RE: Murder in daylight!!

[Kush Khatri <free_voice@yahoo.com>]

Charu:  Your sensational analogy of "murder in daylight" assumes that
all acts of giving money to politicians by citizens are CRIMINAL.  I
do not accept that.  Campaign donations by individuals or even other
legal entities is not a crime.  Citizens have a right to donate their
legally earned money or to spend that money as they please.  How can
such legitimate political activity  be criminal?  Your analogy,
therefore, does not hold.   Are you seriously suggesting that campaign
donations here in the U.S. are the same as bribery where a politician
actually has a set price for a quid-pro-quo?   Bribes are given out in
seceret and public is kept in the dark.  Donations on the other hand
do  not have to be secret, if they are then indeed they are bribes.

Having said that I am not at all saying that  donations to political
parties by big donors and donatioins by corporations to politicians do
not carry weight when it comes to policy making and drafting
legislation.  If it gives more access to the politician then we do
have a problem.  But once again I do not agree with the view that
there is no material difference between this scenario and what we have
in India.   Another  point of note is that not all legislation that
favors a certain industry is anti-people.  Farmers, for example, have
a strong lobby.  I can give you other examples but I want to be brief.

This is a very important issue.   If we can come up with an
alternative system for India, then nothing like it.  Please put
forward your suggestions.  For now do we have a consensus that:

(1) giving donations to political parties or politicians is not
criminal behavior on part of individual citizens and legally
incorporated entitites?

(2) there should be  legal limits to such donations

(3) all such donations should be kept separate, audited and cannot be
used for personal or family use

(4) there has to  be full disclosure to the public -- public has a
right to know who the money sources are.  Such information should be
available to the public free of charge and expeditiously.

We should, however, keep working on alternatives.  Because on the
long-run this system infinitely favors incumbents and established
political parties.  We must device a system where people with no money
resources ought to be able to run for public office.  Some public
funding has to be made avialable, or a system of matching funds.  Most
of all, airwaves and access to media must be given to all in a fair
manner.

I hope we can arrive at a consensus here soon on this very sensitive
and highly important topic.         Regards,

Kush Khatri

---Charudatt  wrote:
>
> I think you're restricting the definition- why SECRETLY?
> As I said elsewhere: A murder committed in broad daylight is still
> a murder, likewise the fact that bribery is open, as in campaign
> contributions, does not mean that it is not bribery.
> 

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