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Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of organization.

It may refer to personal conduct or family units but more commonly refers to larger scale activities, i.e., professions, industry bodies, religions and political units (usually referred to as Local Government), up to and including autonomous regions and aboriginal peoples (or others within nation-states who enjoy some sovereign rights). It falls within the larger context of governance and principles such as consent of the governed, and may involve non-profit organizations and corporate governance.

It can be used to describe a people or group being able to exercise all of the necessary functions of power without intervention from any authority which they cannot themselves alter. Self rule is associated then in contexts where there is the end of colonial rule, absolute government or monarchy, as well as demands for autonomy by religious, ethnic or geographic regions which perceive themselves as being unrepresented or underrepresented in a national government. It is therefore a fundamental tenet of republican government and democracy as well as nationalism. Gandhi's term "swaraj" (see also "satygraha") is a branch of this self rule ideology. Another major proponent of self-rule when a government's actions are immoral is Thoreau.

Generally when self-governance of nation-states is discussed, it is called national sovereignty - a concept important in international law.

This article focuses on the self-governance of professions, industries including unions, and formal or informal political units including ethnic or ethical 'nations' not defined by national borders, and of religious organizations, which have professional and political elements. There are many historical examples of such organizations or groups, and some, e.g., the Roman Catholic Church, the Freemasons, the Iroquois Confederacy, have histories going back centuries, including vast bodies of precedent and shared culture and knowledge.

A means of self-governance usually comprises at least the following:

• an ethical code that outlines acceptable behavior within the unit or group, e.g., the Hippocratic Oath of doctors, established professional ethics, the Ten Key Values of Green parties.
• some set of criteria whereby an outside legal code or political authority can be called in - unless the group itself opposes such authority, e.g., organized crime groups which are self-governing almost by definition.
• a means of ensuring that outside authority does not become involved unless and until these criteria are satisfied, usually a code of silence regarding the activities of insiders when conversing with outsiders.
• a process for registering and resolving grievances, e.g., medical malpractice, union procedures, and for achieving closure regarding them.
• the power to discipline its own members, ranging from fines and censure up to and including killing them, e.g., the Irish Republican Army, mafia or Tong groups, and militaries (see Uniform Code of Military Justice)
• a means of selecting or electing leaders, e.g. a voting system, gang wars, identification of divinely selected individuals (e.g., Dalai Lama discovery).
• a means of controlling parties, factions, tendencies or other sub-groups that seek to break away and form new entities that would compete with the group or organization that already exists.

Some degree of consensus decision making is usually involved in any self-governance system, if only because individual members of the group may choose to violate the criteria for invoking outside authority, break the code of silence, or otherwise cause the group to lose its autonomy. For instance, any member of the mafia can, and many do, "rat" (inform) on their colleagues, gaining a new identity, e.g., via the FBI Witness protection program in the U.S.. Such betrayal ends the individuals' involvement in the group, and he can no longer access its unique social capital. However, he will remember the instructional capital and possibly be able to restart activities without the help of his former group. To curtail this possibility, most groups have very powerful means of coercion to prevent breakaway factions (or, in religions, "heresies") from competing directly with the old group.

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (May 2009)

• Bird, C. (2000). "The Possibility of Self-Government". The American Political Science Review, 94(3), 563-577

See also[link]

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Internet Governance

• United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories
• Anarchism
• Autonomy
• Interdependence
• Leave Us Kids Alone
• Lord of the Flies (book)
• Reciprocity
• Secession
• Self-awareness
• Self-determination
• Self-reference
• Sociocracy
• Swaraj
• urban autonomy
• bioregional democracy

Dennis "Bumpy" Pu‘uhonua Kanahele is a Hawaiian nationalist leader and titular head of state of the group Nation of Hawai'i. He spearheaded the founding of Pu‘uhonua o Waimānalo, a Hawaiian cultural village and traditional lo‘i kalo (taro paddy) agricultural restoration project in Waimānalo, Hawai‘i. Pu‘uhonua is a Hawaiian word meaning "sanctuary" or "place of refuge".

The Nation of Hawai‘i group, which administers the village, regards itself as a sovereign government under international law, acting as a successor state to the independent Kingdom of Hawai‘i and therefore not subject to United States rule. Kanahele, like many Hawaiians, claims to be a descendant of King Kamehameha I.^[1]

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Kanahele became known for militant activism on behalf of Hawaiian sovereignty, publicly resisting U.S. federal and state laws.

In 1993—the 100th anniversary of the U.S. seizure of power in Hawai‘i, and the year in which the U.S. passed a joint resolution of Congress apologizing for that action—Kanahele led 300 people in an occupation of Makapu‘u beach.

After 15 months, Gov. John D. Waihee III proposed a deal: If Kanahele and his group would leave Makapu‘u beach peacefully, the state would give them a 45-acre (18 hectare) parcel above Waimānalo in the foothills of the Ko‘olau Mountains. Kanahele's group signed a renewable 55-year lease at a cost of $3,000 a year, and in June 1994, Pu‘uhonua o Waimānalo came into being.

In 1998, Kanahele was sentenced to four months in prison for interfering with U.S. marshals seeking to arrest a federal fugitive. The judge gave Kanahele credit for the three and a half months he spent in prison without bail. The judge also fined him $500 and ordered him to spend another four months under electronic monitoring at his Waimānalo home.

In 2002, Gov. Benjamin J. Cayetano granted Kanahele a full pardon. Kanahele vowed to avoid all violence, choosing instead a Gandhian path of passive civil resistance.

In 2005, Kanehele has spoken out against the proposed Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act (S.147, known as the Akaka Bill) currently pending in the Senate, and has called upon Native Hawaiians to establish their own bank.

See also[link]

• Legal status of Hawaii

References[link]

1. ^ Tizon, Tomas Alex; "Rebuilding a Hawaiian Kingdom", article in the Los Angeles Times, July 21, 2005. [1]

External links[link]

• Bumpy Kanahele's personal website
• Pro-independence website maintained by the Nation of Hawai‘i
• Foes [of Akaka Bill] share opposition, little else Honolulu Advertiser, August 14, 2005
• Akaka Bill interview with Bumpy Kanahele in MauiTime Weekly, September 1, 2005

Arvind Kejriwal
Arvind Kejriwal
Born	(1968-06-16) 16 June 1968 (age 44) Hissar, Haryana
Education	B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering
Alma mater	IIT Kharagpur
Organization	Parivartan (परिवर्तन) Public Cause Research Foundation India Against Corruption
Political movement	2012 Indian anti-corruption movement 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement Right to Information Jan Lokpal Bill
Religion	Hinduism
Children	3
Website
http://www.pcrf.in/

Arvind Kumar Kejriwal (born 16 June 1968) is a retired Indian Revenue Service officer and an Indian social activist fighting for greater transparency in Government.^[1] He was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2006, for activating India's Right to Information movement at grassroots and social activities to empower the poorest citizens to fight corruption by holding the government answerable to the people.^[2][3][2][2] Kejriwal is also a Saathi (fellow) of the Association for India's Development,^[4] a Global Impact award winning NGO.^[5]

Early life[link]

Arvind Kejriwal was born in a Marwari family in Hissar, Haryana in 1968.^[1] His father was an engineer and he spent most of his childhood living in small northern Indian towns like Sonepat, Mathura and Hissar. He did his schooling from Campus School.^[6] Kejriwal graduated from IIT Kharagpur as a Mechanical engineer in 1989.^[7][8]

Career[link]

Kejriwal joined Tata Steel right after his graduation from IIT Kharagpur. Kejriwal quit his job with Tata Steel in 1992^{[citation needed]} and spent some time working with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, the Ramakrishna Mission in the North-East India and Nehru Yuva Kendra.^[9][10]

Kejriwal joined the Indian Revenue Service in 1995 after qualifying the highly competitive IAS examination.^[10] In February 2006, he voluntarily resigned from the IRS as Joint Commissioner in IT Department.^[11] After voluntary resignation from job, he founded Parivartan, a Delhi based citizens’ movement which works on ensuring a just, transparent and accountable governance. In December 2006, Kejriwal along with Manish Sisodia and Abhinandan Sekhri started Public Cause Research Foundation, which works for promoting better local self governance and RTI related campaigns^[12]

Right to Information[link]

He along with Aruna Roy and others, campaigned for the Right to Information Act (RTI), which soon became a silent social movement, Delhi Right to Information Act was passed in 2001^[7] and eventually at national level Indian Parliament passed the RTI in 2005. Thereafter, in July 2006, he spearheaded an awareness campaign for RTI across India.^[13] To motivate others Arvind has now instituted an RTI Award through his organisation.^[14] Kejriwal has been using RTI in corruption cases in many government departments including the Income Tax department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Delhi Electricity Board and others.^[9][15]

Jan Lokpal Bill[link]

As a member of India Against Corruption (IAC) Kejriwal is an active participant in the movement for the enactment of Jan Lokpal Bill. He is considered a key figure along with social activist Anna Hazare.^[16] On August 16, 2011, Key members of the India Against Corruption including Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, and Manish Sisodia were arrested four hours before the planned indefinite hunger strike by Hazare.^[17] Rajan Bhagat, spokesman for Delhi Police, said police arrested Hazare under a legal provision that bans public gatherings and protests at the park in Delhi where Hazare was planning to begin his hunger strike. Activists were later released same day although they spent two more days in the Tihar jail negotiating conditions put on protest.^[18] Kejriwal left the jail on August 18 and the protests started the following day from Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.^[19] After twelve days of protests and many discussions between the government and the activists, Parliament passed a resolution to consider three points in drafting of Lokpal bill.^[20]

Controversies[link]

Swami Agnivesh a former colleague of Kejriwal in Team Anna accused Arvind Kejriwal of diverting money from India Against Corruption (IAC) fund to his (Kejriwal's) own NGO. Kejriwal allegedly deposited Rs 70-80 lakh from IAC fund in his own NGO. The money was raised as the donation to IAC.^[21] Mr. Kejriwal responded to the allegation that the IAC was a "movement" not an institution and that PCRF was working as a secretariat for IAC.^[22]

In an article published in the Hindu newspaper in 22 August 2011, Booker prize winning author and civil rights activist Arundhati Roy alleged that an NGO run by Kejriwal received a donation of USD 400,000 from the Ford Foundation in the past 3 years.^[23] Arvind Kejriwal has since admitted that the NGO Kabir he runs along with Manish Sisodia, did receive funds from the New York-based Ford Foundation, but pointed out that it had stopped about two years ago. Kejriwal dismissed the view held by some which suggested that Ford Foundation has historically been linked to CIA, the US intelligence agency that used it for channeling funds to its recipients in foreign countries.^[24][25]

Personal life[link]

Kejriwal is married to Sunita, who is an IRS officer his batchmate from National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie.^[8] They live just outside Delhi with their two children.^[10] and presently Additional Director in Serious Fraud Investigation Office.

Awards[link]

• 2004: Ashoka Fellow, Civic Engagement.^[9]
• 2005: 'Satyendra K. Dubey Memorial Award', IIT Kanpur for his campaign for bringing transparency in Government.^[7]
• 2006: Ramon Magsaysay Award for Eminent Leadership.^[2][3]
• 2006: CNN-IBN, 'Indian of the Year' in Public Service^[26]
• 2009: Distinguished Alumnus Award, IIT Kharagpur for Eminent Leadership.^[1]
• 2010: Policy Change Agent of the Year, The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence along with Aruna Roy.^[27]
• 2011: NDTV Indian of the Year along with Anna Hazare^[28]

Arvind Kejariwal has also won an IIM Gold Medal.

Books[link]

The Right to Information : Vyawharik Margdarshika - Co-Author - Vishnu Rajgadia, Published by Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi. in the year 2008.^{[citation needed]}

Slipper Attack on Kejriwal[link]

Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal was attacked by a youth with a slipper during attending a program in Jhulelal Park Lucknow, India under India Against Corruption (IAC) anti-graft campaign.^[29]

After the incident, the accused was caught by the IAC volunteers and handed over to the police. Later, Mr. Kejriwal asked that the accused be released and did not file any FIR against him.^[30]

The accused was identified as Jitendra Pathak of Uttar Pradesh’s Jalaun district, who worked for the Indian National Congress from 2006-2009 and is a former member of Congress Sewa Dal.^[31] He was not a mere party worker but was responsible for key areas in Jhansi. As per the accused acceptance, he considers Rahul Gandhi as his role model.^[32][33]

Kejriwal's attacker Jitendra Pathak has been sacked from his job. He is working in a private construction company Ansh Project Service, Lucknow.^[34] On the other hand, Arvind Kejriwal has written a letter to the chairman of the company to take back their decision and to retain the accused. As per Kejriwal's ideology, violence can be stopped by non-violence only and taking Jitendra's job is violence against the accused and his family.^[35]

In a Sting operation done by India TV in Lucknow, the slipper threatened a bomb attack during Anna Hazare's anti-graft movement in Uttar Pradesh .^[36]

See also[link]

• Right to Information Act
• Jan Lokpal Bill
• India Against Corruption
• 2012 Indian anti-corruption movement
• 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arvind Kejriwal

• 'Parivartan' Official website
• 'Arvind Kejriwal' website
• 'Public Cause Research Foundation' Official website
• 'The Insurgent' by MEHBOOB JEELANI, The Caravan
• Arvind Kejriwal Interview BBC Hindi
• Arvind Kejriwal Interview BBC Hindi - Audio
• Jaago Re! "Usse kuchh farak padega kya?": Arvind Kejriwal on fighting corruption in India
• An Interview with Arvind Kejriwal
• 'Lokraj Andolan'
• 'India Against Corruption'
• 'Valmik Thapar Interviews Arvind Kejriwal'
• Follow Jan Lokpal Bill Movement