07-01-2008, 09:33 PM
Can be x-posted in a lot of threads. But this one is the most appropriate.
FYI.
Pioneer, 30 June 2008-Op-Ed:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Shutting out the truth
A Surya Prakash
In this age of transparency, accountability and right to information, the Government has surely touched a 'RAW' nerve by prohibiting officials in intelligence and security agencies from writing their memoirs. Following a slew of books in recent years from such officials which contain damning information about the way these agencies are run, the Government has responded by prosecuting one of the authors and has now issued an order forbidding sleuths from penning their memoirs. Unfortunately, these governmental moves come at a time when civil society is getting ready to give the anachronistic Official Secrets Act a decent burial. Instead of going with the times, the Government is injecting new life into the OSA's decrepit provisions and is also finding new ways to come down on whistle blowers who are doing our democracy proud.
The ban comes after the Government decided to proceed against Maj Gen VK Singh, a former Joint Secretary in the Research & Analysis Wing, who authored the controversial book, India's External Intelligence -- Secrets of Research & Analysis Wing under the OSA. Looking at the intimidatory tactics employed by Government, one wonders whether this is the same Government that bought the Right to Information Act into being?
Also, is this the Government that appointed the second Administrative Reforms Commission? After a comprehensive review of the RTI Act, this Commission, headed by Mr Veerappa Moily, declared that the time had come for the Government to move "from the prevailing culture of secrecy to a new culture of openness". As regards the Official Secrets Act, it said that this law had "illiberal and draconian provisions" and that it was an anachronism in its present form.
<b>The ban has been imposed on officials working in Government agencies that are placed outside the purview of the RTI Act. Section 24 of this Act says that this law will not apply to organisations dealing with intelligence gathering and security which are listed in Schedule II of the Act. Among the 18 organisations listed here are the Research & Analysis Wing, the Intelligence Bureau and paramilitary organisations.</b>
The Armed Forces and the Central Bureau of Investigation do not find mention in this schedule. But, given the level of discomfort within Government to this new fad among bureaucrats and sleuths, it may find ways to arm twist others as well including senior bureaucrats.
<b>The gag order is unfortunate because it is only in recent times that citizens working for the Government had begun to breathe the fresh air of freedom. </b>Here is a sample of what we would have been denied if the Government had imposed this gag order some years ago: Inside IB and RAW -- The Rolling Stone That Gathered Moss by K Sankaran Nair, former chief of RAW; The Kaoboys of R& AW -- Down Memory Lane by BRaman, former head of Counter-Terror Division of RAW who retired as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat; Maj Gen VK Singh's India's External Intelligence -- Secrets of RAW and Open Secrets -- India's Intelligence Unveiled my Maloy Krishna Dhar, former Joint Director, Intelligence Bureau.
<b>Mr Sankaran Nair,</b> who was a trusted lieutenant of the Nehru-Gandhis, talks of how Sanjay Gandhi got his appointment as Director of IB cancelled on the eve of the imposition of Emergency because he refused to subject himself to an 'interview' by the Prime Minister's son before he was given the letter of appointment. He also talks of how he carried a cheque for $ 6 million and credited the same to a numbered account in a Swiss Bank. This sum was supposedly a kickback to some persons close to the Shah of Iran who had organised a $ 250 million loan from Iran to India in 1974 to enable the latter to tide over a foreign exchange crisis.
Both <b>Mr Raman and Maj Gen VK Singh </b>discuss the working of RAW in their books and make invaluable suggestions in regard to periodic audit of the agency's work. Apart from highlighting "glaring anomalies" in procurement of equipment, Maj Gen Singh <b>talks about ego clashes among officers, lack of leadership and accountability</b>. He also discusses the <b>ease with which foreign intelligence agencies planted moles in RAW</b>. Mr Raman says there is <b>need for "limited parliamentary monitoring" of the performance of espionage agencies</b>.
<b>Mr Dhar </b>opens a can of worms when he talks about the manner in which <b>Mrs Indira Gandhi deployed the IB for personal and political purposes</b>. Though <b>Congress Prime Ministers have traditionally used the IB as if it were part of a jaagir that comes with office,</b> Mr Dhar's revelations are truly shocking. He speaks of how <b>Mrs Gandhi us</b>ed <b>the agency</b>, without any qualms, <b>for both private and political purposes </b>like spying on her daughter-in-law Maneka Gandhi and her mother Amteshwar Anand.
Apart from these books, we also have A Cabinet Secretary Looks Back by Mr BG Deshmukh, former Cabinet Secretary, and Who owns the CBI -- The Naked Truth by Mr BR Lal, former Joint Director, CBI. Though the gag order does not apply to officials like Cabinet Secretaries or those working in agencies like the CBI which are not listed in Schedule II of the RTI Act, there is every danger of the political establishment extending it to other areas of Government as well.
<b>Mr Deshmukh</b>, for example, talks of how <b>after 1980, the Congress switched from domestic to foreign sources for collecting party funds and much of this came by way of commissions given by foreign companies on Indian deals. He also says that he was aware that "the Prime Minister's house (of Rajiv Gandhi) had access to funds from abroad". </b>Even more disturbing is his account of how <b>an unknown, unqualified Italian "consultant" was brought in by Rajiv Gandhi to "train" the Special Protection Group</b>, much against the advice of top officials. This Italian threw his weight around and misbehaved with senior SPG officers.
The book carries a graphic account of how the <b>then Director of RAW was asked to carry suitcases full of Italian currency to Rome to personally hand over the "consultation fee" to this so-called expert, who Mr Deshmukh realised was Mr Gandhi's "in-law". </b>Coming as it does from the country's top bureaucrat, these inputs are invaluable for those who value democracy.
People like Mr Deshmukh and Mr Sankaran and the others mentioned in this article believe that it is in the public interest to place these truths in the public domain. Should we allow a small bunch of insecure or corrupt politicians and bureaucrats to stifle these voices simply because they are uncomfortable with the truth?
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A common theme in all the bolded parts is the systematic issues and political maluse that are being sought to be muzzled. Its not National security issues but problems due to maluse which have invited this gag order.
FYI.
Pioneer, 30 June 2008-Op-Ed:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Shutting out the truth
A Surya Prakash
In this age of transparency, accountability and right to information, the Government has surely touched a 'RAW' nerve by prohibiting officials in intelligence and security agencies from writing their memoirs. Following a slew of books in recent years from such officials which contain damning information about the way these agencies are run, the Government has responded by prosecuting one of the authors and has now issued an order forbidding sleuths from penning their memoirs. Unfortunately, these governmental moves come at a time when civil society is getting ready to give the anachronistic Official Secrets Act a decent burial. Instead of going with the times, the Government is injecting new life into the OSA's decrepit provisions and is also finding new ways to come down on whistle blowers who are doing our democracy proud.
The ban comes after the Government decided to proceed against Maj Gen VK Singh, a former Joint Secretary in the Research & Analysis Wing, who authored the controversial book, India's External Intelligence -- Secrets of Research & Analysis Wing under the OSA. Looking at the intimidatory tactics employed by Government, one wonders whether this is the same Government that bought the Right to Information Act into being?
Also, is this the Government that appointed the second Administrative Reforms Commission? After a comprehensive review of the RTI Act, this Commission, headed by Mr Veerappa Moily, declared that the time had come for the Government to move "from the prevailing culture of secrecy to a new culture of openness". As regards the Official Secrets Act, it said that this law had "illiberal and draconian provisions" and that it was an anachronism in its present form.
<b>The ban has been imposed on officials working in Government agencies that are placed outside the purview of the RTI Act. Section 24 of this Act says that this law will not apply to organisations dealing with intelligence gathering and security which are listed in Schedule II of the Act. Among the 18 organisations listed here are the Research & Analysis Wing, the Intelligence Bureau and paramilitary organisations.</b>
The Armed Forces and the Central Bureau of Investigation do not find mention in this schedule. But, given the level of discomfort within Government to this new fad among bureaucrats and sleuths, it may find ways to arm twist others as well including senior bureaucrats.
<b>The gag order is unfortunate because it is only in recent times that citizens working for the Government had begun to breathe the fresh air of freedom. </b>Here is a sample of what we would have been denied if the Government had imposed this gag order some years ago: Inside IB and RAW -- The Rolling Stone That Gathered Moss by K Sankaran Nair, former chief of RAW; The Kaoboys of R& AW -- Down Memory Lane by BRaman, former head of Counter-Terror Division of RAW who retired as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat; Maj Gen VK Singh's India's External Intelligence -- Secrets of RAW and Open Secrets -- India's Intelligence Unveiled my Maloy Krishna Dhar, former Joint Director, Intelligence Bureau.
<b>Mr Sankaran Nair,</b> who was a trusted lieutenant of the Nehru-Gandhis, talks of how Sanjay Gandhi got his appointment as Director of IB cancelled on the eve of the imposition of Emergency because he refused to subject himself to an 'interview' by the Prime Minister's son before he was given the letter of appointment. He also talks of how he carried a cheque for $ 6 million and credited the same to a numbered account in a Swiss Bank. This sum was supposedly a kickback to some persons close to the Shah of Iran who had organised a $ 250 million loan from Iran to India in 1974 to enable the latter to tide over a foreign exchange crisis.
Both <b>Mr Raman and Maj Gen VK Singh </b>discuss the working of RAW in their books and make invaluable suggestions in regard to periodic audit of the agency's work. Apart from highlighting "glaring anomalies" in procurement of equipment, Maj Gen Singh <b>talks about ego clashes among officers, lack of leadership and accountability</b>. He also discusses the <b>ease with which foreign intelligence agencies planted moles in RAW</b>. Mr Raman says there is <b>need for "limited parliamentary monitoring" of the performance of espionage agencies</b>.
<b>Mr Dhar </b>opens a can of worms when he talks about the manner in which <b>Mrs Indira Gandhi deployed the IB for personal and political purposes</b>. Though <b>Congress Prime Ministers have traditionally used the IB as if it were part of a jaagir that comes with office,</b> Mr Dhar's revelations are truly shocking. He speaks of how <b>Mrs Gandhi us</b>ed <b>the agency</b>, without any qualms, <b>for both private and political purposes </b>like spying on her daughter-in-law Maneka Gandhi and her mother Amteshwar Anand.
Apart from these books, we also have A Cabinet Secretary Looks Back by Mr BG Deshmukh, former Cabinet Secretary, and Who owns the CBI -- The Naked Truth by Mr BR Lal, former Joint Director, CBI. Though the gag order does not apply to officials like Cabinet Secretaries or those working in agencies like the CBI which are not listed in Schedule II of the RTI Act, there is every danger of the political establishment extending it to other areas of Government as well.
<b>Mr Deshmukh</b>, for example, talks of how <b>after 1980, the Congress switched from domestic to foreign sources for collecting party funds and much of this came by way of commissions given by foreign companies on Indian deals. He also says that he was aware that "the Prime Minister's house (of Rajiv Gandhi) had access to funds from abroad". </b>Even more disturbing is his account of how <b>an unknown, unqualified Italian "consultant" was brought in by Rajiv Gandhi to "train" the Special Protection Group</b>, much against the advice of top officials. This Italian threw his weight around and misbehaved with senior SPG officers.
The book carries a graphic account of how the <b>then Director of RAW was asked to carry suitcases full of Italian currency to Rome to personally hand over the "consultation fee" to this so-called expert, who Mr Deshmukh realised was Mr Gandhi's "in-law". </b>Coming as it does from the country's top bureaucrat, these inputs are invaluable for those who value democracy.
People like Mr Deshmukh and Mr Sankaran and the others mentioned in this article believe that it is in the public interest to place these truths in the public domain. Should we allow a small bunch of insecure or corrupt politicians and bureaucrats to stifle these voices simply because they are uncomfortable with the truth?
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A common theme in all the bolded parts is the systematic issues and political maluse that are being sought to be muzzled. Its not National security issues but problems due to maluse which have invited this gag order.