Ha finally! Though I refrained from posting on this topic for a long time, this one got the better of me. There is a post doing rounds on the FB page which reads
“In 1982, In Singapore, LOKPAL BILL was implemented and 142 Corrupt Ministers & Officers were arrested in one single day.. Today Singapore has only 1% poor people & no taxes are paid by the people to the government, 92% Literacy Rate, Better Medical Facilities, Cheaper Prices, 90% Money is white & Only 1% Unemployment exists..
Re Post this if you want to live in a corruption free country.. Spread this like FIRE..”
Wow!! all these people spreading fire. For Gods sake READ what you are posting. No taxes??? what goddamn country on earth (or even mars for that matter) does that? Has history any record of such a king, province, country?
And this from people who are on a quest to know the “TRUTH”. What is your definition of poor? From the official Singapore website the resident unemployment rate is 3.1%. And mind you the unemployment benefits in Singapore are very very low. To be poor is your own mistake in the state. Public welfare is looked down upon. And there is something called as demographics. Pls google it if you don’t understand what it means. And no single change can claim to get India into that league unless there is strong will in the top bureaucrats as well as the people.Neither seem to have that in India. (Pls shouting slogans and clicking on FB buttons does not count). There is something called as CPIB in Singapore though which fights against corruption. This comes under the charge of Singapore PM’s office. It was set up in 1952 and not 1982 and there is no record of 142 arrests in a single day.
Like every other Indian, I was glad too when I heard about this movement, Anna and the Janlok Pal Bill the first time. I did support the cause but as things progressed and I looked into details the mass hysteria just doesn’t make sense to me. With all due respects to Anna, your methods are undemocratic! We know the current government’s sad state and we want solutions and not a new road to chaos. We want to remove corruption and not “remove the current corrupt so that new ones can take on the reins of corruption”. I am not cynical here just trying to be pragmatic. I know no single solution/law/method can be perfect and that is exactly why I don’t want one single entity taking over and trying to solve all our problems.
Even for a moment I assume the bill is justified and the blackmailing is required to get the current government move its a$$ and get working in this case, I don’t know what else will become justified. If this is how things start getting done and this is the example we set we can’t even predict the results. It is going to be complete chaos. Lets have some method to our madness…
I want corruption removed too, want to contribute to society too and I believe living in a democratic country entitles me to voice my opinion. Not allowing dissenting voices is not just undemocratic, it is arrogance. Your intent is noble but pls understand that change will be gradual and needs to happen at all levels and many more steps need to be taken to get there. There is no magic wand that can do away the curse of corruption on our country. But we are all empowered to bring about that change. Lets use the power and use it judiciously…
Sapna's Blog 
Good thought and nicely explained.
Thanks Ravi 🙂
Kudos !! your thoughts well put down . There are still people in our country who fully agree with you
@me: glad to know that. Actually of late I have realized there are a lot more ppl who think on the same terms but not being seen enough. And the credit mostly goes to the media for airing only one side of the matter. They will show whatever gets them the TRP nothing else matters. And the fact that media corruption is a non-issue in Lokpal makes it even more easier for them…
Excellent post. I echo your sentiments! I forwarded the link to this post of yours to many of my friends who were scammed by that “In 1982…” post.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks Harsh, for both the appreciation and an effort to spread the right news 🙂
Hi Sapna,
Thanks for the well documented inputs.
Even i got this msg in the mrng, it was too good to be true.
SO to verify i searched on internet and stumbled on to your blog.
Evryone please verify such messages before forwarding!!
Great Deepa! and it is this kind of attitude that will bring about a change in the country. An effort to know whats the truth than just blindly follow someone else.
some parts of it may be true.. check this doc… http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN028070.pdf ….
Vinay: Kindly clarify which parts? Am aware of the document and I am not debating need for stronger anti-corruption laws. It is the form of the law and the blackmailing of the elected Government and the holier than thou attitude shown by a section of the society that I am against.
A concept similar to Lokpal bill is present in Singapore and it is quite active.. http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN028070.pdf
Good thoughts Sapna. I echo your thoughts.
Wonderful 🙂
our problem is being blind and lack of knowledge.
Right now Indians are making a fool out of themselves..
The same concern was voiced here also at the time of start of the movement. http://www.abhyam.com/index.php/2011/08/anna-hazare-who-is-anna-hazare. I request everybody to use their brains rather go cynical !!!
Dear Sapna,
Thanks for taking time and explaining your views. YES your views.
When you say it is undemocratic you also should look at the side of the fight. They are the most corrupt government we have seen recently.. but that is not the point. You said what an example are we setting for future generations.. haha.. example is – ‘Whatever you do, no matter how many people follow you, Indian Government will not move an inch before blackmailing them’.
Look at the recent developments of this fast, Government almost did what it opposed in the beginning.. these are the result of blackmailing and not our blogs here.
And mind you.. its only very very very few people like Anna who can dare to blackmail this corrupt, rotten Indian Government, others can feel good of themselves and remain in the shelves and wait for everything to be alright automatically.
JAI HIND.
Thanks for your views Anand. This is exactly what I am scared of “Blackmailing” will become the new form of appeal…
Appeal ??
Does that even have a meaning in India against politicians ??
Anna is not blackmailing any ordinary citizens, but the people who have already looted, blackmailed, cheated and killed our democracy and us by large.
So don;t feel bad about it.. let us cheer for the victory that has a hope in it that India still is in good shape and future holds more good happenings that it is now.
Also don;t forget that this movement has brought some sense of pride about our nation which the younger generations were far from. Apart from going to Pubs and disco now most of Indians feel we have a responsibility towards the Country and the Society.
There can be many negative points attached to some positive happenings.. but that’s how God has created this world.
JAI HIND
hey ..respected your all opinions. salute u all…
ok. lets rewind our lives till 8 am 16th august 2011 , and check in flashback of our thoughts , our lifestyle and our opinions. similarly facebook , networking sites , news channels and other sources of information.
the point is , our whole thought process is changed,,now we are all ATLEAST participating together ” AGAINST CORRUPTION ” . Anna is the only man who did it .He just brought a common thought and common suffering of a common man altogther with a voice thats it……..atleast we are discussing it as a common issue……
as far as government is concerned ..”the lokpal bill similar to jan lokpal was being postponed since 1972 in parliament . u know , i know everyone knows and govt . knows as well that lokpal bill is a right thing then y so late . it is about all the ruling parties …any party at any point of time since 1972 would have ammended it accordingly and we would have been near to status of singapore.
but no..they need a push ..and there was not even a single citizen including me did any thing but waiting for the bill to pass….. and wat is the mass problem that ANNA has become famous ..yes he is ..he did it. He saw that youth has nothing to do other than sit and discuss so he came forward….
and he is hero…. i am not agaist any one but ” CORRUPTION”.
thats it…. JAI HIND. .
@Suraj: Agreed to your point. He has brought about an awareness and unity not seen in the recent times. I am fully for a non-corrupt India.
All I am saying is “Just pass this version of the bill and within frame of time” is blackmail. Let him say “Start the discussion tomorrow, let there be a debate” and it is a very very valid demand.
And more than any of this I am saying “Before we start a revolution, lets know what we are asking for”. Lets not just get charged up and just follow the crowd .
Hey Sapna, nice one ! Exactly the same i have in my mind. And i have told this to many ppl but writing it and sharing it here would be more apt. My friend back in my native is so emotional to support Anna and his movement. He went to a gathering to voice for Anna but sadly he drove his vehicle without his license or proper papers and ended up paying 150 Rs to the traffic police guy who caught him ! See the fun and the pathetic state of a guy supporting Anna so madly !!!!
Who ever posted this does not know the meaning of democracy i guess, the Jan Lokpal Bill is created by the people,of the people and for the people, so pls do not call this movement undemocratic. Corruption is spread by the people and it can only be stopped by the people, with a little help from people like Anna (freedom fighter), Kiran Bedi (1st women IPS of India) Shanthi Bushan (former Law Minister), Hegde ( former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), so let us not try to teach Law to these people, and moreover the Law is made for the people and when the same people ( more than 90% of indians) want the law to be changed…why not.
Jai Hind.
Excuse me. Pls explain to me how did you arrive at the stat that more than 90% of the Indians want the law to be changed. I doubt if more than 90% even know about this law…
Thanx a lot for posting this…….evrything u’ve mentioned in here is what I ws gonna include in my blog post……and its just makes me say we think alike 🙂 lovely post!!!
@Sundeep,Jayson , Deepti: Thanks for stopping by and letting people know that you are for the truth and will not fall prey to Mass Hysteria.
@Prakash: haha that explians the irony of the current protests. I am sure even the traffic cop who took the bribe would have been a part of the protests and would have been in Ramlila Maidan if it was Delhi. But he will not stop taking bribes.
@babita: thanks for sharing the link.
hello sapna…. yes i was explaining the same to my friends I knew. thanks for ur article
btw i guess President of Singapore appoints the director of CPIB and not the PM
““remove the current corrupt so that new ones can take on the reins of corruption” – How do you justify this statement. What part of lokpal bill would lead to new rein of corruption?
I don’t mind people saying that insistence might be too much. But the question would have you read the lokpal bill, if so what terms in the bill you do not like and would like to be debated?
I hope your protest is not just to be P.C
What is P.C?
Firstly, that’s a nice blog you’ve got there! I struggle to get posts done frequently, and you seem to be doing a fab job there. Going to be following your blog regularly from now on. 🙂
About the issue, when many people think alike, you have to think there’s something wrong there. It just has to be. We even vote the kind of people we crib about. 🙂
One good thing is it has gotten people involved. Would be interesting to see if this involvement can be sustained enough to see those on the streets queuing up to vote. That would be a revolution.
no more comments…….. thak you all..
DITTO what you have said .. I am 100% with Anna on what he is trying ot achieve .. But then I also know that its a bad trend that has started .. fir Ramdev did it and look what happened so many skeletons fell from his cupboard and people turned a blind eye to that .. no one is even asking baba ramdev to reply to those …
Now i fear the same might happen with Anna.. maybe not with him but with the people joined up with him.. there as a lot of people who are in the team who are not so good and are themselves corrupt …
I liked the statement where you have said about TAX.. Now its not jsut the govt but we as citizens are also equally responsible how many of us pay tax properly , we try to cut corners ourselves .. .
moreover how can we expect the govt to pass this when 90% of the govt officials will come under this and may face JAIL for the crimes they have committed .. and giving them a clean chit will be a failure of this movement.
I also feel that lot of people who are seen on the streets out there are more so on the hype many of them probably dont even know what the hell is going on …
We indians have this habit of forgetting things the very next day… lets hope this doesnot happen with this, A lot of good people have tried doing good in the past , there are so many stories but we have forgotten them too.. not just anna but a lot of common men/women have tried to do things yet they dont get a mention .. but just because a few popular people are involved this movement is going strong …
I dont trust politicians end of the day its all politics we we follow the whole things first it was all demands , then 4 and now 3 .. so politics is bad and people in politics are dirty no matter who or what htey are …
Tomorrow a lot of people will start the hunger strikes will the govt consider those tooo …
oooops .. sorry for the long comment
Nice one Sapna
🙂
Thanks 🙂
The current situation and results of the chaos did prove that my hypothesis was indeed correct. Though I would have been happy to be proven wrong. Some part of me did want this movement to work though I knew it was more hype and needed a better strategy to root out corruption.
I agree….
People of India first need to know their civics and what it means to be in a democracy! Following blindly have taken our country no where!
Hahahaha…. so many comments! I rallied for the cause ‘against corruption’ only to quit it in the middle and go back home. The objective highlighted and the way the work done never matched even at a Rally!? How could we expect on FB or elsewhere!? Illiterate laureates are we! Sad. Where are we heading to!? Hari, one of my friends said, may the democracy be intact! So be it.
Groups! Noise! Crap! And someone called it a freedom struggle! hahaha… LOL! Then, I loved a lot to laugh at the Rally itself and people looked at me strangely. May we learn to start things with love and mobilize them so. Crap has to be curtailed.