Statutory Declaration Form Fiji: Fill & Download for Free

I have posted on Archaeology Unearthed about several “out of place” items found in New Zealand. These included Roman coins (I found one myself!) and antique foreign metal ware (a piece of bell from Sri L:anka, and a piece of helmet that DIDN’T come from Spain). I have now remembered being told about two wooden spears that probably originated in Fiji, which washed up on a beach near Wellington. The posting also dealt with a couple of other items well out of place – a “Minoan” pendant found in Ohio, and a net sinker made from mediaeval French lead, dug up in Australia.However, the item that bothers me most is a piece of trolling lure made in tropical pearl shell, which my old Professor reported found in a site at Tairua on the Coromandel Peninsula. Found at around 1960, this was deposited in Auckland Museum.When writing my Ph.D. in the late 1980s,I had to deal with this site, and by some fudging I managed to convince myself that I could ignore a number of inconsistencies concerning the site that had appeared in the nearly 30 years that had ensued. And suddenly it occurred to me – perhaps the pearl shell was planted. By an unfortunate mischance, at this very moment the man I considered my best friend turned up at my door, and like a fool I mentioned my radical new hypothesis. He was off like a stabbed rat and within a couple of minutes the Prof was at my door explaining the importance of the Tairua site. It looked like my “mate” had immediately set about putting my weights up, and so it has proved.But let me use that word again: HYPOTHESIS – by which I mean that the idea represented a suggestion as to have things had happened, and without tests of some kind it was of very little value.Unfortunately, it was several years before I thought of a suitable test, which was to use trace element analysis on any sediment that might still be adhering to the object. On my next visit to Auckland the then Museum archaeologist (another friend of mine) assisted me in examining the lure, and lo, the intricate fissure on the original exterior of the shell were STUFFED with shiny black sand. However, I was warned that the Prof was in poor health, and an investigation of his greatest find would be likely to distress him. Well I just couldn’t do that, so I agreed to postpone the analysis.I due course, after Roger died, I set about organizing the analysis. This included getting approval for the work from the Maori iwi local to the Tairua area, and persuading a Geology Prof with some experience in trace elements to do the analysis. To my great surprise he reported that there was no shiny black sand to analyse. And when I went to Auckland specifically to examine the lure I found he was right. In fact the entire out surface of the original pearl shell had been sloughed off and was nowhere to be found. Here i should state that i regard this sabotage in itself as a test of the hypothesis that the lure was planted.Now that the lure had been badly damaged my first response was to offer to pay for an AMS date on a tiny piece of the remainder, but this offer was not accepted.Since then I have communicated with at least two and possibly three different Museum directors concerning this matter, and I have got absolutely nowhere. Or rather matters have actually gone backwards, because the Museum apparently now claims that they have proved that my complaints are simply false. This was the argument when I tried to publish a version of the Archaeology Unearthed posting in a minor local archaeological serial.Apparently I am now officially branded a liar, even though I presented my account as a “Statutory Declaration”, the penalty for perjury in that context being “a prison sentence not exceeding seven years”. Even stranger, the point of the attempted publication was to ask if anyone had a photo taken in the first years of the lure being in Auckland Museum, when it was rigged up with a piece of mirror, so that both sides could be seen and the reliability of the “tropical pearlshell” identification could be assessed by the viewer. So apparently I am lying AND trying to conjure up proof that I am lying. But then this whole thing in odd. For example, why is there no photographic record of both sides of the lure as it was when found? For example, why was the lure – a superb find with obvious and dramatic implication for our prehistory - soon taken off show by the Museum, and placed in storage?

I’m rephrasing the question as: Should voting be made compulsory for every citizen of India?Attempts in the past to make voting compulsory:The idea of making voting compulsory was rejected by Dr. B R Ambedkar on account of practical difficulties during the discussion on the People’s Representation Bill in Parliament in the year 1951. Since then, many committees have discussed the issue and one such committee was Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990). The Dinesh Goswami Committee briefly examined the issue. The idea was again rejected on the grounds of practical difficulties in implementing.Private member’s bills for making voting compulsory:In July 2004, the Compulsory Voting Bill, 2004 was introduced as a Private Member Bill by Mr. Bachi Singh Rawat. The Bill envisaged to make it compulsory for every eligible voter to vote and exemption was provided only in certain cases, like that of illness etc.JP Agarwal in 2009 introduced a Private Member Bill related to compulsory voting. The bill proposed to make voting mandatory and also cast the duty upon the state to ensure large number of polling booths at convenient places, and special arrangements for senior citizens, persons with physical disability and pregnant women.a private member’s bill on Compulsory Voting moved by Janardan Singh in the year 2015.Voting pattern of 2014 Lok Sabha electionsThe overall turnout in the nine phased 2014 Lok Sabha polls is 66.38%. It is the highest in the history of Lok Sabha elections in the country surpassing the 64.01% which was polled in 1984 elections in the wake of assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi. State-wise the highest turnout was recorded in Nagaland (87.82%) and the lowest turnout was recorded in Jammu and Kashmir (49.52%).The highest male turnout was reported in Nagaland (88.15%) while the highest female turnout was reported in Lakshadweep (88.42%). Female voter turnout in percentage was reported to be higher than male turnout in 16 States and UTs.Arguments in favour of compulsory voting:Compulsory voting will strengthen democracy. It is argued that if compulsory voting was introduced, Parliament will be able to reflect more accurately, the will of the electorate. Compulsory voting will ensure that people take politics more seriously and will begin to take more proactive role. Further, citizens who live in a democratic state have a duty to vote, which is an essential part of that democracy.A person always has the option to press NOTA button if he does not like the candidates who are contesting the elections.Compulsory voting benefits the prevention of extremist and special interest groups from grabbing power. Otherwise if less number of people vote then it becomes easier for the special interest groups to motivate a small section of people and influence the outcome of the election process.Financial resources can be saved as Election Commission no longer needs to spend money in convincing people about the need to vote.Arguments against making voting compulsoryPractical difficulties such as remoteness of polling booths, difficulties faced by certain classes of people like daily wage labourers, nomadic groups, disabled, pregnant women etc. in casting their vote. There is a need for government to create an enabling environment for the voter to cast his vote. This included updating of electoral rolls, timely distribution of voter ID cards to all individuals and ensuring easy access to polling stations etc.Compulsory voting may be in violation of the fundamental rights of liberty and expression that are guaranteed to citizens in a democratic state. So every individual should be able to choose whether or not he or she wants to vote. The right to cast one’s vote is only a statutory right, the Supreme Court has recognised that the act of choosing one candidate over another falls under the freedom of expression guaranteed in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. Therefore, active participation in a democratic set up must be voluntary, and not coerced.The expenditure increases with enforcing compulsory voting. For instance, the cost per voter in 2009 LokSabha elections is Rs.12. If in case a large number of voters who do not want to vote presses NOTA button, then it becomes an unnecessary expenditure without any decisive outcome on the election.Attempts of state governments to make voting compulsoryGujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2009Gujarat became the first state to make voting compulsory in local bodies (municipal as well as panchayat polls) with the enactment of the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009.It shall now be the duty of a qualified voter to cast his vote at elections to each of these bodies.Also, the Act contains a provision to fix the reservation for women in local bodies at 50 per cent.The Act carves provides for certain exemptions for certain individuals from voting ifHe/ She is rendered physically incapable due to illness etc.;He/ She is not present in the state of Gujarat on the date of election; orfor any other reasons to be laid down in the Rules.The Act empowers an election officer to serve a notice if a person has failed to vote at the election. The voter is then required to provide sufficient reasons within a period of one month, failing which he is declared as a “defaulter voter”. According to the Act, if a voter failed to vote for reasons other than those permitted in the rules he may be declared a “default voter”. The defaulter voter can challenge this order before a designated appellate officer, whose decision will be final.The government had announced Rs 100 as fine to those who fails to vote without proper reason.It had been rejected by earlier governor Kamla Beniwal stating that it violates Article 21 of the Constitution and the principles of individual liberty.The law was passed in 2009 and again in 2011 when Narendra Modi was the chief minister. Former Governor KamlaBeniwal did not give her assent. Finally it got nod from Governor O.P. Kohli.Criticism:Section 79(d) of the Representation of the People Act says: that “electoral right” includes the right “to vote or refrain from voting at an election”.Recently the Gujarat High Court stayed its implementation after a public interest litigation challenging the constitutional validity of the Act.Constitutional expert and former election commissioner Hs Brahma had dubbed the law as “impractical” and “impossible to implement” in the country.Karnataka Panchayat Raj Amendment Act, 2015:This Act like the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws Act, 2009, makes voting compulsory in gram panchayatelections.Although voting was made compulsory,violations will not attract legal sanctions.This Act has made voting compulsory in the elections to 5,844 gram panchayats in Karnataka on May 2015.The new Act has 50 per cent reservation for women.According to the state government, voting was made compulsory to create more awareness among the people about the importance of exercising one’s franchise.SetbackAccording to post poll data, the Act has failed to serve its purpose. There has been no increase, not even a marginal one, in the voter turnout as compared to the previous gram panchayat elections (2010). The main reason according to some is the absence of punitive clause for those voters who failed to vote made others to take this Act lightly.Stand of Election Commission on compulsory votingElection Commission filed an affidavit in July 2015 in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that wants a direction to the commission to frame guidelines for making voting mandatory.In the affidavit, the Election Commission had informed the Supreme Court that:Right to Vote was not a fundamental right but statutory.Voting cannot be made compulsory since as it would violate the constitutional right of freedom of speech and expression.“The decision taken by the voter after verifying the credentials of the candidate either to vote or not to vote is his right of expression under the constitution. Freedom of expression means not only right to vote but would also include the right not to vote,” read the affidavit.While States has the right to adopt laws in tune with the aspirations of its people, it would be better to evolve a wider consensus before implementing the legislation such as this, which has far-reaching consequences.Compulsory voting in other countriesCompulsory voting laws were introduced in Belgium in 1892, Argentina in 1914, Australiain 1924. Several other countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Singapore, Cyprus etc. have made voting compulsory for their citizens. Certain other countries like The Netherlands, Austria, Fiji, Italy, Venezuela have repealed such legal requirements after they had been in force for decades.

Nationalism in IndiaThe second half of the 19th century witnessed the full flowering of national political consciousness and the growth of an organised national movement in India.The year 1885 marks the beginning of a new epoch in Indian History. Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885 by seventy-two political workers. It was the first organised expression of Indian Nationalism on an all-India scale.The rise and growth of nationalism in India has been traditionally explained in terms of Indian response to the stimulus generated by the British Raj through the creation of new institutions, new opportunities, etc.The First World War, Khilafat And Non-CooperationEffects of First World War: The War led to a huge increase in defence expenditure. This was financed by war loans and by increasing taxes. Customs duties were raised and income tax was introduced to raise extra revenue. Prices of items increased during the war years. The prices doubled between 1913 and 1918. The common people were the worst sufferers because of price rise. Forced recruitment of rural people in the army was another cause of widespread anger among people.Crop failure in many parts of India and Influenza epidemic further aggravated the problem. According to 1921 census, about 12 to 13 million people died because of famines and epidemic.The Idea of SatyagrahaMahatma Gandhi advocated a novel method of mass agitation; called satyagraha. This method was based on the idea that if someone is fighting for a true cause, there is no need to take recourse to physical force to fight the oppressor.Some early satyagraha movements organized by Gandhi:Peasants’ movement in Champaran in 1916.Peasants’ movement in Kheda in 1917.Mill workers’ movement in Ahmadabad in 1918.The Rowlatt Act(1919):The Rowlatt Act was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in 1919. The Indian members did not support the Act, but it was passed; nevertheless. The Act gave enormous powers to the government to repress political activities. It allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.On 6th April 1919; Gandhiji launched a nationwide satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act. The call of strike on 6th April got a huge response. People came out in support in various cities, shops were shut down and workers in railway workshops went on strike. The British administration decided to clamp down on the nationalists. Several local leaders were arrested. Mahatma Gandhi was barred from entering Delhi.Jallianwalla BaghThe infamous Jallianwalla Bagh massacre took place on 13th April; the day on which Baisakhi is celebrated in Punjab. A crowd of villagers came to participate in a fair in Jallianwalla Bagh. This was enclosed on all sides with narrow entry points. General Dyer blocked the exit points and opened fire on the crowd. Hundreds of people were killed in the incident. Public reaction to the incident took a violent turn in many north Indian towns. The government was quite brutal in its response. Things took a highly violent turn. Mahatma Gandhi called off the movement as did not want violence to continue.Khilafat MovementThe Khilafat issue gave Mahatma Gandhi, the opportunity to bring the Hindus and Muslims on a common platform. The Ottoman Turkey was badly defeated in the First World War. There were rumours about a harsh peace treating likely to be imposed on the Ottoman emperor; who was the spiritual head of the Islamic world (the Khalifa). A Khilafat committed was formed in Bombay in March 1919 to defend the Khalifa. This committee had leaders like the brothers Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali. They also wanted Mahatma Gandhi to take up the cause to build a united mass action. At the Calcutta session of the Congress in September 1920, the resolution was passed to launch a non-cooperation movement in support of Khilafat and also for Swaraj.Non-Cooperation MovementIn his famous book, Hind Swaraj (1909) Mahatma Gandhi declared that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of Indians, and had survived only because of this cooperation. If Indians refused to cooperate, British rule in India would collapse within a year, and Swaraj would come. Gandhiji believed that if Indians begin to refuse to cooperate, the British rulers will have no other way than to leave India.Some of the proposals of non-cooperation movement:Surrender the titles which were awarded by the British government.Boycott civil services, army, police, courts, legislative councils and schools.Boycott foreign goods.Launch full civil disobedience campaign, if the government persisted with repressive measures.Differing Strands within the Movement: The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in January 1921. Various social groups participated in this movement, each with its own specific aspiration. All of them responded to the call of Swaraj, but the term meant different things to different peopleThe Movement in the Towns:The movement started with good participation from the middle-class in the cities.Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, and lawyers gave up their legal practices.The council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras. In Madras, the Justice Party, the party of the non-Brahmans, felt that entering the council was one way of gaining some power – something that usually only Brahmans had access to.Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping from Rs 102 crore to Rs 57 crore. The boycott of foreign cloths helped in increasing the demand for clothes made in India.Reasons for Slowdown of Movement:Khadi was more expensive than mill-made cloth. The poor people could not afford to buy khadi.The boycott of British institutions posed a problem of lack of alternative Indian institutions. Such institutions were slow to come up. Students and teachers began coming back schools. Similarly, lawyers resumed their work in the courts.Rebellion in the Countryside: From the cities, the Non-Cooperation Movement spread to the countryside. It drew into its fold the struggles of peasants and tribals which were developing in different parts of India in the years after the war.AwadhThe peasants’ movement in Awadh was led by Baba Ramchandra. He was a sanyasi who had earlier worked in Fiji as an indentured labourer. The peasants were against the high rents and many other cess which were demanded by talukdars and landlords. The peasants demanded reduction of revenue, the abolition of begar, and social boycott of oppressive landlords.Jawaharlal Nehru began touring the villages in June 1920. He tried to understand the problems of the peasants. Oudh Kisan Sabha was set up by October. It was headed by Jawaharlal Nehru, Baba Ramchandra and a few others. By associating itself with the peasants’ movement, Congress was able to integrate the movement in Awadh with a wider non-cooperation movement. At many places, people stopped paying rents by invoking the name of the Mahatma.Tribal PeasantsTribal peasants gave their own interpretation of Mahatma Gandhi and the idea of Swaraj. The tribals were prevented from entering the forests to graze cattle, or to collect fruits and firewood. The new forest laws were a threat to their livelihood. The government forced them to do begar on road construction.Many rebels from the tribal areas became non-violent and often carried guerilla warfare against the British officials.Swaraj in the PlantationsThe plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission; as per the Indian Emigration Act of 1859. When the news of Non-Cooperation Movement spread to the plantations, many workers began to defy the authorities. They left plantations and headed towards their homes. But they got stranded on the way because of a railway and steamer strike. They were caught by the police and brutally beaten up.Civil Disobedience MovementBy the end of 1921, the non-cooperation movement was turning violent in many places. Gandhiji decided to withdraw the movement in February 1922. Even many Congress leaders were fatigued by mass struggles and wanted to participate in the elections to the provincial councils. The provincial councils were set up by the Government of India Act of 1919. Many leaders were of the opinion that it was important to oppose the British policies by becoming a part of the system.The older leaders; like Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das formed the Swaraj Party (within the Congress) and began to argue for a return to council politics.The younger leaders; like Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru; were in favour of more radical mass agitation and pressed for full independence.This was a period of internal debate and dissension within the Congress. This was also the period when the effect of the Great Depression was being felt on India. Agricultural prices began to fall from 1926. The prices collapsed in 1930. The whole country was in turmoil because of the effects of Great Depression.Simon CommissionThe British government constituted a Statutory Commission under Sir John Simon. The commission was made to look into the functioning of the constitutional system in India and suggest changes. But since all the members of the commission were British, the Indian leaders opposed the commission.The Simon Commission arrived in India in 1928. It was greeted with the slogan ‘Go back, Simon’. All parties joined the protest. In October 1929, Lord Irwin announced a vague offer of ‘dominion status’ for India but its timing was not specified. He also offered to hold a Round Table Conference to discuss the future constitution.In December 1929, the Lahore Congress was presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru. It passed the resolution of ‘Purna Swaraj’ or full independence for India. It declared 26th January 1930 as the Independence Day and gave a call to the people to take a pledge to struggle for complete independence. But the celebrations attracted little public support.It was then left to Mahatma Gandhi to correlate the abstract idea of freedom to more concrete issues of everyday life.Salt MarchMahatma Gandhi believed that salt could be a powerful symbol to unite the whole nation. Most of the people; including the British scoffed at the idea. Abolition of the salt tax was among many demands which were raised by Gandhiji through a letter to Viceroy Irwin.The Salt March or Dandi March was started by Gandhiji on 12th March 1930. He was accompanied by 78 volunteers. They walked for 24 days to cover a distance of 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi. Many more people joined them in the way. On 6th April 1930, Gandhiji ceremonially violated the law by taking a fistful of salt.The Salt March marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement. Thousands of people broke the salt law in different parts of the country. People demonstrated in front of government salt factories. The Foreign cloth was boycotted. Peasants refused to pay revenue. Village officials resigned. Tribal people violated forest laws.Response of British RulersThe colonial government began to arrest the Congress leaders. This led to violent clashes in many places. Mahatma Gandhi was arrested about a month later. People began to attack the symbols of British rule; such as police posts, municipal buildings, law courts and railway stations. The government’s repression was quite brutal. Even women and children were beaten up. About 100,000 people were arrested.Round Table ConferenceWhen things began to take a violent turn, Mahatma Gandhi called off the movement. He signed a pact with Irwin on 5th March 1931. This was called the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. As per the Pact, Gandhiji agreed to participate in the Round Table Conference in London. In lieu of that, the government agreed to release the political prisoners.Gandhiji went to London in December 1931. The negotiations broke down and Gandhiji had to return with disappointment.When Gandhiji came back to India, he found that most of the leaders were put in jail. Congress had been declared illegal. Many measures were taken to prevent meetings, demonstrations and boycotts. Mahatma Gandhi relaunched the Civil Disobedience Movement. By 1934, the movement had lost its momentum.People’s Perception Of The MovementFarmers: For the farmers, the fight for Swaraj was a struggle against high revenues. When the movement was called off in 1931; without the revenue rates being revised; the farmers were highly disappointed. Many of them refused to participate when the movement was re-launched in 1932. The small tenants just wanted the unpaid rent to the landlord to be remitted. They often joined the radical movements which were led by Socialists and Communists. Congress did not want to alienate the rich landlords and hence, the relationship between the poor peasants and Congress was uncertain.Businessmen: The Indian merchants and industrialists could grow their business during the First World War. They were against those colonial policies which restricted their business activities. They wanted protection against imports and a rupee-sterling foreign exchange ratio which would discourage imports. The Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress was formed in 1920 and the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) was formed in 1927. These were the results of attempts to bring the common business interests on a common platform. For the businessmen, Swaraj meant an end to oppressive colonial policies. They wanted an environment which could allow the business to flourish. They were apprehensive of militant activities and of growing influence of socialism among the younger members of the Congress.Industrial Workers: The industrial workers showed a lukewarm response to the Civil Disobedience Movement. Since industrialists were closer to the Congress, workers kept a distance from the movement. But some workers selectively participated in the Movement. Congress did not want to alienate the industrialists and hence preferred to keep the workers’ demands at bay.Women’s ParticipationWomen also participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement in large numbers. However, most of the women were from high-caste families in the urban areas and from rich peasant households in the rural areas. But for a long time, the Congress was reluctant to give any position of authority to women within the organization. The Congress was just keen on the symbolic presence of women.The Limits Of Civil DisobedienceParticipation of DalitsInitially, Congress used to ignore the dalits; because it did not want to alienate the conservative high-caste Hindus. But Mahatma Gandhi was of the view to bring social reforms to improve the plight of the dalits. Mahatma Gandhi declared that without removing the practice of untouchability, Swaraj could not be achieved.Many Dalit leaders wanted a different political solution to the problems of the Dalit community. They demanded reserved seats in educational institutions and separate electorate for Dalits. Dalit participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement was limited.Dr. B R Ambedkar organized the Dalits into the Depressed Classes Association in 1930. He clashed with Mahatma Gandhi; during the second Round Table Conference; on the issue of separate electorate for dalits.When the British government conceded Ambedkar’s demand, Gandhi began a fast unto death. Finally, Ambedkar had to accept Gandhiji’s position. This resulted in the signing of the Poona Pact of September 1932. It made the provision for reserved seats for the Depressed Classes in provincial and central legislative councils. But the voting was to be done by the general electorate.Participation of MuslimsAfter the decline of the Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement, a large section of Muslims became alienated from the Congress. From the mid-1920s, the Congress was more visibly associated with the Hindu religious nationalist groups.The Congress and the Muslim League tried to renegotiate an alliance. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was an important leader of the Muslim League. He was willing to give up the demand for separate electorate. But he wanted reserved seats for Muslims in the Central Assembly. He also wanted representation in proportion to the population in the Muslim-dominated provinces (Punjab and Bengal). At the All Parties Conference in 1928, M R Jayakar of the Hindu Mahasabha strongly opposed the efforts at compromise. This further alienated the Muslims from the Congress.The Sense Of Collective BelongingNationalism spreads when people begin to believe that they are all part of the same nation when they discover some unity that binds them together. The united struggles for independence helped in building the sense of collective belonging. Additionally, a variety of cultural processes also captured the spirit of nationalism.Nation Depicted in Images: The identity of the nation is most often symbolized in a figure or image; with which people can identify the nation. The image of Bharat Mata was the pictorial representation of the motherland. ‘Vande Mataram’ the national song was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the 1870s. This was sung during the Swadeshi movement in Bengal. Different artists projected their own version of Bharat Mata.Folklores: Many nationalist leaders took help of folk tales to spread the idea of nationalism. It was believed that the folk tales revealed the true picture of traditional culture.National Flag: The national flag which we see today has evolved through various stages. A tricolour (red, green and yellow) was used during the Swadeshi movement. There were eight lotuses on it which depicted the eight provinces of British India. There was a crescent moon on the flag which represented Hindus and Muslims. Gandhiji had designed the Swaraj flag by 1921. It was also a tricolour (red, green and white) and there was a spinning wheel in the centre.Reinterpretation of History: Many Indians felt that the British had given a different interpretation of the Indian history. They felt that it was important to interpret the history from an Indian perspective. They wanted to glorify the rich past of India so that the Indians could feel proud of their history