The next few weeks will be a test on the sincerity of the Congress government headed by Digambar Kamat in getting the Lokayukta bill enacted in Goa. The assembly session has been called for two days in October. Indications are that this could be a session of formality rather than any substance. But the government and the chief minister have gone on record that the Lokayukta bill will be brought in this session.
The Law Commission headed by Ramakant Khalap has drafted an amended version of the Lokayukta bill which has provisions for prosecuting all public men and the chief minister, and to be headed by a judge of the high court.
Concerns raised by government of India on provisions of RTI Act and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, among others have been taken care according to statements made by Khalap. But the question is will it come into effect immediately? Will the redrafted bill be passed by the assembly. Will it again go for the President of India's assent? That will however be the governor's prerogative. If he is satisfied with the bill, he can approve it himself.
What course of action does the government propose to adopt in the session has to be seen. Once the redrafted bill is introduced, it has to come up for discussion. Will there be enough time to discuss the bill in its new form, considering that the state is poised to go for elections and that the government could dissolve the assembly anytime.
Will the government share the content of the redrafted bill with the opposition before the commencement of the session so that it has a chance to understand what changes have been made? Will Manohar Parrikar and the BJP cooperate with the government in ensuring that the bill will be discussed and passed this time? Or will they let it lapse once again, and give a raw deal to the people? Already eight years have passed since the Lokayukta bill was passed by the Goa legislative assembly.
Both the ruling and the opposition parties in Goa have not pushed for its implementation after the government of India raised certain concerns in the provisions of the bill.
In the absence of will power among politicians, the bill has been kept in cold storage. But now the time has come to enact the law.
With the mood among the public being belligerent after the demand for passing the Jan Lokpal bill in Parliament by proponents of India Against Corruption led by Anna Hazare, the political climate has changed across the nation. Can the Congress government in the state afford to ignore the sentiments of the people?
Demands for greater accountability among politicians and public figures have caught the imagination of the youth.
The example of the Karnataka Lokayukta, especially in light of the mining report that cost B S Yeddyurappa his chair in the neighbouring state, will play in the minds of Goans.
Mining in Goa is equally if not more rampant than the southern state. The Shah Commissionwhich is going into the cases of illegal mining in Goa will bring out pointers to the plundering that has happened in green patches of the state.
The hearing which commenced on Saturday and the visits to the mining belt by the commission's members is a beginning to what will be just and fair for a better future for the state.
Institutions like the Lokayukta will play a significant part in future governance of the state and country. It will help keep appropriate checks and balances on state-run policies and their implementation.
If and when the Jan Lokpal bill comes into effect, hopefully, civil society will be able to keep the pressure on the servants of the people.
The hope is that losses to the state exchequer, pollution, flouting of environmental norms, including the Air and Water Acts, utter disregard for various government-formulated rules, should become a thing of the past. In Goa, 2012 is going to be an election year. The countdown to the elections has already begun. Will this government implement the Lokayukta bill or take umbrage around some loophole, yet to be discovered in the redrafted bill, and block it for the time being?
If no discussion happens on the redrafted bill, it may not sail through during the tenure of this government. The politicians will have their hearty laugh at the cost of the voters. Political parties will keep scoring points over its implementation and its content.
The argument civil society is making is let us have the Lokayukta bill and act implemented immediately. Let us not wait for the Lokpal bill or the Jan Lokpal bill to be formulated by the central government. What happens in the meanwhile? We have already lost considerable time. We need greater transparency in the way our government spends our money.
Digambar and the people are running out of time. We are already overburdened due to financial mismanagement with a near double digit inflation rate, a huge petrol bill, a huge LPG bill in the offing for the middle class, making home loans costlier, and taxing the citizens more. Time has come to take a stand.
(Courtesy: TOI & ramananda sreenivas)
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