[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Here is food for thought and reflection on the manifesto
---------------------------------------------------------------------
[Topics under debate]: GOOD GOVERNANCE
___Help make this manifesto better, or accept it, and propagate it!___
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Who gives a rat's (beep, you what) how other countries fare with India.
Why do we have such an inferiority complex where we need to compare to other
countries. I didn't expect such mundane reply from an IIT
professor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sincerely,
Vamsi M.
"Dr. Subroto Roy" wrote:
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> [Topics under debate]: GOOD GOVERNANCE
> ___Help make this manifesto better, or accept it, and propagate it!___
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > The Manifesto PART I
> > GOOD GOVERNANCE
> >Today, India neither has good governance nor good economic policy.
>
> --- why is this statement here? what is its exact purpose? can it not
> be
> said of any country at any time? e.g. the USA, Switzerland, Japan,
> Nigeria,
> South Africa etc etc. I.e. my point is that it is a pointless
> rhetorical
> statement which could be made about all countries at all times.
>
> We >need
> >to provide good governance first, which will be made possible by
> >implementing good economic policies simultaneously.
> >
> 1. Individual Autonomy and Participative Democracy
> >We believe that a radical democratization of government in India is the
>
> >need
> >of the hour.
>
> --- why the need of the hour? is it so urgent? why not the need of
> e.g.
> the decade?
>
> The challenge before us, the citizens, is the creation of a
> >system of governance where the interests of all, rich and poor, the
> >educated >as well as the illiterate, are protected, and everyone gets a
>
> platform>to
> >raise his/her concerns.
>
> -- this is platitudinous, i.e. nobody will disagree
>
> Our government needs to protect the freedom and
> >autonomy of individuals and, by implication, that of all organizations
> >of
> >the people.
>
> A government that limits itself to fulfilling the basic >mandate
> >that it is entrusted to, by the ordinary citizens, the masters of our
> >democracy. The mandate that is limited to protecting individual
> freedom,
> >liberty, right to choice of enterprise, opportunity to earn a dignified
>
> >living, and order in the society to insure peaceful coexistence of all,
>
> >without regard to individual differences.
> >
> --- this is good above, draws upon the French and American revolutionary
>
> ideals
>
> In order to achieve the above mentioned objective,
> >
> a) Individuals willing
> -- why not wishing/wanting to be?
>
> to become politicians and represent the people in
> >the
> >government, must state clearly their stand on specific critical policy
> >issues that are important for the citizen's day-to-day life. This
> >specific
> >information about the views of the candidates, along with a, published,
>
> >detailed background information of the candidate's recent past, must be
>
> >used
> >by the citizens to elect their best representative for the government.
>
> >b) All government control of the media must be released back to the
> >people.
>
> -- this is a touch of the concrete .. now debate is on going in India
> about
> Prashar Bharati... the IPI statement seems to be unaware that Indian
> newspapers are as free as anywhere else, that there are numerous foreign
> and
> domestic alternative newschannels today, and have been for five years
> or
> so... .
>
> >c) Anything more then absolutely essential personal information on
> >private >citizens
>
> -- what does this mean, if anything?
>
> cannot be kept by the government, and the citizen would be
> >entitled
> >to receive a copy of any information about him/her, that the government
>
> >wants to keep.
>
> -- there is a long and ongoing debate in India on a Freedom of
> Information
> Act... why not refer to it concretely... the leading light is CR Irani.
> editor of the Statesman...
> >
> >d) Unless clearly defined and approved otherwise, every public office,
> >which
> >is essentially, by definition, created to serve the public, would have
> >to
> >have local control via a local board of representative(s),
> >selected/elected
> >from among the community of people such an organization claims to
> serve.
>
> --- what does this mean in practice in India, if anything?
>
> >e) Local bodies and groups which involve debate on public policy, to be
>
> >encouraged.
>
> -- to be encouraged by whom? by the Union Government? why? how?
> using
> public funds?
> >
>
> >2. National Reconciliation
>
> >The creation of a sense of fraternity amongst peoples of India is a
> task
> >long overdue.
>
> --- in what sense? do we have Bengal at war with Bihar, Telegus at war
>
> with Kannadigas? Maharathis at war with Gujaratis? of course not...
> we
> have, in a country of subcontinental size, local civil conflicts and
> disturbances and insurgencies... the statement makes it sound as if
> what is
> needed is a Saviour of India...
>
> The task of sitting down together and discussing things
> >out
> >has to be carried out very seriously. this can be done by
>
> >a) Fostering civic institutions and think tanks in all fields, which
> >will
> >interact with the people as well as with counterparts in other
> >countries.
>
> --- is this to be done with public money? why? seems to be a recipe
> for
> over-intellectualismand rent-seeking...
>
> >b) Promoting the spirit of volunteerism and thus enhancing social
> >capital.
>
> >3. Electoral Reform
> >A legislation needs to be enacted that strictly requires individuals to
>
> >show
> >proof of no criminal record
>
> -- what does this mean, if anything? no jail-time? no charge-sheets?
> no
> FIRs? a lot of people have spent time a little time in jail... as I
> recall
> for example Smt. Sheila Dixit was arrested by the BJP Govt in UP for a
> while
> in 1990... is that a criminal record?
>
> involving conviction of the candidate,
>
> -- this is even worse now... nobody gets convicted in India... certainly
> not
> political criminals... so by this criterion, no progress would have been
>
> made...
>
> as a
> >precondition for qualification to run for any elected public office.
>
> >Election Commission also needs a legislation requiring a mandatory
> >accounts
> >audit of every individual political campaign committee accounts.
>
> -- what is the present position? What would Shri Gill say about this?
>
> Such
> >accounts must document every small
>
> -- I gave Rs 20 to a volunteer from the extreme leftist SUCI the other
> day... because they re-introduced English into CPM run Bengal's schools;
> are
> you saying you want them to account for it?
>
> as well as large donation from
> >citizens
> >as well as organizations.
>
> Such political donation records containing
> >information about donors as well as the amounts donated, should
> >automatically become a public property accessible to all.
> >
> >Election Commission must impose a strict upper ceiling on the amount of
>
> >money a single individual or organizational donor can donate to a
> >political
> >campaign.
>
> --- what is the present practice of the Election Commission? does
> anyone
> know?
> Such limit should be revised every ten years in order to
> >adjust
> >the limit with inflation.
> >
> >Elected representatives of the people in the government need to be
> >rewarded
> >with good remuneration. Public service should be made attractive enough
>
> >to
> >retain talented and people of honor in its fold. However, the
> >compensation
> >needs to be strictly defined without any loopholes for the politicians
> >to
> >exploit for their benefits. Transparency needs to be the norm here
> >rather
> >then exception.
> >
> >Summary information totaling Income from all sources, including gifts
> >etc.,
> >and the taxes paid by the people holding elected public offices, should
>
> >become public property accessible to all. This step can help reduce the
>
> >amount of corruption in politics.
> >
> >
> Bureaucrats would be given incentives to document corruption by
> elected
> >representatives (including taped evidence).
>
> --- what does this mean if anything? elected representatives are the
> masters of bureaucrats I am afraid in a democratic system, like it or
> not...
>
> They would have the power to
> >present such evidence to the Lok Pal who, in turn, would have the
> power
> >to
> >protect the bureaucrat as well as to reward such effort if found to be
> >true.
>
> -- why has the Lok Pal suddenly appeared beside rthe Election
> Commissioner?
> these are two distinct jobs...>
> >
> >
> >Law regarding State & National Political Parties :
> >
> >Nominations of the official candidates of individual political parties
> >for
> >contesting elections, should be democratically done by conducting
> >preliminary rounds of elections, where only the party members residing
> >in
> >the constituency under consideration would be eligible to vote. This
> >should
> >be done no sooner then four months and no later then six weeks before
> >actual
> >elections to the constituency are due.
> >
>
> -- I have already stated in a previous message that this is based ona
> muddle:There are in India and
> elsewhere political formations which would normally be called
> dictatorial
> and/or totalitarian. The basis of the dictatorship may be ideology or
> religion or merely personality cult. Such a party might subjectively
> consider itself democratic (while considering one another
> anti-democratic),
> and even have some semblance of intra party voting. Political
> philosophy
> has known and defined the "paradox of democracy" for a long time, by
> which
> democratic institutions are used to bring an anti-democratic party into
> power. The task of public policy would be not to chatter on about
> intra-party democracy but rather to see that all political parties,
> whether
> democratic or not, play by democratic rules against one another, and
> further
> that the paradox of democracy be recognised and countered to the extent
> possible.
>
> >4. Parliamentary Reform
> >
> >Voting records of each and every MP/MLA on each and every Bill would be
>
> >publicly available
>
> -- they already are
>
> on the internet,
>
> -- not necessary if they are already available
>
> so that citizens could determine how
> >well their interests were represented by the said representative.
>
> >5. Defence
> >Constant preparedness is needed to keep our defense forces in the state
>
> >of
> >readiness to defend our borders. Availability of sufficient funding has
>
> >to
> >be ensured for investment in personnel, modern weaponry, and suitable
> >technology in accordance with current military needs.
>
> --- this is platitudinous... like saying all Indians would like India to
> win
> at cricket.
>
> >6. Foreign Policy
> >
> >We should try to find common interests with nations that have similar
> >democratic norms of government.
>
> -- does this mean we may not ally with e.g. Russia and China regarding
> Kosovo?
> Remember Lord Palmerston: nations do not have permanent friends, but
> permanent interests...
>
> This would include extraditing criminals
> >from other nations who are sought by their police, shutting down
> >operations
> >of foreign terrorists on Indian soil, signing extradition treaties with
>
> >more
> >nations.
>
> -- extradition is the main plank of foreign policy?
> >
> >We advocate the goal of global disarmament by all nations and the
> >banning of
> >all weapons of mass destruction. The sole purpose of creating a nuclear
>
> >weapon must be to help the world understand the futility of trying to
> >hold
> >on to existing power structures in perpetuity, and to insist that
> >everyone
> >in the world will be better off with complete disarmament. India would
> >never
> >be the first to use nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict with
> >another
> >country.
> >
>
> -- this is all standard policy now...
>
> >With over 20% of the world's population, India deserves a place in the
> >permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Indian foreign policy
> >must
> >mature with the aim of leading the international community in the 21st
> >century. India must work with friends and supporters in the United
> >Nation to
> >make it happen. Indian foreign policy needs to focus on protecting
> >Indian
> >interests abroad, as well as better promoting/protecting Indian
> business
> >and
> >trade interests.
> >
>
> --- I can go on and on... my point would be to show that this, while a
> worthwhile endeavour, is far from being a mature, well-thought out
> document
> at professional standards.
>
> Subroto Roy
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> This is the National Debate on System Reform. debate@indiapolicy.org
> Rules, Procedures, Archives: http://www.indiapolicy.org/debate/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Sincerely,
Vamsi M.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the National Debate on System Reform. debate@indiapolicy.org
Rules, Procedures, Archives: http://www.indiapolicy.org/debate/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------