08-08-2006, 04:08 PM
<!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo--> India lacks participatory democracy: Kejriwal
[ 8 Aug, 2006 0824hrs ISTIANS ]
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NEW DELHI: Right to information crusader Arvind Kejriwal, the winner of the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award for "empowering New Delhi's poorest citizens to fight corruption", believes that graft is just a symptom of India's larger problem - the lack of participatory democracy.
"In a great country like India, corruption is just a symptom of a greater social malice. The real problem lies with our democratic practices. I think people in India need a complete switchover from representative democracy to participatory democracy," Kejriwal, 38, said in an interview.
"Unless people get their share in decision- making, it would be very difficult to get the tag of world leader. We believe that every single person needs to be empowered, and the Right to Information (RTI) Act is a potent tool to empower the poorest of the poor," the former government officer told IANS.
An Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur graduate, Kejriwal became an Indian Revenue Service officer before resigning in February this year. He launched Parivartan, an NGO he calls a "people's movement", in 2,000 to help citizens in Delhi to fight for their rights.
Speaking about his selection as one of the six luminaries to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, he said: "For me, it's not a ticket to fame, but rather recognition of all those associated with the RTI movement. It's recognition of the work not of any individual."
In the citation, the Manila-based awards committee said: "The brazen corruption of the high and the mighty may grab headlines, but for ordinary people it is the ubiquity of everyday corruption that weighs heaviest. And that demoralizes. Arvind Kejriwal, founder of India's Parivartan, understands this, which is why his campaign for change begins with the small things."
The award will be presented Aug 31 in Manila.
Asked what next, Kejriwal said: "My first target is to stop the government from amending the RTI Act. Next I would like to promote the concept of local self-government in the national capital. Like 'gram sabhas', we would like to see 'nagar sabhas'."
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[ 8 Aug, 2006 0824hrs ISTIANS ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
NEW DELHI: Right to information crusader Arvind Kejriwal, the winner of the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award for "empowering New Delhi's poorest citizens to fight corruption", believes that graft is just a symptom of India's larger problem - the lack of participatory democracy.
"In a great country like India, corruption is just a symptom of a greater social malice. The real problem lies with our democratic practices. I think people in India need a complete switchover from representative democracy to participatory democracy," Kejriwal, 38, said in an interview.
"Unless people get their share in decision- making, it would be very difficult to get the tag of world leader. We believe that every single person needs to be empowered, and the Right to Information (RTI) Act is a potent tool to empower the poorest of the poor," the former government officer told IANS.
An Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur graduate, Kejriwal became an Indian Revenue Service officer before resigning in February this year. He launched Parivartan, an NGO he calls a "people's movement", in 2,000 to help citizens in Delhi to fight for their rights.
Speaking about his selection as one of the six luminaries to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, he said: "For me, it's not a ticket to fame, but rather recognition of all those associated with the RTI movement. It's recognition of the work not of any individual."
In the citation, the Manila-based awards committee said: "The brazen corruption of the high and the mighty may grab headlines, but for ordinary people it is the ubiquity of everyday corruption that weighs heaviest. And that demoralizes. Arvind Kejriwal, founder of India's Parivartan, understands this, which is why his campaign for change begins with the small things."
The award will be presented Aug 31 in Manila.
Asked what next, Kejriwal said: "My first target is to stop the government from amending the RTI Act. Next I would like to promote the concept of local self-government in the national capital. Like 'gram sabhas', we would like to see 'nagar sabhas'."
1|2|Next >