stashed money abroad which the government has given the court in a sealed cover.
prominent thinkers and activists undertaking a walk in Delhi on 30th January seeking adoption of the draft laws they have proposed to give teeth to existing watered-down laws.
Let us wait and watch and more importantly hope.
…ponder
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Voter Sagacity
Much has been said about the sagacity of the Indian voters. No doubt they could make stalwarts like Indira Gandhi, Vajpayee, Advani, etc. bite dust. But were these only flash in pan or calculated wise voting?
How come really worthies like Arun Shorie, Pranab Mukherjee and Man Mohan Singh cannot dare face the electorate and are to seek back door entry? Why hard-working no-nonsense Jai Ram Ramesh has to resort to Rajya Sabha entry that too from a State to which he does not really belong?
Can a Desmukh or a Chagla or a KL Rao win popular vote assuming a party will nominate them or as independents?
When most of the country was blowing Janata wind in 1977, Andhra voted 41 seats out of 42 for Congress. Were AP voters not sagacious?
Even though some not strictly political but educated, young, idealistic persons like Jyotiraditya, Jindal, Sachin Pilot, etc do contest and win it is not due to their personal worth but because they represent entrenched dynasties of their fiefdoms.
Or is it the Political parties at fault? Can't they break the shackles of religion, region, caste and family to give the voters a chance to elect upright, hard-working and knowledgeable people? What good do the electors expect from the widow of a politician who had no public exposure whatsoever hitherto, compounded by the fact that she may be an illiterate?
So we can safely conclude that neither the individual nor the political party nor the wise Indian voter can really buck the trend and ensure that best available is the winner.
If it is so, what is the trend?
We have certain constituencies treated as pocket boroughs. Rae Barelli and Amethi for example. Is it only a coincidence that these were never reserved. Anyway, do the voters there make a conscious choice? Are not the voters there taken for granted? Do they feel so?
On a bigger scale, in Tamil Nadu one elects either a DMK or an AiADMK to power, there can be no third choice. Where is voter sagacity?
About one third of our honorable law makers are reported to have criminal cases against them. But they have been duly elected by voters.
Has here been any instance of political parties not putting up candidates against men of proven integrity and ability like Kriplani, HV Kamath, NG Gorey, VB Raju, etc who bring prestige, wisdom and quality to our parliamentary democracy?
Are we to assume
that voter sagacity is a myth.
that political parties are only interested in power and the numbers that bring it and hence nominate the most winnable and available person irrespective of his antecedents or abilities.
that since huge amounts of money are required to contest elections, despite the expenditure ceiling, families that control money also control political parties and nominatins
that a individual hover worthy he/she may be has no scope in this jostling.
wither Democracy.
…ponder
How come really worthies like Arun Shorie, Pranab Mukherjee and Man Mohan Singh cannot dare face the electorate and are to seek back door entry? Why hard-working no-nonsense Jai Ram Ramesh has to resort to Rajya Sabha entry that too from a State to which he does not really belong?
Can a Desmukh or a Chagla or a KL Rao win popular vote assuming a party will nominate them or as independents?
When most of the country was blowing Janata wind in 1977, Andhra voted 41 seats out of 42 for Congress. Were AP voters not sagacious?
Even though some not strictly political but educated, young, idealistic persons like Jyotiraditya, Jindal, Sachin Pilot, etc do contest and win it is not due to their personal worth but because they represent entrenched dynasties of their fiefdoms.
Or is it the Political parties at fault? Can't they break the shackles of religion, region, caste and family to give the voters a chance to elect upright, hard-working and knowledgeable people? What good do the electors expect from the widow of a politician who had no public exposure whatsoever hitherto, compounded by the fact that she may be an illiterate?
So we can safely conclude that neither the individual nor the political party nor the wise Indian voter can really buck the trend and ensure that best available is the winner.
If it is so, what is the trend?
We have certain constituencies treated as pocket boroughs. Rae Barelli and Amethi for example. Is it only a coincidence that these were never reserved. Anyway, do the voters there make a conscious choice? Are not the voters there taken for granted? Do they feel so?
On a bigger scale, in Tamil Nadu one elects either a DMK or an AiADMK to power, there can be no third choice. Where is voter sagacity?
About one third of our honorable law makers are reported to have criminal cases against them. But they have been duly elected by voters.
Has here been any instance of political parties not putting up candidates against men of proven integrity and ability like Kriplani, HV Kamath, NG Gorey, VB Raju, etc who bring prestige, wisdom and quality to our parliamentary democracy?
Are we to assume
that voter sagacity is a myth.
that political parties are only interested in power and the numbers that bring it and hence nominate the most winnable and available person irrespective of his antecedents or abilities.
that since huge amounts of money are required to contest elections, despite the expenditure ceiling, families that control money also control political parties and nominatins
that a individual hover worthy he/she may be has no scope in this jostling.
wither Democracy.
…ponder
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Narcissism
Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Saddam Hussain, Kamaraj Nadar, Sanjeeva Reddy, Karunanidhi and Mayawati. They belong to different countries, different times and different ideologies. But there is one common thread. Can you guess? They all had their statues installed in their life time. Some may coyly suggest that it is the love and affection of their admirers and they themselves had no hand in it.
Is it the desire to ensure leaving their personal stamp for posterity lest they may be forgotten after they are no more?
But in quite a few cases like Sanjeeva Reddy, Karunanidhi and Saddam Hussain they had to go through the mortification of their statues getting destroyed - again during their life-time.
Whatever may be the purpose of these statues and whatever may be the achievements of their originals in flesh and blood, different statues evoke different feelings.
Sir Thomas Munroe's imposing statue in Chennai, majestic on a horseback but without stirrups has always been a puzzle for me. The Subhas Chandra Bose statue in front of Secunderabad station resembles more of Brahmananda Reddy than Bose. The statues of Telugu greats on the Tank Bund in Hyderabad evoke the ire of KCR than any reverence. Kannagi statue on Marina, Chennai, banished by Jayalalitha for fear of bad luck has re-appeared, courtesy MK. The imposing Bamiyan Budha statues, alas, are no more thanks to Taliban. The Statue of Liberty in New York ever inspires immigrants to the great country US. It is somewhat sad to see disproportionate and ill-kept statues of Gandhi and Ambedkar in thousands. Definitely, they will not recognize their own replicas.
Ever enterprising China is exporting fibre glass statues of Rajasekhar Reddy whose son is on a statue-erection spree. Nobody, not even Madam, can protest.
I have seen the statues of a man and woman in Lepakshi Temple, which the guide told us, are the epitome of beauty and proportion.
It was reported somewhere that there is no more room for for further statues in Parliament complex. So over-crowded.
What will be the fate of Mayawati's statues - we can only contemplate for ever like Rodin's 'Contemplation'.
…ponder
Is it the desire to ensure leaving their personal stamp for posterity lest they may be forgotten after they are no more?
But in quite a few cases like Sanjeeva Reddy, Karunanidhi and Saddam Hussain they had to go through the mortification of their statues getting destroyed - again during their life-time.
Whatever may be the purpose of these statues and whatever may be the achievements of their originals in flesh and blood, different statues evoke different feelings.
Sir Thomas Munroe's imposing statue in Chennai, majestic on a horseback but without stirrups has always been a puzzle for me. The Subhas Chandra Bose statue in front of Secunderabad station resembles more of Brahmananda Reddy than Bose. The statues of Telugu greats on the Tank Bund in Hyderabad evoke the ire of KCR than any reverence. Kannagi statue on Marina, Chennai, banished by Jayalalitha for fear of bad luck has re-appeared, courtesy MK. The imposing Bamiyan Budha statues, alas, are no more thanks to Taliban. The Statue of Liberty in New York ever inspires immigrants to the great country US. It is somewhat sad to see disproportionate and ill-kept statues of Gandhi and Ambedkar in thousands. Definitely, they will not recognize their own replicas.
Ever enterprising China is exporting fibre glass statues of Rajasekhar Reddy whose son is on a statue-erection spree. Nobody, not even Madam, can protest.
I have seen the statues of a man and woman in Lepakshi Temple, which the guide told us, are the epitome of beauty and proportion.
It was reported somewhere that there is no more room for for further statues in Parliament complex. So over-crowded.
What will be the fate of Mayawati's statues - we can only contemplate for ever like Rodin's 'Contemplation'.
…ponder
Friday, January 14, 2011
Mass Production
It is the scale that matters. Large scale means cheaper the product for the consumer and enough profits for the Industry, its middlemen, stockists, retailers, etc. This basic and sound economic principle has been put to good use by none other than the a quaint University tucked away inconspicuously in South India which is reported to have sold 9000 and odd Ph.D degrees in less than 2 years at as little as Rs.50,000 to Rs,1,00,000 per degree.
I hope the newspaper report is not wrong. Though I am dismayed by the spoil-sport Minister threatening cancellation of the degrees and ordering enquiry against the VC, it is comforting to know that only degrees can be cancelled and not the transactions already over. Individually these deals may be chicken feed but cumulatively a tidy fortune.
We should tread in a cautious manner as there coud be cascading effect on the tranquility of our society. What will happen to the appointments made based on these Ph.Ds which again would have involved other transactions as these degrees are not ends but means.
India is a Knowledge Power and it is heartening to see knowledge of economics put to practical use in a big way, naturally by a knowledge centre.
It is also heartening to note that Public Sector is catching up with Private Sector. This University is no one-room cubby hole selling degrees. It should be granted 'Navaratna' status.
This should not, I hope, put the entire Ph.D industry under scanner. Who knows how many more enterprising VCs are out there.
...ponder
I hope the newspaper report is not wrong. Though I am dismayed by the spoil-sport Minister threatening cancellation of the degrees and ordering enquiry against the VC, it is comforting to know that only degrees can be cancelled and not the transactions already over. Individually these deals may be chicken feed but cumulatively a tidy fortune.
We should tread in a cautious manner as there coud be cascading effect on the tranquility of our society. What will happen to the appointments made based on these Ph.Ds which again would have involved other transactions as these degrees are not ends but means.
India is a Knowledge Power and it is heartening to see knowledge of economics put to practical use in a big way, naturally by a knowledge centre.
It is also heartening to note that Public Sector is catching up with Private Sector. This University is no one-room cubby hole selling degrees. It should be granted 'Navaratna' status.
This should not, I hope, put the entire Ph.D industry under scanner. Who knows how many more enterprising VCs are out there.
...ponder
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)