Posted on August 19, 2011 by Manasi Kakatkar-Kulkarni
Over the past week, the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare has spread spontaneously and captured the attention of a cross section of people globally. While the supporters run in hundreds of thousands, there is no dearth of critics of the movement as well. One of the most bizarre arguments against it is that the movement could damage the democratic fabric of the country. How a democratically sanctioned form of protest could damage the democratic fabric is beyond me. Not to mention the personal character attacks that even the Manmohan Singh government could not resist launching.
For many cautious supporters-cum-critics the movement is a massive display of hypocrisy. The very people who are party to corruption (mostly as bribe givers) are today out on the streets supporting Anna Hazare and protesting corruption rampant in Indian politics and governance. Those touting the hypocrisy argument seem to overlook that a person being party to a particular immoral action, does not necessarily imply complete voluntary approval of the action. Would one argue that a prostitute does not have the right to protest against sex trade as he/she is party to it? Most likely not, as the underlying duress that brings these women to the trade is well recognized. The Indian version of corruption, so deeply imbibed in the functioning of the society that many fail to recognize numerous actions as collusion to corruption, also creates a situation of duress for the common man who would, given a chance, refrain from voluntary corrupt actions. The people on the streets in India supporting Hazare today are largely these. If one were to set criteria for participation in the protests and limit it to those who have never ‘indulged in corruption’, I think even the core members of Team Anna would have to be left out. It is practically impossible to find an Indian who has never ever been a part of the corruption in the country.
My real concern with this whole movement is that it would soon fizzle out and things will be back to square one. Probably, the Manmohan Singh government was also banking on the short memory span of crowds when it decided to arrest Anna Hazare (a move that provoked even further protests due to its unconstitutional nature). This week was a particularly short week for Indians with Monday and Friday being public holidays, and another one coming up next Monday. The working middle class, the young people who formed a majority of the supporters, could participate easily even with a couple of half days or leaves at work and feel good about having done their bit. Would people be able to sustain the support and enthusiasm once business is back to normal next week? Or would more practical matters take precedence. Once the public support, the massive build up that has truly made this a ‘movement’ fizzles out, the shifty 24 hour media will move to other things. Will the movement be as impactful then, as it seems to be now? Or would the Manmohan Singh government be able to get away just by choosing to let public anger run its course? I hope Team Anna has a solid backup plan.
For many cautious supporters-cum-critics the movement is a massive display of hypocrisy. The very people who are party to corruption (mostly as bribe givers) are today out on the streets supporting Anna Hazare and protesting corruption rampant in Indian politics and governance. Those touting the hypocrisy argument seem to overlook that a person being party to a particular immoral action, does not necessarily imply complete voluntary approval of the action. Would one argue that a prostitute does not have the right to protest against sex trade as he/she is party to it? Most likely not, as the underlying duress that brings these women to the trade is well recognized. The Indian version of corruption, so deeply imbibed in the functioning of the society that many fail to recognize numerous actions as collusion to corruption, also creates a situation of duress for the common man who would, given a chance, refrain from voluntary corrupt actions. The people on the streets in India supporting Hazare today are largely these. If one were to set criteria for participation in the protests and limit it to those who have never ‘indulged in corruption’, I think even the core members of Team Anna would have to be left out. It is practically impossible to find an Indian who has never ever been a part of the corruption in the country. My real concern with this whole movement is that it would soon fizzle out and things will be back to square one. Probably, the Manmohan Singh government was also banking on the short memory span of crowds when it decided to arrest Anna Hazare (a move that provoked even further protests due to its unconstitutional nature). This week was a particularly short week for Indians with Monday and Friday being public holidays, and another one coming up next Monday. The working middle class, the young people who formed a majority of the supporters, could participate easily even with a couple of half days or leaves at work and feel good about having done their bit. Would people be able to sustain the support and enthusiasm once business is back to normal next week? Or would more practical matters take precedence. Once the public support, the massive build up that has truly made this a ‘movement’ fizzles out, the shifty 24 hour media will move to other things. Will the movement be as impactful then, as it seems to be now? Or would the Manmohan Singh government be able to get away just by choosing to let public anger run its course? I hope Team Anna has a solid backup plan.
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