Perhaps Anna is being obstinate, undemocratic and a brat. Arguably he isn’t letting Parliamentary democracy function. He will fast indefinitely until he gets his way and the Jan Lokpal draft is accepted.. He will not take recourse to law and go to the courts to change the Delhi Police’s stipulations. Perhaps Anna has some skeletons in the cupboard, allegedly team Anna have some dubious source of funding. There is also an allegation about misuse of money from his NGO. Clearly he is not a Jaiprakash Narayan, far from being a Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Most, even today, don’t know his antecedents or his claim to fame. To his advantage he looks a Gandhian and is willing to fight the system. He sports a white cap which is great branding and makes for great imagery . No wonder there are war cries about the “second freedom struggle”. There may be a lot that is not perfect about Anna. And certainly wasn’t about Baba Ramdev. But who cares?
This outcry and the outpouring isn’t about Anna, nor for Anna. People aren’t reacting the way they are because of goodwill and care for Anna. His past and bio are largely irrelevant, as long as he is largely clean ( which it seems is the case, and has been a social worker). This anger and rage is directed towards the Government machinery and governmental machinations in general and an outpouring thats especially directed against the current Congress one. This outrage is against Governments who don’t care, are corrupt and are arrogant. And more so ones that don’t care that they are corrupt and arrogant.
L’affaire Anna makes for fascinating study , and meaningful participation Clearly and without any doubt or debate its meaningful, relevant and much needed “movement” It is fascinating from two perspectives- one, its interesting to see how how social epidemics get precipitated, become viral and spread uncontrollably and usually without any central coordination. The second facet is to see how things pan out when lawyers , using laywer tactics go horribly wrong when it comes to civil society, public good and good governance, which is quite a bit like good parenting.
Good governments as do effective Parents .guide and shape, are honest, firm, principle based, punish, but above all are loving and caring entities. When governments have that energy and similar attributes they tend to succeed and do better. Imagine what would happen if Parents dealt with family issues as would lawyers in a court of law. Well that would be disastrous and that’s what is happening out there. You don’t deal with issues centred around national good using lawyer tactics. ( which by the way is no disrespect for lawyers and what they do and are supposed to do and admirably do in court.)
Currently the Government is using all the lawyer tactics it is so well equipped with. Interestingly all the others have come along with lawyers as well! The first lawyer tactic is to discredit the adversary. Use any and all means possible to grind their character and hence their credibility to dust. Witness whats happening in the French supremo DSK against the maid rape case. There is as much talk about the maids past as is about the crime that was committed. The second tactic is to intimidate...let the adversary know that there is a huge cost to fighting. Most people back off because of the above two tactics. But there are more. The third tactic that lawyers use is to harp on technicalities..and win on technicalities . The letter and not the spirit is what counts. In the Anna one no matter how many legalities and section 144 arguments that the Congress throws, no one is buying. The common man and society dispense judgement its own unique ways. Tactic number four is to obfuscate...witness all the “lawyer” debates on national television....and one sees some grand obfuscation with wonderful language, grandiose statements which are contentless, trivialisations and deflections, exaggerations and insinuations, shameless inexactitude and downright expediency. Lawyers also like to cut deals in private, with the same adversary that they so vehemently oppose in public. Its never about the principles, its about getting the job done. Sometimes when they meet a Ramdev who does a volte face, it leaves egg on the face.
The Government is going to have to alter their approach, which they probably will shortly.
How do we contribute, support?
Would love to have your views.....
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