India and Germany, a study in contrast.
Over the weekend, I visited the exquisite German territory of Swabia. The Swabians are said to be obsessed with order! Some may find the attitude and state of mind of Germans amusing, but these are the very reasons Germany is what it is.
Strangely, even immigrants from Asia and Africa become ‘German' in their thinking and habits, if they have lived in this country long enough.
Mindset and Rule of Law
The 2011 report by the World Justice Project concludes that the German Government's accountability is ‘ strong' (ranking 5th out of 66 countries) and corruption is ‘minimal' (ranking 12th).The country's civil justice system ranks second, characterised by accessibility and efficiency of courts, and lack of undue influence. Much of this is attributed to the German mindset.
India, in contrast, ranks poorly. There are laws in place; the problem is execution. This is clearly reflected in the unsatisfactory performance of public administrative bodies.
The civil court system is ranked 48th out of 66, mainly because of deficiencies in access to justice, particularly in the areas of court congestion, enforcement, and delays in processing cases.
Corruption is rampant (ranking 51st), and order and security, including crime, civil conflict, and political violence is of concern. Since the rule of law works efficiently, Germans are the most litigious society in Europe, perhaps in the entire world.
Germans file lawsuits over preposterously trivial matters. It is a country in which the powerful — even the President of the country — can be called to account. Germans gripe all the time. They criticise what the government is supposed to do, but is not doing. Thus, they keep the authorities and institutions on their toes.
The fact that Germany seems to have successfully windswept the global financial crisis, does not mean that Germans are stress-free; there is no place in German dictionary for complacency.
An annual report ‘‘The Fears of the Germans” conducted by a well-known German insurance company reveals that the level of fear in Germany is increasing every year. Germans are scared of old age, the rising cost of living, health care, , tension caused by immigration, and much more. In fact, the general level of fear is close to the highest ever recorded in 20 years of the study. It's not just rule of law, but a state of mind that creates a progressive nation.
Functioning of Bureaucracy
The German administrative system is fair and decisions are taken quickly. The bureaucrats are unyielding, and never bend the rules.
The federal government and all states have ombudsmen who take citizen's complaints and make sure that the laws are enforced and unmitigated, where appropriate. In contrast, Indian bureaucracy is user-friendly, but amazingly inefficient.
Comparing the political debates in the two countries is rather illuminating. The speeches of German politicians are generally less contentious and more all-encompassing. A celebration of German technology and freedom is the autobahn that the world looks at with envy — where obeying the rules is the best way to enjoy one of the world's most unique driving experiences.
(The author is former Europe Director, CII, and lives in Cologne, Germany. blfeedback@thehindu.co.in)
Keywords: German, administrative system, politics, corruption, bureaucrats, rule of law
Comments:
I agree with Mr.Murti having visited Germany many times about the
country and its very efficient functioning.But is the comparism
between
1)A country of 1 billion people with 60 odd years of Independence to a
country of 70 million fair.
2)No doubt there is tremendous scope for improvement in our
country,but inspite of all our problems and issues,we are a still a
Democracy,hold free and fair elections,run fairly efficiently number
of systems in the country.
3)From my own experience most Europeans even Germans have no idea
about the size of India,the number of States,languages and diversity
of our country.
Either we like efficiency, have zero tolerance for corruption and honestly believe in freedom of speech and expression (unlike what we are seeing everyday) or we do not. There can be no excuses - be that a country of 1 billion or 70 million.
We Indians, have nothing to give but, excuses! A nation of excuses, not of men. And, we will continue giving excuses for the next 6000 years!
Hey Ramanathan & his types - no wonder Sir Winston Churchill said -65 years ago: "Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues, freebooters; all Indian leaders will be of low calibre & men of straw. They will have sweet tongues & silly hearts. They will fight amongst themselves for power & India will be lost in political squabbles. A day would come when even air & water would Be taxed in India."
We indeed are Incredible Indians; we have worked very hard and we proved him right.....
Sujata Singh Rathore, Dhanbad
I am a senior citizen - in my 90s - my last leg journey of life. I have been thinking about what drives India & Indians of the day? What are our ideals, ethos and sense of purpose? And, I honestly cannot put a finger on anything. All that is left are tears in my eyes !
If the way we drive and the way we discard garbage are any indication, we definitely are a nation of people striding backwards!
Go back in years and you will find that the Swabian Regiments in the German Army were the most highly disciplined and probably have the finest battle honours.It is not surprising that Germany is where it is and that a comparison between India and Germany is one of apples and maybe rotten eggs -most of which must end up on our politicians face.
Author has rightly reminded India and her citizens about the love for order. Our country has a rich history of values and ethics as exhibited in our Ramayan and Mahabharat mythology. We must learn many things from Germany and Germans in respect of discipline, science and technology. Germans' discipline has been well appreciated by Franklin Roosevelt, Lenin and Stalin too. It is surprising how Germany divided in two different political and economic system after 1945 got reunited in 1990 and identified herself as the number one leading economy in Europe leaving Britain behind. This speaks of Germans and their leaders about their concern and commitment for establishing identity of Germany in the world map, though not being a member of five countries enjoying veto power. We should know much about Germany's central bank, German constitution and election system which are unique in the world. Dr Amrit Patel, NJ 08837 USA
Please Email the Editor