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LOK SATTA NATIONAL CAMPAIGN
144. There shall be a Lok Satta National Campaign. The National
Campaign shall have membership as follows:
i) State campaigns of all states and union territories shall have
one elected member each represented in the National Campaign.
ii) Individuals who fulfill the conditions of membership may be
directly enrolled as members of the National Campaign.
iii) The National Campaign may invite eminent individuals of
outstanding record of service and nation- wide recognition for
their achievements to be its members. Such invited members shall
not exceed 50 in number.
Voting Strength
145. All representative members of State Campaign territories
shall have together 2/3 of the total voting strength. If the
total voting strength is presumed to be 100, then the
representatives of State Campaigns together will have a voting
strength of 67. This voting strength shall be distributed among
representatives of State Campaigns in proportion to the number of
Lok Satta primary units operating in each state or union
territory. All the other members together shall have the voting
strength of 33, each member having a voting strength of 33/x, x
being the total number of the other members.
Membership fee and other contributions
146. i) Each State Campaign shall pay to the National Campaign a
membership fee equal to 25% of the membership fee received by it.
ii) Each directly enrolled member shall pay to the National
Campaign a membership fee of Rs.1,000 per month or Rs.10,000 a
year if paid in lump sum at the beginning of the year.
iii) Invited members need not pay any membership fee.
The National Campaign may raise funds from all Indian individuals
and institutions in furtherance of the objectives of Lok Satta.
All contributions shall be acknowledged publicly under receipt
and annual statement of accounts shall be submitted to the
National Campaign. A true statement of accounts shall be
available for public scrutiny.
147. Functioning of national campaign
The National Campaign shall elect a President,a Vice President, a
Secretary and a Treasurer and such other number of office bearers
as are required in a limited number for effective functioning.The
National Campaign shall have an elected Executive Committee, in
which all office-bearers shall be ex-officio members, with the
President of the National Campaign as the Chairman of the
Executive Committee. The National Campaign shall have an office
of its own with a secretariat to support its activities. The
National Campaign shall coordinate and monitor the activities of
all State Campaigns and all Lok Satta organizations in the whole
country.
The National Campaign shall closely monitor the national level
institutions of state and their functioning and continuously
bring pressure to correct the deficiencies and distortions. The
National Campaign will work to build a national consensus around
the agenda for the rejuvenation of our republic.
148. Campaign
The National Campaign shall create a body of literature in all
languages of the country to facilitate easy replication and
distribution in order to promote public understanding of state
institutions and the need for reform. It will launch a nation-wide
media campaign in favour of the national agenda by constantly
focussing attention on lessons drawn from contemporary events,
pointing out deficiencies and distortions in the functioning of
the state institutions and promoting consensus for the larger
constitutional reform.
The National Campaign shall also prepare appropriate campaign
literature in the form of audio visual communication to
facilitate mass education and wide-spread public debate.
The National Campaign shall also enlist the support of the media
- both print and electronic-at every level, and all other
influential individuals and institutions in favour of the reform
agenda.
LOK SATTA MOVEMENT -
FIRST PHASE - ORGANIZATION BUILDING
149. In the first phase of the Lok Satta movement for national
transformation, over a period of about 2 to 4 years, the nation-wide
network of stake holders' groups would have been created with the
generic name of Lok Satta. Wherever existing voluntary
organizations broadly agree with the objectives of the movement,
they would have been integrated with the Lok Satta network for
the period of the movement, even as they retain their identity,
structure and concerns. As each Lok Satta primary unit is
expected to have a membership of 25 to 50 and there will be about
50 to 100 such primary units in every district of India depending
on its size and response, it is expected that about 2000 to 3000
individual members would be participating in Lok Satta in every
district. In the more than 500 districts in India,there will thus
be a total member-ship of 10 lakhs to 15 lakhs.In effect, there
will be one member for atleast every 1000 population on an
average.Thus, Lok Satta primary units would have been well-spread
through out the length and breadth of India, giving it enormous
reach and influence.
150. Lok Satta primary units, along with the District, State and
National Campaigns, would have expended enormous energy and
effort to understand the nature of failure of the institutions of
state by constant monitoring and relentless application of
pressure along with effective nation-wide media campaign. There
would be some tangible improvement in the delivery of services to
the people. People would be encouraged to transcend their local
and narrow loyalties, thus paving way for democratic
consciousness based on enlightened collective self-interest. Most
of all, members, through their own experience, would have broadly
understood the need for comprehensive reform and the logic of
each element of reform advocated.
151. Thus, within a period of about two to four years, literature
and campaign material would have been fully developed, a nation-wide
well-spread out network would be in place and an army of more
than a million concerned citizens with considerable experience
and conviction would be available for launching the next phase of
Lok Satta movement. Efforts of Lok Satta network would have
already prepared large segments of the country and given them the
insights into the nature of each state institution and the logic
of reform contemplated. It is reasonable to assume that the
million-strong Lok Satta would have had an impact on about 20 to
30 million people in turn during these years of building of Lok
Satta organization.
LOK SATTA MOVEMENT -
SECOND PHASE - INTENSIVE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR REFORMS
152. Once the network as contemplated in Phase I is fully in
place,a vigorous national movement will be launched in favour of
the comprehensive national agenda for reform. This phase will be
of a few months' duration, not exceeding about one year. The vast
network of Lok Satta family throughout the country will be fully
involved in concerted action to effectively communicate with and
mobilize the citizens to exert pressure on all political parties,
governments, parliament and state legislatures to bring about the
necessary reform.
153. While demanding comprehensive national reform,thefollowing
key elements of the strategy shall be strictly adhered to:
1. The movement shall be totally non-partisan and shall neither
support nor oppose any party or group in or out of power.
2. The movement shall not single out any group or class of
persons as villains, but will emphasize that all segments of
population including those in power are victims of a vicious
cycle in varying degrees.
3. People in power or in legislatures shall not be attacked and
their right to continue in office while people's mandate lasts
shall be recognized and respected.
4. The movement shall apply all democratic and constitutional
methods without taking recourse to violence.
5. The movement shall neither aspire for,nor seek power or public
office.
6. Lok Satta movement will only emphasize the obvious by exposing
the crisis of the Indian state,and wide-spread disenchantment
with the instruments of governance. This will be done by
articulating the reform agenda, utilizing the nation-wide base
and appealing to the general national yearning for transformation.
LOK SATTA will unequivocally demand implementation of the reform
agenda without threatening the survival of the governments and
the legislatures.
154. Lok Satta, during this short,intensive campaign and mass
mobilization, will certainly hope that those in power will have
the wisdom, will and vision to recognize the failure of the
Indian state and work for the transformation of the Republic in
accordance with the will of the people as demonstrated by the
broad consensus around the national agenda. Even if those in
power prove to be short-sighted and unconcerned about the future
of the nation, the purpose of the movement would be well-served
by capturing the imagination of the people and making them aware
of the need for comprehensive reform.
155. One of the saddest feature of modern India is that the
youngsters are increasingly bereft of hope. Large sections of our
population have little to look forward to and are falling prey to
despair and cynicism. Even as many individuals are concerned
about the future, they are all passive and paralyzed into
inaction by the fear that no one else cares and there is no way
out. The second phase of the movement would be able to convince
millions of such Indians that citizens throughout the country are
equally concerned and that there is a viable national agenda with
broad consensus in place. Such wide-spread awareness, coupled
with the confidence that millions are working for the agenda will
have an electrifying impact, which will make the transformation
of our governance structure imminent and inevitable.
LOK SATTA MOVEMENT -
FINAL PHASE - REFERENDUM
156. We hope that the governing classes including political
parties, will have the wisdom and vision to listen to the voice
of the people and implement the agenda for national reform during
the second Phase of the movement. If, however, they continue to
be obsessed with power games unrelated to public good and prefer
to preside over the liquidation of the Republic, unconcerned by
the magnitude of the crisis and the popular demand for reform,
then we have to directly appeal to the ultimate sovereign in a
democracy,viz., the people. As is well-recognized, sovereign
power in a democracy vests in the people. This power is exercised
by the elected government and legislatures on behalf of the
people, to the limited extent that the people transfer such power
to them. It necessarily follows that the people always retain the
power to directly express their will on any issue fundamental to
governance. Such expression of will can be in the form of a call
for referendum, whereby all the people directly participate and
decide on the proper course of action on vital national issues.
The referendum on `Proposition 209' in the state of California in
the United States in 1996, the referendum in Austria in 1980s on
the use of nuclear energy, many referendums in the Western Europe
on the issue of joining European Economic Community -- in the UK
in the 1970s, in Norway and France in the 1990s and several other
such exercises of people's power at local or national levels,
bear ample testimony to such inherent power of the people
irrespective of constitutional provisions, and its frequent
recourse in mature democracies.
157. Therefore, in the final Phase of Lok Satta movement, we must
advocate and achieve a national referendum on the need for
comprehensive reform. The people can be given a simple and easily
understood choice between status quo and fundamental reform. If
they are happy with the existing state institutions and their
functioning, then they can opt for maintaining the status quo. If
they believe that the situation warrants a fundamental reform,
then they may opt for such transformation. Depending on the
timing, the referendum can be combined with a national general
election, or it can be independent of the election process.
Either way, Lok Satta movement must powerfully articulate and
achieve such a referendum using all mass mobilization techniques
available in a democracy, and harnessing the people's yearning
for change and deep dissatisfaction with the failure of the
institutions of governance. The ever-increasing instability at
various levels, increasing paralysis in most
governments,decreasing room for manoeuvring on the part of those
in power, mounting public anger on account of perceived failure
of institutions of state and the obvious unsustainability of
status quo -- will all ensure that a national referendum will be
the only logical, viable, peaceful and democratic way to
transform and rejuvenate our republic.
158. Even today, if a referendum is held, the majority of Indians
will no doubt seek fundamental change. However, we need time to
achieve two objectives. First, the conditions must be created for
going to the people in the form of a referendum. Second, there
must be a broad consensus on the essential elements of national
reform agenda. Otherwise, while most of the people seek change,
few understand the nature of the transformation needed,and it is
impossible to bring cohesion into such a cacophony. Once a
referendum is held in the final phase of Lok Satta movement, the
result will be a conclusive and emphatic endorsement of the call
for transformation of the Indian state, the practical meaning of
which will be the creation of the Second Indian Republic. In such
an event, either the existing parliament will have to convert
itself into a new Constituent Assembly or the parliament elected
along with the referendum will function as the Constituent
Assembly.
159. Once the basic objectives of transformation of the Indian
state and creation of the new republic based on the first
principles of democratic governance are achieved, Lok Satta
movement will have no further goals. Individual units of Lok
Satta at the primary, district, state and national levels may
continue to function as permanent watchdogs over the state
institutions. Such a powerful body with clarity of purpose,
democratic functioning, and adherence to the first principles of
true self-governance and empowerment, will be an effective
bulwark against abuse of authority. In effect, Lok Satta will act
as a permanent citizens' campaign for constant improvement and
reforms. The voluntary organizations, which decided temporarily
to integrate with Lok Satta, using the same name even as they
retained their own local identity and goals, may all decide
individually their future course of action. Depending on their
choice, they may continue to be a part of the family of Lok
Satta, or dissociate themselves from it and pursue their
organizational objectives, as they deem fit.
NEED
OF THE HOUR
160. Any effort to rejuvenate the Indian Republic demands the
concerted and well-coordinated action of all concerned
individuals and groups throughout the length and breadth of the
country. The inchoate discontent of millions of concerned
citizens must be channelized constructively and creatively for
the larger national goal of comprehensive governance reform.
There are many disparate individuals and institutions throughout
the country with a clear perception of our problems and
potential, unblemished integrity, proven record of service,
passion to reform our governance structure and courage to face
adversity. However, most such people are working in splendid
isolation, even though their concerns are broadly similar.
From Isolated Action to Pan-Indian Movement
161. In order to accomplish peaceful, democratic, holistic reform
of Indian democratic institutions, the first task should be to
bring all these concerned and dedicated individuals and groups
together in a non-partisan manner. The present limited concerns
of these groups must be enlarged by establishing the nexus
between their immediate goals and larger national reform agenda.
These individuals and groups must be persuaded to work together
and launch step-by-step action in furtherance of the over all
objective of holistic reform of institutions of governance. The
millions of concerned Indians must be invited to participate in
this endeavour without having to pay an unacceptably high price
in personal terms. They must be encouraged to devote their
surplus energy, time, talent and resources in a sustained and
productive manner effectively. Such an organized effort should
have clearly defined goals, and the day to day activities must be
chalked out with meticulous precision.
162. The launching of such a pan-national democratic reform
movement must necessarily be non-partisan. The agenda must be
broadly acceptable to all segments of the country without
alienating any group. In other words, every segment of society
must recognize its own stakes in the national agenda as advocated.
In order to give impetus to the movement, facilitate
participation of all Indians and generate the necessary
synergies, the reform movement must have an easily understood and
recognizable name applicable throughout the country, which
broadly expresses the objective of the movement. The organization
must have a network from grassroots to national level, allowing
sufficient flexibility to suit the local needs and conditions.
The organization must be totally democratic and transparent.
Consensus - Building Minimal Reform Agenda
163. The Strategy outlined in the preceding chapters is merely a
model which can serve as a starting point to stimulate further
discussion and concrete action. The agenda advocated has the twin
advantages of the broadest measure of public support and minimal
intervention, even as it addresses the fundamental crisis in our
democracy. Highly contentious and divisive issues have been
deliberately excluded from the national agenda despite their
obvious importance. This exclusion is necessary because a
consensus around such issues is not possible on account of
conflicting interests of various groups and significant
irreconcilable differences. All such contentious issues must be
left to the normal competitive political process, so that the
government of the day can take decisions in the light of its best
judgement, keeping in view the prevailing public opinion, and the
political and economic imperatives as on that day.
164. With this objective of identifying the minimal, consensus-building
reforms capable of rejuvenating our republic, six essential items
are emphasized in the agenda. They are democratization of our
political parties to make them transparent, accountable and
inclusive; clear separation of executive from legislature;
effective checks and safeguards to prevent abuse of executive
authority at all levels; genuine decentralization of local self-governance
system to facilitate fusion of authority with accountability and
to establish a clear nexus between the vote and welfare of the
citizens; bureaucratic reform to make administration truly
responsive and accountable; and measures to make speedy,
efficient, affordable and accessible justice a reality.
165. Already a broad measure of consensus is available among all
political parties, social activists and thinkers in our country
on most of the reforms outlined. Since the essential theme of
these reforms is to make governance citizen-centered, and to
ensure empowerment and effective participation of the people, the
name LOK SATTA which signifies the meaning "POWER TO PEOPLE"
is suggested for this movement as well as the organization. Such
a national movement requires the participation of all sections of
people from the grassroots level, federalizing at district, state
and national levels. Accordingly, an appropriate organizational
structure is advocated to suit the twin requirements of
democratic functioning and local flexibility.
166. The National Campaign of LOK SATTA for democratic reforms
involving all sections of people must be spearheaded by a nucleus
comprising of five groups.These groups are the LOK SATTA groups
federalizing at the national level; the voluntary social action
groups with well-established reputation throughout the country,
the eminent and highly respected leaders of contemporary
democratic reform movements in the country; the surviving members
of the Constituent Assembly; and eminent thinkers and public
opinion makers in various walks of life.
Lok Satta Campaign
167. It is proposed to organize LOK SATTA Campaign in selected
states initially. There is a certain spread of these ideas among
the intellectuals and enlightened sections in Andhra Pradesh.
Suitable base exists in most districts of Andhra Pradesh to
launch the District Campaigns by April, 1997. It is proposed to
register LOK SATTA as a society by March, 1997 and to launch the
District Campaigns, followed immediately by Three day work shops
in each district. These workshops will facilitate intensive
interaction among all the members with a view to understand the
precise nature of the agenda advocated, the organizational
structure contemplated and the most suitable method of
functioning at the local level. The work shops will be followed
by organization of LOK SATTA primary units at grassroots level.
The critical mass required is about 50-100 grassroots primary
units in every district, involving about one person in every
thousand population. Initially, as many primary units as possible
will be launched. It is expected that on an average there will be
about 5-10 primary units in each district in the initial phase.
There will be a State Campaign for Andhra Pradesh coordinating
the functioning of LOK SATTA in the state. All LOK SATTA units
will function on sound democratic principles.
168. In the months of May and June, 1997, it is proposed to work
with voluntary social action groups and eminent individuals in
five targeted states, namely Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra,
Gujarat and Rajasthan. In these states the appeal will be made to
the local groups to launch respective State Campaigns of LOK
SATTA if they are broadly in agreement with national agenda. This
will be followed by a National Convention of LOK SATTA in the
month of July.
Voluntary Social Action Groups
169. There are many voluntary organizations throughout the
country with proven track record of distinguished public service.
Many of them have brought about significant improvement in the
lives of the local people. They have considerable experience at
the grassroots level and high credibility. However, after
achieving impressive results in pursuance of their chosen
objectives, many such voluntary organizations are in a quandary.
They realize that the positive results achieved by them are
necessary, but not sufficient to improve the quality of life of
the people to the desire extent. Many such voluntary
organizations are broadly convinced that larger governance reform
is critical for improved delivery of services, better quality of
life, and most of all, genuine democratic participation.
170. LOK SATTA movement should enlist the support and
participation of these voluntary movements in the country. It
should appeal to all the voluntary organizations to retain their
existing identity, organizational structure, local status,
funding pattern and goals. If they broadly agree with the
National Agenda articulated by LOK SATTA, these voluntary
organizations may be requested to consider accepting the
additional identity of LOK SATTA, without giving up their
original identity.
171. There are many advantages in this approach. The strength,
experience, insights and credibility of these organizations will
be harnessed for the larger national cause. The synergies brought
out on account of their participation in the larger national
movement will give the individual organizations greater strength
and protection derived from the larger nation-wide network with
the same name. As LOK SATTA will be a democratic and flexible
body, the voluntary organizations will be able to make a
meaningful contribution to the evolution of LOK SATTA movement
without compromising their own identity. The participation of
voluntary organizations in LOK SATTA movement will not impose on
them any reciprocal obligation of accepting LOK SATTA's
intervention in their functioning. Finally the voluntary
organizations will always retain their right to withdraw from the
LOK SATTA movement whenever they feel it is necessary.
Eminent Activists and Leaders of Various Reform
Movements
172. There are many eminent, highly visible, respected and
dedicated leaders in India, whose non-partisan functioning and
record of service made them symbols of national struggle for
democratic reform. The concerns of these eminent leaders are
directly or indirectly linked to the quality of our governance
and the nature of our democracy. LOK SATTA must humbly and
earnestly solicit their leadership, guidance, support and
participation in the movement for the rejuvenation of the
republic.
We must appeal to these leaders to come together and give a
direction to the movement. If they agree, they will launch the
National Campaign of LOK SATTA along with the other groups and
provide democratic leadership and direction to it. The National
Campaign will decide finally the name of the organization and the
movement, the agenda and the organizational structure and method
of functioning.
Surviving Members of the Constituent Assembly
173. The people of India are fortunate to have in our midst
several surviving members of the Constituent Assembly, who are
among the tallest Indians alive. These great Indians have led
exemplary lives of dedication to the public cause, sacrificed for
the freedom of the country and significantly contributed to the
evolution of modern India. All of them are deeply distressed with
the distortions of contemporary India and the enormous chasm
between the hopes of our founding fathers and the reality today.
The nation needs the leadership, vision and wisdom of these great
Indians in launching the National Campaign for reform, which in
effect will be the Second Freedom Struggle for the rejuvenation
of our republic. The moral authority of these elder statesmen,
combined with their enormous experience, insights and knowledge
will galvanize the Indian people into meaningful, well-directed,
cohesive action for democratic reform.
Eminent Public Opinion Makers
174. There are many eminent Indians, whose contributions in
various walks of life over the years, clarity of thought, and
intellectual accomplishments have given them the national stature
which transcends ideological barriers, and linguistic and
regional differences. All such eminent Indians must be
relentlessly persuaded to give direction to the National Campaign
and to participate in it vigorously.
175. The National Convention proposed in July must involve as
many individuals and organizations from these five groups as
possible. This National Convention must finalize an unambiguous
agenda, and a name and structure for the organization as well as
the movement. Such a National Convention should be followed by
the formal launching of the National Campaign on the 15th August,
1997. Completion of fifty years as an independent nation is a
momentous occasion that calls for both celebration and
introspection. Given the comprehensive failure of institutions of
governance and the deep discontent in almost all segments of our
population, the Golden Jubilee of Indian Independence will be a
fitting occasion to launch the people's National Campaign for
democratic reform of our institutions of governance.
176. on 15th August 1997, there can be a suitable celebration in
one of the major cities of India with the participation of all
the groups, and a call from the finest Indians to the nation to
join hands in the Second Freedom Struggle. The National Campaign
will be launched with a nationally-recognized name applicable
everywhere, a clearly defined agenda which is approved at the
National Convention in July'97, and an organizational structure
which is accessible to all concerned Indians who desire to
contribute their mite to the national cause. Such a celebration
and introspection, with the tallest Indians participating, will
be a fitting launching pad for the movement, and will galvanize
all concerned Indians into purposive, cohesive, well-directed
action to rejuvenate the republic.
C O N
C L U S I O N
The task is difficult, but vital. The struggle is hard, but
necessary. The risks are high,but cannot be avoided. The effort
will demand all our courage, resourcefulness and endurance. We
must work for such a movement with the sure knowledge that people
want reform, and if we fail to translate their frustration and
anger into a constructive reform movement, the nation will have
to forsake peace,freedom and unity, and at least a generation or
more will needlessly suffer pain, anguish and misery on a scale
unprecedented in human history. If we attempt reform earnestly
and design institutions wisely, the reform movement will surely
succeed in a few years' time and the Indian people will build a
nation of peace,freedom and unity, a nation that will play its
rightful role globally in keeping with its size, history and
civilization, and will promote happiness of its citizens
internally. As some one said with prescience, there is nothing
more powerful than an idea whose time has come. This is the time
for a holistic reform of our governance structure,to build a
strong, democratic, self-governing India, with all its citizens
enjoying peace, freedom and harmony. History beckons us.
By,
Jaya Prakash Narayan
E-mail @ - [email protected]
Visit @ - www.loksatta.org
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