The Hindu Business Line : An issue of leadership

The latest report of Transparency International has declared — based on its own statistical findings — that India is not among the “truly corrupt” nations of the world, the country taking that unenviable top slot being Haiti.

The report said, quoting Transparency International officials: “In general, the most corrupt nations are those with “an extremely weak institutional setting”... In Haiti, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled in the face of an internal uprising and international pressure after he sought to move a number of his political allies into the highest positions within the justice system”. The report added: “However, a corrupt police force is still almost ubiquitous there, helping to cement the country’s place at the top of the most corrupt list”.

Weak comparison

So, at least, we are better off than Haiti, which should provide some comfort to those who have been crying themselves hoarse from the rooftop that the future of the Indian Republic is doomed because of the tightening tentacles of corruption in every walk of public life. But how much better? And is there any certainty that the situation will not get worse in the years ahead which would, among other things, make us a probable for the coveted position in the Corrupt League Table?

It is difficult to answer these questions, particularly with reference to a country such as Haiti, because, strictly speaking, the two countries cannot be compared to each other when it comes to estimating the level of corruption in their respective societies and drawing serious inferences about the future.

The main reason why a comparison of this sort will not be appropriate is the vastly different levels on which institutions of the two countries are based. Briefly, while Haiti has a “weak institutional setting”, India has one of the strongest, specially among the developing countries. Clearly, if the perceived corruption level is high in a society which has a strong institutional framework, then the malaise of corruption truly is holding the society concerned by the neck.

Tackling corruption

This is because in a society with weak or insecure institutions, the remedy for corruption would lie mainly in changing personnel — and not tampering with the institutions themselves, which is a much more complex and time-consuming process. But in a situation where institutions are well-founded and have been established for decades (as in India), the tackling of corruption cannot be kept confined to merely getting new people in top positions but will also have to include the functioning of the institutions as a whole. Clearly, this is a gigantic task which will need a lot of time (particularly in a democracy), not to speak of the fact that, in the first place, it may not be possible to find eligible “non-corrupt” people to do the cleansing.

Which brings us to the issue of “leadership” in society, which has rightly been targeted as a subject of prime importance on the 60th anniversary of Independence. The formulation of the problem is simple enough: India lacks good and effective leaders? How does one find them today and, more important, how does one make sure that they are placed in the right positions in society so as to make a material difference in the leadership of the republic?

Curiously, if one lives in a democracy where “leaders” are elected by the people, the answer should be simple, namely, the selection should be made at the hustings and the political parties concerned should make sure that the “right” people are placed in the right positions as far as the governance of the republic is concerned. But is this what is happening in India today? Are the right sort of people going into politics? Are the political parties putting up genuine “leaders” to fight the elections?

As recent discussions on the subject of leadership has shown, everyone seems to recognise that there is a problem — and a serious one at that involving the future of the Republic. As someone said, “The 30 per cent of India that is enjoying the benefits of liberalisation has to realise that there is a 70 per cent that is not. And if we if do not pay attention to that 70 per cent, it could have disastrous consequences”. And how do you begin to pay attention to that 70 per cent? To quote someone else: “Start with education. Change the mindset of the top brass. And embrace a new technology”. Then again, “The media should focus on real leaders instead of putrid heroes”. And, “Every citizen in every State should be part of the political process”.

Starting from scratch

Every one of these ideas is pregnant with possibilities, but where do you make a beginning — on the ground, that is? If it is a question of “catch’em young”, the political parties will have to be involved in the process. But the parties themselves are led by people, most of whom have failed to pass the test of acceptability. So does one have to start a new political party, from scratch? Who does the setting up?

To compete effectively in the world of politics, one has to be a politician oneself, a calling which (for no fault of their own) probably does not come naturally to all those who have taken it on themselves to focus on the issue of the lack of leadership in society.

It is abundantly clear that only a political party which has incorruptible people at its helm — particularly a charismatic leader — will be able to draw in large numbers the army of young citizens waiting to join the national political stream to implement their ideal of a clean and strong Indian society.

There is no doubt that, ultimately, the electorate will support such a political outfit after period of uncertainty. True, growing regionalism will be a roadblock for the smooth progress of a pan-India programme such as this, but the bigger hurdle is likely to be getting practising politicians with a difference to leave their existing parties and join the new “provide leadership” outfit.

Possibly, India has to get closer to the Haitian norm, as per Transparency International’s standards, for its “good” politicians to see the crisis staring the Republic in the face before they decide to take such a step.

The sooner this happens the better, but for the moment there seems to be no reprieve for the Republic from being led by people who prefer to follow the rules of so-called “pragmatic politics” instead of pursuing the “ideals of governance”.

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