The Hindu Business Line : Cancer eating into India

THE Chief Election Commissioner, Mr J. M. Lyngdoh, has opened his mouth once again on the nation's tribe of politicians and, expectedly, what he said will not be music to its ears. This time, the country's top poll official has been more than usually harsh, describing politicians as a "cancer afflicting the body politic of India".

He also described the ailment as having "no cure at the moment", going so far as to predict "death" because of it. He underscored the point (as reported) that there was no politician in the country committed to democracy and the welfare of the people.

The most important message that flows from these observations is that the nation is being weighed down by the wrong sort of politicians and that, therefore, nothing good can result until and unless they are replaced by a new set of practitioners of the politician's art in India. This is, by and large, a doomsday message. But is the national outlook all that hopeless if no change is effected at the politicians' level?

The answer actually depends on the perspective one adopts when looking at the nation's problems. Take, for example, the views of a technocrat who, when asked about his reaction to the recently held elections to four State Assemblies, replied: "The results have been perceived in a positive manner by the investors. It will lead to overall political stability and one can look forward to the continuation of the economic reforms programme by the Central Government."

Clearly, the convergence point of Mr Lyngdoh's proposition and that of Indian technocracy (at least in this specific case) is the issue of "governance". Since governance is the business of politicians in power, it can only be as good or as bad as the politicians involved.

And if the CEC's views hold good, then the governance which our nameless technocrat refers to cannot but be poor. If it is, in fact, poor, what are the prospects for a sensible long-term development agenda being drawn up for the nation?

So what should the average citizen expect? Specifically, should he be worried that because of a poor set of politicians at the helm of power and also those who play the role of the Opposition, the country, as an economic unit, will not be able to live up to expectations, which, by any stretch of the imagination, are fully justified given the rich resource base of the nation?

If the answer is no, then there really is no problem to be worried about except that the CEC should be more circumspect in his utterances. But if yes, what is to be done to give India a fair chance in the ongoing battle for supremacy in the international economic league of nations?

This question is more easily asked than answered because, under our Constitutional arrangement, the "cancer" itself has to devise methods to remedy the situation, which seems to be an impossibility in the present circumstances. And yet the nation must continue to live and prosper.

One tempting path to take would be: why break one's head over politicians and their antics? Just concentrate on efforts to rake in the moolah while the going is good, and hope for the best for the nation's governance, ethics, etc. Very attractive indeed, but can Man live on bread alone?

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Connecting right

Managing forex reserves — Asian Bond Fund as a safety mechanism

Cancer eating into India

Embers of argument after a fire disaster

Avoidance and evasion are birds of different hues

The rate rattle in a refund battle

Obscure contours of a conduit

Corporate scandals — Is there enough will to prevent them?

Is the dollar-heap a hand grenade with a loose pin?