Government with a difference!

The difference has started showing within two days. For the first time in the history of the republic, we have a Prime Minister who plays on the front foot, who has clarity on the direction the country should take and the measures that would need to be taken to propel the nation towards prosperity and development.

Inviting the heads of SAARC nations for the historic swearing in served twin purposes – first to convey  the message that the country wants good relations with its neighbors and second that India is emerging into a nation that cannot be messed around with. Our heads swell with pride at the bold assertion of the nation’s sovereignty and self respect.

The setting up of a special investigation team for bringing back black money stashed in safe havens abroad clearly shows the will of the new government to eradicate corrupt practices. The missive in the form of an advisory to the members of his cabinet to abstain from nepotism in all their dealings and also not to splurge on improving offices and residences is akin to long awaited music to the ears. 

His message is loud and clear. Gone are the days when we had a reactive chief executive, we are now in an era where the top guy knows what needs to be achieved, how it needs to be achieved and believes that the conduct of those in the business of governance has to be exemplary and above board. The conduct of the government in the first two days gives me ample confidence that the slogan “Acche din aane wale hain” was not merely an exercise in creating a feel good factor.

I am absolutely certain that the message would also have traveled right across the bureaucratic spectrum and would be giving shivers in the spine of the corrupt, especially those who were brazenly indulging in corrupt practices and also exploitation of the government machinery for their personal gains. Yet fixing the bureaucrats would indeed be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack given the chameleon like traits that are widely prevalent in this tribe. Most of the tainted bureaucrats would have already dumped their old masters and would be busy attempting to attach themselves to the new guy in the chair.

The last ten years in the life of this nation displayed the worst that is possible to showcase in the arena of governance. The series of scams – with CWG taking the cake for brazen corruption and accompanied by the likes of 2G, 3G, Coalgate, Railgate, Chara and Adarsh to name a few had jolted the collective conscience of the nation. Open corruption at apex levels inspired the hoi polloi also to partake of the loot whenever they found an opportunity. It is indeed sad that our nation had emerged as an entity where each and every single interaction of the ruler and the ruled was invariably laced with graft. Apparently the book on ethics was thrown out of the window at the first opportunity.

Corruption is an issue, the biggest issue that now stares at this nation, yet it is merely a symptom of a much deeper malaise in governance, in the complexity of our decision making and contractual processes. Why a system designed for the british to rule over Indians is being continued even after sixty seven years of self rule, I wonder? The large number of thumb impressions that are required both for decision making as well as contracting provide a convenient shroud for the corrupt as well as the waster, and unless this realization dawns in, the republic would never get cleansed of this malaise.

Yet for the first time, we the people of India have great expectations, that have a fair chance of being realized and therein lies the ray of hope, the first ray of a rising sun that has started falling on this land, mercifully.

The search begins!

The nation searches for a leader.

In a Loktantra governed through Prajatantra and therefore an overall dismal failure so far, the search for a leader is once again center stage. With the ruling dispensation projecting the royal heir apparent and the opposition rooting for Modi, the guy who turned around Gujarat, the populace would once again have to make a choice between two commodities, both of which have their obvious pluses and minuses.  It however is undeniable that the Modi wave has taken the nation, almost by storm.

It is true that Modi has found favor amongst almost all the sections of the society. The rickshaw wala, the panwala and the small time grocer, all are rooting for Modi and rightly so, if he has proved to be the messiah for Gujarat, he has the potential to be one for the nation too.  The brightest ray of hope is apparently visible.

Since the last over six decades, the gullible public of this nation has been bending over backwards to place on the pedestal anyone who appears inclined to take the nation forward. Yet its hopes have regularly been belied as the nation has rapidly proceeded downhill and at the same time provided ample opportunities for loot by the cohorts of the chosen guy. Bofors, disinvestment, 2G, 3G, CWG, Chara, Coalgate, Adarsh and many others, the loot that has perpetually been on has picked up speed during the last couple of years. The gullible public in its heart of hearts sincerely wants someone at the helm who will stem the rot and take the nation forward, and that someone as things appear now is either Rahul or Modi. A progressive young heir versus a man of integrity and conviction who is steeped in deliverance. The battle is indeed going to be exacting and interesting.

It is indeed a turning time for Hindustan. The previous year witnessed the maturing of a nation, the constituents of which inspired by the clarion call against corruption started turning out on the streets of many of its major cities. For the first time ever, the average Indian moved out from the comforts of his home to the streets, heeding an undeniable call of conscience.

What is going on presently cannot be allowed to go on perpetually. The various scams are indeed a blot on the collective conscience of the nation. An operation clean up is the need of the hour and the first step in this direction has apparently been taken at Panaji yesterday.

May God pull this nation out of the morass it has brought itself to!

India whining!

We would ultimately get what we deserve, despite exhortations to the contrary.

The recent uproar against corruption needs to be viewed in its true perspective.  Yes the CWG, 2G, Adarsh, Coal G, DLF and the disabled, all purported scams of an impressive order rightly highlighted by the recent crusades have brought corruption center stage in this nation that has always silently accepted a customary greasy interaction of the masses with the sarkari tantra. Customary because it has almost become a custom in this nation for sarkari mulazims to seek payment for services rendered and silently because the practice is so deeply pervasive that even a thought of deviation appears sacrilege. The sarkari tantra therefore is seen by the populace as machinery meant to rule not serve and therefore any service by it is regarded neither a right nor an obligation.

Why this great national aspiration for political or bureaucratic careers, the fundamental components of the tantra? During the initial years post independence, the aspiration was to serve the nation and the political or the bureaucratic route was obviously the only one available. For Nehru, Patel, Shastri and many other politicians of that era, a position was merely a means to serve the nation, a nation that they indeed served selflessly. Such high levels of dedication and commitment are unfortunately now passé. The bureaucrats of that era were also full of nationalistic zeal and fervour that vanished in a few decades. The times have indeed changed and an impeccable conduct on the part of a politico or a bureaucrat is now generally considered out of the ordinary.

Many would hold the system responsible and rightly so, though it is a system that we had the liberty to design and evolve. Yet we miserably failed if the yawning gaps in almost all sectors are any indication. Perhaps our misdirected efforts that veered us away from providing a sound educational system to the nation led to the current morass and a sound national character never got built. The political arena that earlier witnessed the entry of only highly committed and principled citizens slowly became more and more difficult as well as costly to enter. With passage of time many started viewing politics as an enterprise where an initial investment leads to hefty benefits in the long run. Mere commitment and the desire to do something for the nation were slowly proving to be inadequate reasons and this shift is the root cause behind the massive indulgence in corrupt practices and muscle power by politicians in connivance with bureaucrats, few exceptions apart. 

Simultaneously, the bureaucracy also miserably failed in sticking to the high ground that its forefathers had set at the onset of a free nation. The growing rut that the bureaucratic system steadily witnessed ensured that a sarkari job started being looked upon as the best route for a comfortable existence in a nation plagued by shortages and a worsening economic scenario.  

With few exceptions that can generally be counted on fingertips, power and money have now emerged as the sole motives for entering the political or the bureaucratic arena. An extremely unfortunate scenario for a nation that after over six decades of existence as a free nation is still bracketed as developing, a situation that displays no signs of abetting in the foreseeable future!

Both India and China gained independence at almost the same period, yet China has emerged as an economic powerhouse with an infrastructure at par with the best in the world and India? India is still grappling with basic issues of sanitation, roads, power, water and housing and above all abject poverty and deprivation, issues that unlike other developing countries are amply visible even in the capital city of Delhi.  The situation in the villages and towns in the back of the beyond is beyond perception of the cocktail crowd. Many would however argue that China being a communist nation could do things that a democratic India could not.  Partly true but the rapid prowess of Germany and Japan in almost the same period after their almost thorough demolition during the second world war would appear inexplicable to most of us. And Japan is a nation that has a much higher population density than India. A high population turned to an advantage through able governance. Yes, the excuses that most of us trot out for the glaring failures of the nation may appeal in isolation, but would fade away if viewed with a global perspective.

It is primarily a directional failure. When India came of its own in 1947, it had no real infrastructure except perhaps the railways built by the british, yet what it had in plenty was a burgeoning population that unfortunately displayed symptoms of poverty and deprivation. The only way the abject poverty and deprivation could have been tackled and the country placed on a growth path was through education, education that would have enabled the citizens to get jobs and indulge in enterprise. Unfortunately it was not to be. If we were really educated, we would have appreciated that the only thing that can take a nation forward is delivery, delivery that leads to generation of wealth for economic growth. We would also have appreciated that our sincerity towards the nation can only be assessed by our own actions and mere pontification would not take the nation anywhere. We have also failed to realize that the only way we can contribute positively to nation building is by ensuring that all our actions lead to enhanced production of goods and services. The very fact that all of us, including those in the service of the sarkar look upon the government to somehow, through a sleight of its hand, take us out of the morass we are living in, speaks volumes about the national mindset.  

Nations do not rise sans toil and sacrifices of its constituents and merely achieving consumer goods in plenty can by no stretch of imagination be regarded as the sign of a nation having arrived. Nation building takes decades of concerted efforts and mere rhetoric can at best give false expectations. That there is no alternative to a sound educational system either is a thought that needs to go deep in the psyche of the government machinery to enable true development, not merely marginal spurts and pockets of delivery and excellence that can be showcased only for taking the world for a ride.   

Perhaps the will is there but the flesh has always been weak. If only wishes were horses!

Corruption - Beyond the CBI & CVC

Corruption! Is it really beyond the CVC, CBI and the Courts now?

Yes, it is true that despite the presence of elaborate set ups like the CVC, CBI and a plethora of Courts of various hues, the menace of corruption has been touching new highs with each passing day. A new scam makes its entry on the horizon even before the import of the previous one is fully assimilated by the masses. It is a never ending cycle, almost like the non-stop landing of planes at a busy airport. CWG, 2G, Adarsh and the Coalgate, all got fired in rapid succession as if they were bullets in the defense of the nation. And there have been many more scams before, irrespective of the party in power, that the aam aadmi directly affected by acts of petty corruption covering his every interaction with the sarkari tantra, is unable to retain in his limited memory cells.

CVC & CBI, the overworked organs of the state have almost lost the battle that they were designed to fight. Partly because it appears as if these are the only organs of the state that are mandated to fight corruption, while the others are mandated to perpetuate. That vigilance is the fundamental duty of every executive has unfortunately remained a distant thought in the Indian bureaucratic system.

Tremendous and continued emphasis on fighting corruption has started taking a visible toll on delivery. That the aim of the nation or for that matter any organization has to be delivery should never be in doubt. Eliminating corruption or making people honest can and should never be the aim except when “being on the take” starts hampering delivery. And yes in India it has hampered delivery in the first sixty five years of existence as a free nation and therefore warrants a head on approach. But will a head on approach as is widely visible in the nation, through the aegis of the mandated agencies, be able to give results. May be it will, but the results so far are not in tune with the size of the problem.   

Perhaps the tantra needs to look at issues differently if its drive to eliminate corruption from the face of the country has to show results. The complexity of the processes invariably provides an effective shield to the corrupt and the only way forward lies in the simplification of the complex processes, at all levels. Let us reduce the number of thumb impressions per decision and if possible eliminate or drastically reduce files. This will improve productivity, fix accountability and in the process decimate corruption. Everyone will then be fully accountable for his or her acts of omission or commission and will either pay the price for non-deliverance or enjoy the fruits of delivery in the backdrop of an immediate exposure for acts of impropriety. The process driven, not delivery oriented complex contracting mechanisms that have so far guaranteed shortcomings in quality, quantities and timely execution besides creating ample opportunities for loot also need to be overhauled.

We have to accept that our decision-making and contractual mechanisms, designed in the garb of providing transparency have failed and therefore deserve a total overhaul. This overhaul that may prove to be the single most effective weapon in the battle against corruption has to be wielded by the executive, not the mandated agencies. Status quoism perhaps prevents the executive to make the first move and may be rightly so as many have paid the price of coming out of the shell in their quest for being change agents. 

Yes, it is true that this path is a difficult one. The conventional route is high on visibility, many shades easier and also creates a mirage of action, when none is actually taking place.

The thought processes have to undergo a radical change. 

Insha Allah!

Rotting governance!

The ongoing mud slinging over the coal gate scam is perhaps one of the rare lows that the nation has ever witnessed. That the affairs of the nation shall come to such a pass would have been an unimaginable scenario for the founding fathers of the nation, who without even a shred of doubt would in recent times be madly turning in their graves.

After CWG, 2G, NRHM and Adarsh came Coalgate, the mother of all scams that has changed the way the people of this nation will perceive corruption in the future. The ballgame is now entirely different with figures of the money raked in being in trillions, millions and billions having hit the dust fairly early in the race.

Jokes apart, the situation is indeed tragic. If the office of the top guy and the top guy himself are now not above suspicion, the country has no option other than remaining resigned to its fate.  Cutting across party lines, almost every single politico, ably assisted and abetted by the senior bureaucracy, is busy generating wealth for himself and his family, at the cost of the nation. And the bureaucrats are also making hay while the sun shines.

How does the common man, the common man of Laxman, who is devoid of money or powerful connections survive and lead a life of dignity? The answer is that there is no way he can and therefore he does not. Perhaps the common man himself is involved, in his own small way in partaking of the loot that is on in the entire country, for how else does one explain that only the neta and the babu are corrupt and the common man is not. Both the neta and the babu are products of our society and therefore represent the same in true letter and spirit.

The tragedy of the scenario is not merely in the scams galore, but in the silent acceptance by many of the glaring loot by a few. Being a part of the complex sarkari machinery is even worse as being a close witness to the widely pervasive sloth and rot in the machinery for change and delivery dampens hope for many.

Yet, with a faint ray of hope, life moves on!

Amen!   

The season of scams

It is an extended season of scams with the latest “toothpaste” variety literally taking the cake. The race for distinction started with the games when even footpaths and racetracks literally transformed themselves into mints.  The 2G, NRHM and the ideal scam (adarsh) followed with the ideal setting new peaks with the high and mighty literally usurping the rights of those who laid their lives for the nation.  And there have been many more and tempered by age and the sheer numbers, my memory is not able to keep pace.

The only good thing about the scams is that they have not been petty and the figures have never fallen foul of a couple of tens of thousands of crores. Yes, it appears that the nation has indeed made it to the big league and shall never again be found wanting if ever nations are ranked on the basis of “moolah” made by those who sit on the roof.

And why not? Corruption is now our national fabric and why single out the high and mighty? Petty corruption has almost engulfed the nation and no service or sector has been left untouched.  Any business with the sarkar at any level, cutting across sectors and shades of governance is invariably tainted by the customary greasing of palms.

Even definitions have changed. Corrupt is either the one who rakes in the moolah yet never delivers or who charges rates beyond the established norms. Gone are the days when government service was a noble means to serve the society, now it is simply a lifestyle. Gone are those youngsters who joined service with bubbly enthusiasm and loads of principles. Now what the start-ups look forward to are loads of “moolah” and bubbly lifestyles. What a change in the last two or maybe three decades.

Corruption of the professional kind is not even blinked at. Highly damaging, yet it does not invite even raised eyebrows and that is indeed a cause for concern. The entire fabric has become so corrupted that it is almost an impossibility for any one, within or outside the system to be able to deal with the system in a straight way. And yet the masters, both political and bureaucratic merely skirt the most important issue plaguing the nation in favor of the ordinary and the mundane, and that too merely to give a semblance of earning their salaries.

So why blame the top alone. It is almost like the kettle blaming the pot and this game shall continue unblemished till the time the system does not change the way decisions are taken and contracts are entered into. Unfortunately the realization that the rabid complexity of the tantra has led to low deliverance and demise of value based systems has not yet dawned on the powers that be.

Amen!

"Adarsh" conduct

The fact that corruption has permeated the entire fabric of the society cannot be denied even by the extremely corrupt elements amongst us. But considering the fact that there is some honor even amongst thieves, the adarsh society scam has set new benchmarks in how deep our bureaucrats, politicians and even men in uniform can dive. Manipulating sea facing flats built in the name of Kargil heroes is perhaps the ultimate in the moral degradation of the society.

CWG 2010 was unique in that it set new benchmarks in the levels of corruption in our society. The “Adarsh” scam is unique in that it has shown how unethical and manipulative are even those who are supposed to guard the bureaucratic systems and also our frontiers. The “Adarsh” scam has overshadowed the CWG scam and has even pushed it out of media. Another recent scam has nudged the “Adarsh” from the media and soon something else will take over the media space.

Public memory being short and the new scams surfacing with almost amazing regularity, the perpetrators are likely to be soon forgotten and also get out of the net only to enjoy their “billions” in peace.

Long live the nation.