PRESS STATEMENT - ISSUED IN PUBLIC INTEREST
FOR FAVOUR OF PUBLICATION – DATED 24 AUGUST 2011
Statement On The Lokpal Bill Crisis By Academicians, Activists, Jounalists And Others
We the undersigned are deeply disturbed by the events of the last fortnight, when an arrogant and ham-handed Government that has been associated with unprecedented levels of corruption has also sought to suppress dissent in the most unacceptable manner. There is now clear public assertion that corruption has reached intolerable limits and needs to be curbed. For this, suitable legislation needs to be enacted.
We believe that there is a need for intervention to enable legislation to be made in a dignified manner. However, we note that legislation can be only one part of the process of reducing and eliminating corruption, which is also rooted in corporate behavior and the nexus between government, business and media. It is also important to recognise that the current government has lost its credibility on the issue of curbing corruption, which is why there are legitimate concerns that the legislation it proposes is not likely to be adequate.
In view of this we demand the following:
1. All political parties should make a clear and unambiguous statement that they would ensure that after legitimate and proper scrutiny, the Lokpal legislation would be passed expeditiously reflecting the will of the Parliament and, therefore, the people.
2. Considering the seriousness of the issue as well as the problems of implementation, the Parliament should ensure that the best possible legislation is enacted and that consideration is not restricted to the differences between the Government Bill and the Jan Lokpal Bill and or any other Bill presented by other vocal sections of the civil society.
3. The Standing Committee of Parliament that considers any version of the Bill must actively solicit views from a wide range of citizens and groups, including those representing hitherto marginalised groups who have not so far been heard in this discussion, and seek to incorporate their concerns into the legislation.
4. We appreciate the fact that the section of civil society represented by Shri Anna Hazare has focussed the attention of the nation on the urgency of enactment of the Lokpal Bill, though we do not necessarily approve of all of their methods. Shri Anna Hazare and his group should also declare that they recognise and respect the procedure for formulating legislation through the Parliament as enshrined in the Constitution of India and respect the right of all sections of people to be heard.
5. The owners and presenters of the media must work to ensure a more balanced representation of people’s aspirations, including those of peasants and workers, dalits, minorities, women and others who have a right to be heard.
6. The Constitution of India should not be subverted. Legislation can and should be made by the Parliament without coercion of any kind. All citizens and groups of citizens have a right to bring their perceptions regarding the legislation before Parliament through the constitutional procedures devised for the purpose, including public protest.
No legislation can be perfect in a vast and diverse nation such as ours. The Constitution itself has been amended more than a hundred times since it was adopted. Therefore no single group should claim that its members alone have the best legislative prescription for eradicating corruption.
(For and on behalf of the signatories)
(K. Ashok Rao)
President, National Confederation of Officers Associations (NCOA)
J 152, Saket
New Delhi 110017
9868101640
kashokrao[AT]gmail.com
List of signatories
Administration
S.P. Shukla
Vivek Mehrotra
Firoza Mehrotra
Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat
Acedamics
Prof. Amiya Bagchi
Prof. Prabhat Patnaik,
Prof. Jayati Ghosh,
Prof. Obaid Siddiqui,
Prof. Jawarimal Parakh,
Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy
Prof. Anuradha Chenoy
Prof Mohan Rao
Prof. Anil Sadgopal
Prof Zoya Hasan
Prof Ravi Srivastava
Jaya Mehta
Badri Raina
Anuradha Marwah
Prof. Sumit Sarkar
Prof. Tanika Sarkar
Nina Rao
K. Subramaniam
Rekha Awasthi
M.M.P. Singh
K.L.Tuteja
Madhu Prasad
Prof. Utsa Patnaik
V Ramakrishna
V.M. Jha
Rimili Bhatacharya
P.K. Shukla
Saskia Sassen
Venkatesh Athreya
Vishwa Mohan Jha
Atuluri Murli
Girish Mishra
D.N.Jha
Arjun Dev
Indira Arjun Dev
Dinesh Abrol
Archana Abrol
Dhruv Raina
Artists
M.K. Raina
Raja Jaikrishan
Sukanya Rahman
Maya Krishna Rao
Ram Rahman
Githa Hariharan
Rekha Rodwittya
Legal
Justice B. G. KolsePatil
Rajiv Dhavan
Ashok Agarwal
Nandita Rao
Journalists
R. Ramachandran
Praful Bidwai
Akhila Sivadas
Seema Mustafa
Anand K. Sahay
Aniket Alam
Antara Dev Sen
Ajith Pillai
Trade Union
Vivek Monteiro
Baby Thomas
K. Ashok Rao
Social Activists and others
Dr. Mohini Giri
Navaid Hamid
Fr Cedric Prakash
Yousuf Saeed
Romi Khosla
Ruchira Gupta
Afsar Jafri
Biraj Patnaik
Dipa Sinha
Sunita Bhasin
Bhupinder
Dharam Vir
R K Gupta
Gauhar Siraj
Alok Bajpai
Prabha Kumathe
Dr VN Sharma
Sudesh
Asha Sarangi
Rajni B. Arora
Rakesh Manchanda
Rajeswari S. Raina
Sohail Hashmi
Manoj Mitta
Asha Mukherjee
Simi A. Pandeya