1. I am not anti-corruption. I don’t know how to define “corruption”. It is injustice and not corruption which is the biggest problem in a class and caste-ridden society. Honesty and injustice can perfectly co-exist.
2. Janlokpal Bill is of little use to us; in fact, there are fundamental problems with the proposed bill which makes it inherently dangerous.
3. Anna-Hazare has a right-wing history and many of his supporters either have right-wing intentions or represent an elite social class interested in depoliticization. HOWEVER….
4. This government is clearly leading us towards fascism. Its current handling of Anna Hazare and his supporters represent one of the many examples of its fascist tendencies, albeit not the most blatant (but certainly the most widely publicized) example.
5. A fetishism with institutions like elections and law is usually the last refuge of a fascist. These institutions primarily exist to defend the interests of the ruling privileged social class.
6. This fascist regime needs to be resisted. Those who are out on the streets resisting this fascist regime must be encouraged. Our disagreement with them must not be a reason for us to turn away or to discredit them. Instead, the solution lies in strengthening the resistance by politicizing it, and expanding its ambit from a narrow depoliticized view on corruption to a wider view on injustice in a class and caste-ridden society. To quote from a May 1968 slogan: “The politics is in the streets”.
7. No matter how much anti-Anna Hazare you are, to prioritize that at the moment is to be a party to a ride to fascism well-piloted by the current regime. At the current moment in history, to take such an ahistorical position would be objectively reactionary.
Also read my earlier post on this issue.
[This is a modified version of a short note / manifesto being widely circulated in the social networking sites. The original version is believed to have been first posted by Peter Griffin and might be found here.]
I could barely make sense of your post. My English is not so good and I could not keep up with your commentary. You seem to have a gift of a great analytical mind and possibly the potential to think through solutions and ideas for what you believe will make this world a better place for you and me. I was hoping that in the two posts you have written about Anna Hazare you would be able to contribute by actually saying something that could inspire readers like I to do something that could translate into making India a better place to live. I think we need less talking and more positive actions to produce positive outcomes. I hope you will use your intelligence and brilliance to help yourself and others.
If I able to criticise GandhiJi or Say Anna Hazare Ji who is working against the menace of corruption as it is more appealing to him is the the easy to get the publicity and satisfaction to someone. Who is stopping someone and even Anna Hazare is not coming in the way of anyone who wanted to fight against the injustice prevalent in the society using non violent ways. We request all who wanted to launch a crusade against injustice to do so and not expect Anna Hazare team inaction against corruption to justify their inaction against injustice. We are waiting for the day when there is no injustice possible in the Indian society by just writing on the blog and not initiating any concrete which at least Anna hazare team has exhibited in their fight against corruption. It is acceptable to me that injustice is the only menace and corruption should be allowed but what if Anna Hazare team does not understand this and wanted to fight against the corruption only for the time being.