RTI Crusader reluctant to provide information

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself” (Leo Tolstoy).

This appears to be the story of Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF), the organisation that claims to work for ‘just, transparent, accountable and participatory governance’. Afroz Alam Sahil, an RTI activist had filed an application under Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 seeking information from the PCRF relating to funding and other details of the RTI Awards 2009, organised by PCRF.

Magsaysay awardee Arvind Kejriwal, the moving force behind the organisation, had said in the media that PCRF does not come under RTI purview, but he would still furnish information for transparency. However, the one month period within which an authority needs to reply has long passed. An aggrieved Afroz has accordingly filed the first application after waiting for few extra days. In the application, a copy of which is available with this reporter, the appellant has explained, that although not for profit organisations like PCRF does not come under RTI, but as torchbearer of the information revolution, they should come clear on their accounts too.

“I have nothing personal either against PCRF, Arvind Kejriwal, or Parivartan (the NGO that he runs). In fact I have great respect for him... But I have made a list of prominent organisations and activists, including Aruna Roy, that work for RTI revolution across country and have filed applications to them all to set examples to government authorities,” said Afroz.

National RTI Awards 2009, the first of its kind, was in controversy right from the day it was announced. Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah had called it “shamelessly demeaning” and said that information commissioners would not accept awards as they “are not school children” (IE-Nov 20).

Several activists have also accused Arvind Kejriwal of handpicking nominees and in many cases awarding incompetent persons. It is like an ‘eyewash...deliberately promoting some at the cost of others’.

Interestingly the website of the PCRF has copies of audit returns filed for the past two financial years, but it has no details of funds that it receives. It however, does mention that in partnership with other activists, that include former Journalist Manish Sisodia and TV producer and writer Abhinandan Sekhri, Kejriwal started the foundation with the with the Magsaysay award money as ‘corpus fund’.

The question of 'Identity'¿

“I have grown certain that the root of all fear is that we’ve been forced to deny who we are”.

Frances Moore Lappe, the American activist, could not give a more succinct explanation on the question of ‘identity’. An extension to the aforesaid observation though could be ‘or to accept what others are’. “Muslims in the West” or anywhere (including my country-India) also have the same symptoms. So while they are in a state of ‘seige’ and see conspiracy of Judeo-Chrisitan in everything - good or bad, non-Muslims have developed an Islamophobia. They see a threat coming to their culture and civilisation. What Huntington called ‘The Clash of Civilisations’¿

9/11 changed the way the world sees Muslims. The good Mujahedeens of the latter Cold War era were now part of the ‘global jihadi’ militant networks. The changed perception was not restricted to fighters (good or bad¿), but also reached the Muslims on the streets. Muslims too are in many ways responsible for the changed behaviour, for most of them had suddenly become ‘hypersensitive’ about their religion, roots, culture and kinship.

The West today is at a strange juncture, fuelled by labour imports from former colonies and other developing nations, as also refugees from war torn countries, a sizeable number of their population are not ‘Western’, i.e. they are from a different civilisation altogether – from religion to culture to food and dress habits, and often language are all different. Any diaspora tries its best to retain its identity, but the withholding is more with Muslims and has even accelerated in last two decades more so because of ‘global Islamization’, but also owing to ‘perceived’ attacks on their religion or culture.

Thus as the West intends to integrate all its citizens, Muslims are exerting themselves more vehemently in their appearance (veil or beard). The West also has its share of blame – the proposed ban of minarets in Switzerland or of veil in France are recent examples. In fact the cases of ‘honour killing’ of girls who want to marry a non-Muslim boy have also been reported in the last couple of years.

Am I a Muslim first or an Indian first? Often Muslims in India are asked this question. And the most liberal answer that one can give is – ‘I am an Indian Muslim’. In villages and towns, on the surface India seems, to be one nation. But scratch a bit and there are several identities that one is vying for -regional, religious, linguistic, ideological conflict is quite apparent.

Although I am proud to be born in a vibrant secular democratic country, India has its own share of problems, reasons for which are often quite indigenous. So while Muslims in India were virtually immune from global anti-communist struggle during the Cold War, local incidents (demolition of mosque, frequent riots, etc.) have led to radicalisation of a section of Muslims. Of course 9/11 also brought its share of problems to India.

As a person born with several identities, my unvarying endeavour has been that of reconciliation – escaping sometimes, but often trying to integrate one with another.