Shruti's Emerging Manifesto

Some points on what my manifesto would look like, and for all parties to borrow from!

In Support of the Spirit of the Constitution of India, especially the concepts of Secularism; Socialism; Justice; Equality; Freedom; Rule of Law and Legal Empowerment; Democracy, including Grassroots Democracy.

For World Peace, Good Governance, and Justice.

Political Imperatives:

The Party or The Network should nominate or support people who are non-corrupt, as election candidates.

The Agenda:

Decriminalization and Depoliticization of the Police and the Bureaucracy, to be made possible when Ministers are non-corrupt and resolute in this effort.

The reorienting of the bureaucracy to ensure strong democratic control (concptualization, monitoring,evaluation,regulation) of various functions, especially those that pertain to the use and management of peoples’ resources, including natural resources. And NOT mindless and crony-oriented expansion of the Public Private Partnership PPP system, or, indeed, the power-usurping system of CSR (“corporate social responsibility”-driven governance).

State funding of elections and political activity, and limits on funds provided by private funders, to political parties, politicians and numbers of politicians.

Reorienting the democratic system through widespread national conversation, to ensure a much more Consultative version of Democracy. (Both, in terms of bringing about a variety of changes to some of the systems of how Elected Representatives are elected, as well as by introducing relevant readjustments in the law-making process, in furtherance of the first wave of Consultative Law-Making Reform that was brought about in India when the parliamentary committee system was given a new impetus in the 1990s).

Understanding, evaluating, and reacting to the realpolitik of all so-called counter-terrorism policies. Creating awareness about the geostrategic and economic implications of all evolving conflict-scenarios within and outside the country. Ensuring that economically or politically imbalanced media projections do not interfere with or impede this effort. This, in the interest of the poorest of the poor, and tribal and other forest-dwelling communities whose conservation cultures have kept the world’s waterbodies, forests, air and agricultural lands and health alive over the past two centuries, with minimal returns from the exploiters of these resources. The recognition of this debt that most global economies owe to the said peoples.

A clear and specific articulation and implementation of these and other similar and/or related concerns in existing law and policy that evaluates Social Impact (Social Impact Assessment), in cases where land is compulsorily taken over from individuals and communities. Limits to, and clarity on, the ‘genuineness’ of the Public Purposes for which land is taken over. The executive and legislative wings of state to assert such definitions, after perusing the vast judge-made law on the subject.

The systemic reorienting of how National Income is calculated; The re-evaluation of labour services in favour of labourers, and the inclusion of many hitherto unlisted services into the purview of this labour-law-reform umbrella; the analysis of how to respond to various technological devices that are presenting themselves as new systems of ‘barter’ such as cryptocurrencies; a policy orientation that enables the “listing” of smaller firms on some kind of stock exchange, so that they can go public, and the linking-up of this feature to the concept of hamlet-level co-operatives (to be formed in hindsight, after learnings from the wide assortment of recent and not-so-recent efforts at co-operatives across the world); the opening-up to so-called foreign direct investment, and the use of local government institutions for these purposes in these contexts.

A commentary on the emerging meaning/s of State Sovereignty, and the acknowledgement/recognition of the fact that, whether we like it or not, the definition of Sovereign Nation today does not include the concept of Economic or Financial sovereignty or isolation. Also acknowledging the cultural exchanges that ‘globalization’ has brought about, blurring the boundaries of nations from the point of view of culture, religion and ethnicity. However, reiterating and asserting that the relevance of Nationalism lies in the facts of the existence of chosen systems of governance and of justice-delivery, especially substantive aspects of law and policy, including area-specific and people-specific affirmative action.

The creating of a prioritized list of services, goods and utilities that should be available to, and continue to be available as a right, to all human beings, also keeping in mind aspects of inter-generational equity and affirmative action. Prioritising and regulating the use of natural resources in this context. Aligning all economies to ensure the safety of used nuclear and radioactive materials, and work towards eliminating the use of civil nuclear energy.

Also continuing the attempt for achieving global nuclear disarmament and peace through non-violent, universally acceptable and diplomatic ways.

An informed political analysis of, and response to, the role of the developmental work being carried out by the international community, and by the global community.

An informed political response to the impacts of certain elements of technology on individuals, communities, and the hundred-percent human population on the planet and beyond. Priority to be accorded, to aspects of equity in the setting of the global agenda on scientific research. Emerging threats from technological discoveries and inventions to human life, health and to Biodiversity to be analysed from the point of view of justice and equity.

A diligent re-look at all laws (including personal and criminal law), and assumptions of modern science, from the point of view of commitment to, and implementation of, the way towards Gender Justice.

In solidarity,

V. Shruti Devi written and posted on 21st March 2014, and minor changes (mostly by way of clarifications), made on 23rd and 24th March 2014, and on 17th Sept., 2014.