In a fresh take on the corruption debate,Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said that the nation is going through a transparency revolution and while there is some resistance by those who wield power,the transition to more openness cannot be stopped. The minister said the transition is facing problems as those in key positions are still not ready for more transparency. There is transition everywhere now,transition to this transparency revolution. India is not ready,Indian society is not ready,politicians,business people,bureaucrats,journalists,armed forces.all those holding key positions in India are still not ready for this transition, Antony,known for his strong anti- corruption stance,said. Antony said that while there are some problems in this transition period,this is another phase of the Indian democracy. After a few years,this (resistance) will settle but transition will go on and I am very happy about it, the minister said. He was speaking to the media after inaugurating a new conference hall at the Press Club of India. The minister referred to the Right to Information Act and said that barriers are being overcome and the trend towards more openness cannot be stopped. The country is passing through a transition. All the secrecy is crumbling in every field,whether it is politics,administration,religion,business or journalism. The trend has started and you cannot stop it midway, Antony said,adding that the transparency revolution will percolate to all walks of life. While he did not directly refer to the current demands of the Lokpal bill and agitations by Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev,Antony credited the parliament for taking steps to increase transparency. You have to give credit to Indian media,NGOs and social activists (for more transparency) but ultimately it was the Indian Parliament (that acted) through the RTI Act, Antony said,adding that that in the years to come,the RTI Act will open up newer areas. Adding a note of caution at the Press Club,the minister said that the media should play a leading role in nation building and should not let itself be hijacked by interest groups. In this environment,(media) should not allow anybody to use you. The media should not allow itself to be manipulated by vested interests and groups, he said.
