Walk/March Against Corruption on Jan 30 - Martyrs Day
Surya Prakash Loonker
Surya Prakash Loonker has associated with India Against Corruption for the March against Corruption on Jan 30, 2011.
Lakhs of people will take to streets of India to demand effective anti‐corruption law. J M Lyngdoh, Swami Agnivesh, Kiran Bedi, Anna Hazare, Prashant Bhushan, Most Reverend Vincent M Concessao Archbishop of Delhi and others will march from Ramlila Grounds to Jantar Mantar on 30th January, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, at 1 pm to demand enactment of a law to set up an effective anti‐corruption body called Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayukta in each state (the existing Lokayukta Acts are weak and ineffective).
Kiran Bedi, Justice Santosh Hegde, Prashant Bhushan, J M Lyngdoh and others have drafted this Bill. Please visit our site for full text of this Bill. A nationwide movement called “India Against Corruption” has been started by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Swami Ramdev, Swami Agnivesh, Most Reverend Vincent M Concessao Archbishop of Delhi, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, Devinder Sharma, Sunita Godara, Mallika Sarabhai and many others to persuade government to enact this Bill.
Mrs Sonia Gandhi recently announced that Lokpal would be set up. However, the Lokpal suggested by the government is only a showpiece. It will have jurisdiction over politicians but not bureaucrats, as if politicians and bureaucrats indulge in corruption separately. And the most interesting part is that like other anti‐corruption bodies in our country, the government is making Lokpal also an advisory body. So, Lokpal will recommend to the government to prosecute its ministers. Will any prime minister have the political courage to do that?
Please participate in large numbers in this march to persuade the government to enact the Bill drafted by the people. Please turn overleaf to read how this Bill will help in effectively checking corruption.
Can India turn around?
There was much worse corruption in Hong Kong in 1970s than we have in India today. Collusion between police and mafia increased and crime rate went up. Lakhs of people came on the streets. As a result, the government had to set up an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), which was given complete powers. In the first instance, ICAC sacked 119 out of 180 police officers. This sent a strong message to the bureaucracy that corruption would not be tolerated. Today, Hong Kong has one of the most honest governance machinery.
India can also turn around if we also had similar anti‐corruption body. Hong Kong government enacted ICAC Bill because lakhs of people came on streets.
How will the Lokpal Bill drafted by citizens help curb corruption?
http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/doc/how_will_civil_society_s_lokpal_bill_curb_corruption.pdf
This walk is being held across India. For details about walk in your city, pl see http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/join.html Join me for march on 30th January in Delhi (Assembly at 1 pm at Ramlila Ground).
Surya Prakash Loonker
A-8 Mandakini Enclave, Alaknanda, New Delhi - 110 019. INDIA.
T: +91-11-40533711 W: http://www.loonker.in
