The Hindu Business Line : Lunging Lyngdoh

APPARENTLY, the privileges and immunities of his post have gone to the head of the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr J. M. Lyngdoh, to an extent that he considers moderation an over-rated virtue. From the safe sanctuary of his position as a Constitutional functionary not answerable to any other authority, he imagines he can hurl abuses at all and sundry. During his visit to Gujarat, along with his fellow Commissioners, to assess the situation in the run-up to the State Assembly election, he permitted himself all manner of intemperate observations against the State machinery and freely indulged in chastising senior officials before their own juniors — something that is held to be against all canons of civilised behaviour all over the world.

His proneness to resort to provocative bluster has once again asserted itself when, throwing all reticence to the winds, he recently riled against politicians, calling them all sorts of names — incurable cancer, downright cheats, uncommitted to democracy, unconcerned with individual freedom and so on. He was not prepared to admit of even a single exception to his wholesale condemnation of politicians. It did not occur to him that, in launching this kind of tirade, he ironically showed himself to be no different from those he lambasted for "not even knowing how to talk politely" or understanding "basic courtesies". God knows there is plenty that is despicable with the political class. That is so not only in India, but in other democracies as well. But, equally, other sections of the polity too have their patent failings. Indeed, there has been a rapid deterioration in the functioning of Constitutional authorities as also other institutions set up to serve the people. In every field, values are crumbling. To single out politicians alone for blame and then too, to assert that everyone of them is a cheat, a curse and worse, is a bit much even for one of Mr Lyngdoh's temperament.

Denunciations have never been known to bring about an improvement in any walk of life. Instead, we must create conditions which would lessen the propensity to exploit the existing institutions to self-serving ends by any class of players — whether it be politicians, bureaucrats, police, judges, teachers, media, whatever. I see rays of hope in the panchayati raj institutions and in the spread of education and awareness. I also see information technology and a wired society as the best guarantees of transparency and accountability. Let us hope Mr Lyngdoh after his retirement in February will work constructively to raise the quality of citizenry and remedy the ills he is bemoaning. Best of all, he should join politics and demonstrate how a good politician should be!

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