CHENNAI: Speakers at a meeting on `Good governance — are our checks and balances adequate?' organised to commemorate the 64th memorial day of S. Satyamurti, highlighted the importance of mobilising citizens' support for checks and balances to maintain good governance.

The meeting, organised by Young Men's India Association and Satyamurti Centre for Democratic Studies (SCDS), on Saturday also paid rich tributes to Mr. Satyamurti's role during the freedom struggle and his role in nation building.

Senior advocate Geetha Ramaseshan said law was an important instrument of social change.

Thanks to the public interest litigation, people still felt that judiciary, despite drawing flak for certain judgments, was a measure of hope for getting justice.

She mentioned the role of the Right to Information Act acting as yet another tool to arrive at the truth.

Ms. Ramaseshan urged civil society to play an active role in seeking more accountability especially on issues concerning health, education and important socio-economic problems.

Former Union Revenue Secretary and Executive Director of the IMF, M.R. Sivaraman, traced how honest individuals in the bureaucracy were instrumental in initiating good governance.

New thinking

Columnist S. Gurumurthy called for a new thinking in the nation-building process, as the country was passing through a crucial period of globalisation.

Honorary Director of SCDS B.S. Raghavan underscored the importance of institutional integrity.

G. Narayanaswamy, president, and G. Subramaniam, Secretary of YMIA, spoke.

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