Hazares Lokpal: insufficient solution for a great cause?

While 2011 has many happening events to its credit, one issue got some serious spotlight, being underlined in what is commonly referred to as he worlds largest democracy - the issue being corruption. When Anna Hazare started a movement against corruption in India earlier this year, he received a lot of public support and attention, not only from the local citizenry, but also from international media. Needless to say, Hazares approach provided food for critics and analysts as well. The Gandhi-inspired social activist called for a peaceful demonstration by fasting at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi around April this year. His plea!? The passing of the Jan Lokpal Bill: A bill calling for the formation of an independent anti-corruption body in India-the Lokpal. Hazares proposed bill calls for establishing the Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayukta at the State-level. With even the PM brought under the purview of the suggested Lokpal; its members are proposed to be selected by "judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process", according to the movements website. However, the government has come up with its own version of the Lokpal Bill, which Hazares movement deems insufficient to deal with corruption for a multitude of reasons, including the governments Lokpal draft not having the power to investigate cases against the PM. No doubt, Anna deserves credit for bringing to the forefront an issue of grave importance. Besides the strong correlation between corruption and human development highlighted in a recent article in the Economist, corruption also leads to funds leaking out of a countrys economy, which could otherwise be used for development and investment purposes. But while Annas strategy for addressing a critical concern deserves acknowledgment, many have also questioned the viability of his solution, i.e., the Lokpal. After all, does giving nearly omnipotent powers to a body mean the end of corruption as one sees it. In all rationality, probably not! Corruption is widely believed to be a cultural norm, more so than arising because of the lack of a watchdog to reprimand politicians and bureaucrats every time they falter on as far as their public duties are concerned. The accountability of this regulatory body, even if established with representation of the civil society and judges, is what is often doubted. A better idea for combating this evil will be to develop institutional strength in countries mired by deep-set corruption, and that is a process that will take quite a few years and heavy purging in government bodies. Reducing bureaucracy, introducing the use of technology to minimise human interaction and even deregulation, wherever feasible, can go a long way in curbing corruption. Achieving that end is not going to be easy, but institutional strength and efficiency is key to addressing corruption at the grass-roots level. This, together with a whistle-blower like the Lokpal, can help alleviate the vice from a country. It looks like Hazare should press for another agenda besides just the Jan Lokpal.