An agenda for Anna

Anna Hazare, according to news reports, is in a quandary as to what he should do next. Speculation is rife whether the social reformer's team is going to participate in the assembly elections, or help some party's campaign, and so on.

The stalled Lokpal Bill is taken by some as an indication of his movement's failure. See, they say, there were no crowds at his last meeting! Anna's ill health has kept down the statements from him, allowing his ‘team' to make contradictory ones, and keeping analysts' busy.

Never mind. I know we should all be bothered that the Lokpal Bill did not pass in the last session and once we are done heaping shame on the political class, we need to sit down and think about what else needs to be done about corruption.

Role of mentor

Anna's movement, by focusing on the need for legislation to make the Lokpal and Lokayuktas a reality, has rightly targeted at the required institutional mechanisms to fight corruption. That's a macro level issue. But the micro also needs attention. Anna and his team can trigger action at the grassroots. So here is my agenda for Team Anna to follow in the coming months.

Create grass-roots organisations with a single-focus — anti-corruption. The parent body under Anna can generate the ideas and play an inspiring, mentoring, and monitoring role. At the grassroots, autonomous but affiliated chapters would take care of the action. They would raise their own funding locally, and be committed to follow the central charter. The central organisation would provide the strategy, and action plans. It would provide the chapter constitution, train volunteers from the chapters, and also monitor the activities of the chapters.

Chapters can be sponsored in educational institutions, in organisations (commercial or non-commercial), residential societies, etc. Let me list some of the activities that the chapters can undertake:

Oath against corruption : Chapters can conduct oath-taking sessions at schools, colleges, and community centres where people would take an oath against giving or taking a bribe in their personal or professional lives. A public declaration such as an oath serves to re-affirm one's commitment to an issue. After taking the oath, each person can be given a wallet-size card that has the oath on one side and the phone numbers of local anti-corruption organisations, or lokayukta/police office on the other.

Anti-Corruption Swat Teams : Trained volunteers from chapters can wear a distinctive attire (say, the Anna topi) and canvass against corruption in vulnerable places that we know are hotspots for bribes. For example, they can stand outside the RTO offices/passport offices, etc, hand out flyers and personally engage in conversation with people going in and out on whether they have been asked for bribes and how they can get the service they want without engaging in corrupt behaviour.

The central organisation needs to first conduct appropriate training camps for special weapons and tactics (Swat) team volunteers on how to be a non-violent activist, a la Gandhi, since they are sure to attract the attention of and possibly assault from touts whose lives are now threatened.

Promote and project positive role models : The media loves a titillating story. Hence, we are constantly told about ministers whose houses are being raided by tax authorities, tax officials whose houses are being raided by IB staff, IB officials whose houses are... and so on. This gives the impression that everyone is on the take! Yet, we all know people who are honestly and quietly excelling as leaders in industry, education, and government. The chapters can identify such people within their community, give them awards, and get them to speak out and participate in chapter activities, creating a counter-current of positive role models.

Co-opt other anti-corruption initiatives : There are several organisations working around the country that have fighting corruption as at least one of their aims. Some creative ones have made an impact such as the ‘Zero rupee note' initiative. Chapters must build relations with such initiatives.

Distribute postcards to the public with an anti-corruption message printed on them, and provide the names and addresses of elected representatives to whom these cards can be mailed. Flood the reps with postcards so their re-election may be in jeopardy if they do not change their ways!

Chapters should send their members out to public events and encourage the organisers to make an announcement at the beginning of the function encouraging the attendees to join the chapter. Even one volunteer with a placard outside a function will attract attention.

Conduct discussion sessions in schools and colleges: Volunteers can do a screening of the film Lage raho munna bhai and then conduct a discussion session to engage the viewers to narrate their experiences of corruption and how to fight it, using the film's themes as talking points. Such vocal engagement reinforces preferred behaviours.

Make it a mass movement

Space does not permit me to list more activities. I'm sure you could add more. What is important is that the anti-corruption mood in the country can be easily galvanised into a mass movement, which is more than waiting for an Anna to do something and sniggering when he does not.

Moreover, the Lokpal Bill deals with public corruption, and will not do anything to private corruption, such as when the purchase manager looks for a kick-back before placing an order.

To root out corruption, morality and change must begin at home and Anna has the right brand equity to trigger its occurrence. A strong grass-roots movement will only make institutional initiatives at the top more effective.

(The author is professor of International Business and Strategic Management at Suffolk University, Boston, US. >blfeedback@thehindu.co.in )

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