A former member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a prominent volunteer of Janlokpal Movement, Sunil Lal has sent a letter to the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation (RMF) in Manila, Philippines, urging the RMF to revoke the Magsaysay Award bestowed upon Kejriwal in 2006.
In his six-page letter addressed to The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) Through its Communications Director Ms. Tina M. Virina, Sunil Kumar Lal, a Lucknow-based advertising professional who was responsible for the branding of the Anna Hazare-led Jan Lokpal movement, has said that Kejriwal had been given the award for his work on promoting use of right to information, and thereby empowering the common citizen. However, Sunil said in his letter, Kejriwal “is acting totally against all what he stood for at the time he was considered to be qualified for the Award.”
In support of his argument, Sunil Lal has cited various news reports where it has been mentioned that the Delhi Government under Mr Kejriwal has stonewalled various RTI queries regarding his government's recent spending on advertising. Lal also cited the failure of Mr Kejriwal to change the system to fight corruption. Merely using the system to catch “the culprit by a sting operation or a raid is no solution to end corruption,” he said.
Why Arvind Govt has not set up a commission of experts to find and evolve the means and methods to reform the procedure of Tax collection wherein no scope of corrupt practices are left remained? Why Arvind Kejriwal has not worked to change the system of the department instead of just trying to catch the corrupt? We could not accept less than this from the (self proclaimed) Champion of anti-corruption said Sunil.
Sunil Lal has said that “it seems it was a grave error of judgment by which in 2006 a wrong man was selected” for the Magsaysay Award, and requested the Foundation to set an example by revoking it as a gesture of repentance and uphold the highest standards of the Award by the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation to become an example for others who may be considered for the award in future.
