Case Studies in Business Ethics and Corporate Governance

The dream of India as a strong nation will not be realised without self-reliant, self-suffi cient villages,

this can be achieved only through social commitment and involvement of the common man.

– Anna Hazare

The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing. Some are living to eat, while others are struggling

to eat enough to be able to live. “Social activist and a lonely voice for the Indian poor – Anna Hazare

is currently on a ‘fast unto death’ to improve the proposed anti-corruption Lok Pal Bill.”

– Source: Zee News

The Wall Street Journal reported on the tweets supporting Anna Hazare on social media site Twitter.

“Corruption scandals have rocked the country in the past few months leading to a general mood

of hopelessness,” assesses Channel News Asia. India ranked 87th out of 178 countries in the 2010

Corruption Perceptions Index conducted by Transparency International.

BACKGROUND

The Arab Spring was ignited in December 2010 in Tunisia as a consequence of self-immolation

of Mohammed Bouazizhad, a vegetable seller, against police corruption and ill-treatment. This

pro-democracy uprising had several cascading effects, as social unrest shook Egypt, Algeria, Jordan

and the rest of the Middle East and North Africa. The result of this movement was the ouster of the Tu-

nisian president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. The “spring” stands against the “winter” of oppression faced

by the Arabs in the past.

Anna Hazare’s protest against corruption in India, which initially started with his fi ght against

corruption by his fast unto death, later took the shape of a great movement comparable with the

nonviolent movement during India’s independence led by Mahatma Gandhi.

Anna Hazare: Indian

Arab Spring

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