Activism or systemic reforms?
Title: Activism or systemic reforms?
Summary: Public protests and activism against corruption has gathered momentum but is it a substitute for systemic change?
Thousands of people swarming the streets to protest against the government and the political system! Peaceful demonstrations, candle light marches, lathi-yielding police are all symbolic of any popular protest and public outcry which challenges the state of governance and public delivery mechanisms in the country.
This year, if there is anything citizens have made evident is their growing discontent with the government. This year can truly be labelled as the golden era of popular protests with the Arab Spring, the Anna Hazare movement and Occupy Wall Street movement making headlines. As these crusades took centre stage it got us thinking about the role of activism in improving governance in comparison to advocacy for systemic change.
People protesting against corruption: (Image Courtesy- Pranav21391, Wikicommons)
The anti-corruption protests that took the country by storm this year will be remembered as a revolution in India’s history of political struggle. The major highlight of the movement was the extent to which it was successful in mobilising people not just on the ground but also online via various social media tools and Information and Communication Technology.
The movement acted as a catalyst in initiating our government to act towards reducing corruption. Therefore, there is no denial that activism has begun to have a significant impact on forcing governments to take steps towards improving the state of affairs in the country. Activism in itself, however, cannot achieve this transformation; in order to eliminate a deep-rooted menace like corruption, activism must be coupled with systemic change.
When Anna Hazare announced his decision to fast for an effective Lokpal Bill, one witnessed huge mobilisation in his support. The Indian citizenry was up in arms against the government, venting their anger as they demanded an effective anti-corruption legislation. While this certainly initiated a dialogue towards framing and implementing a law against corruption, the protests and fasts have, in no way, contributed toward eliminating corruption.
The problem with any popular protest is that it does not carry with it a long-term vision or strategy to solve the problem around which the movement is constructed. Public memory is short, and so is the government’s when it comes to passing of laws. Public protests can draw attention only momentarily and in the absence of a long-term plan for sustainability, die a premature death. Another underlying issue that marks most popular movements is its populist nature. For activism to be really effective, it must have substance, be sustained, with all stakeholders willing to work on positive steps to make the mission statement successful. The key is thus, to work on process reform and thereafter pressurize the government to accept and implement specific suggestions important to the success of the mission. Activism and systemic reforms are thus, two sides of the same coin. One cannot survive without the other.
An initiative undertaken by ipaidabribe.com is a standing testimony to this.
ipaidabribe.com is an online platform, which on the basis of bribe reports, aims to draw insights from citizens’ experiences by identifying trends and patterns of corruption, and fight for better governance --- through improving systems and procedures and tightening law enforcement and regulation. The first set of recommendations on process reforms was compiled in the form of a ‘Janamahithi’ (Jana=people, Mahithi= information) report for the Transport Department of Bangalore. This report, which is a collation and analysis of bribe reports concerning the Transport Department, has been sent to the agency with recommendations to act on eliminating corruption within the department.
Reforms are an important and necessary step toward regulating, monitoring and eliminating corruption in a democracy. At the same time, in a corrupt setup, popular protests and public action catalyse the process of systemic change and reforms.