India's road to redemption
The dissonance being experienced today springs from a society and
nation in the throes of growing up. Our elected representatives have
to be more responsive.
nation in the throes of growing up. Our elected representatives have
to be more responsive.
In corporate life, it is a taboo to make public forward-looking
statements with regard to the affairs of the company. The fear is
that it will cause sharp-hearing punters and investors to trade on
the listed stock of the company based on such pronouncements, provide
a straws-in-the-wind reckoning on which way it is likely to lean in
the future and what profits could be made by speculating on such
inclination. If the company is not listed yet, such statements might
be seen as manipulation of investor interest for the future.
statements with regard to the affairs of the company. The fear is
that it will cause sharp-hearing punters and investors to trade on
the listed stock of the company based on such pronouncements, provide
a straws-in-the-wind reckoning on which way it is likely to lean in
the future and what profits could be made by speculating on such
inclination. If the company is not listed yet, such statements might
be seen as manipulation of investor interest for the future.
In the West, ravaged as their financial markets are by pirate-like
excesses, and in India, buffeted by destabilising foreign winds, the
procedure, admired once for the Gordon Gekko-style derring-do it
showed, is now anathema. 'Insider trading' attracts criminal
prosecution. If convicted, it tends to get the guilty fairly long
jail sentences too.
excesses, and in India, buffeted by destabilising foreign winds, the
procedure, admired once for the Gordon Gekko-style derring-do it
showed, is now anathema. 'Insider trading' attracts criminal
prosecution. If convicted, it tends to get the guilty fairly long
jail sentences too.
Plus, there are hierarchical niceties which specify who is or isn't
an 'authorised spokesperson', and just what he or she is authorised
to speak or issue written statements on. Even the top brass is not
immune to such restrictions on the principle a person always has to
serve somebody. Of course, a person can feign ignorance of lowly
operational matters when it suits him or her, but that is quite
another matter.
an 'authorised spokesperson', and just what he or she is authorised
to speak or issue written statements on. Even the top brass is not
immune to such restrictions on the principle a person always has to
serve somebody. Of course, a person can feign ignorance of lowly
operational matters when it suits him or her, but that is quite
another matter.
Then again, all the information and persuasive pitching amount to an
attempt at opinion-formation, which is also the objective of the
media and their not so distant cousins, the politicians. The well-
reasoned messaging seeks to influence, via the medium of the written
or spoken word, timed well and accompanied wherever possible by the
good picture.
attempt at opinion-formation, which is also the objective of the
media and their not so distant cousins, the politicians. The well-
reasoned messaging seeks to influence, via the medium of the written
or spoken word, timed well and accompanied wherever possible by the
good picture.
Otherwise, it is just so much reportage, and though it is eminently
possible to slant reports to suit a person's worldview, editorials in
newspapers and talking heads on television channels provide a rather
freer format. For long has it been known that fancy oratory can
certainly give birth to the occasional good idea.
possible to slant reports to suit a person's worldview, editorials in
newspapers and talking heads on television channels provide a rather
freer format. For long has it been known that fancy oratory can
certainly give birth to the occasional good idea.
Politics, with its proximity to power via the electronic voting
machine, has the inside track on this declamatory process in theory,
necessary for that all-important gathering of votes, along with a
liberal use of monetary and other inducements. But it is seen that a
lot of the political messaging in India of late has been about feint
and parry, essentially defensive manoeuvre, minimalist in scope and
very little by way of the expected thrust of true leadership and the
grand sweep of vision.
machine, has the inside track on this declamatory process in theory,
necessary for that all-important gathering of votes, along with a
liberal use of monetary and other inducements. But it is seen that a
lot of the political messaging in India of late has been about feint
and parry, essentially defensive manoeuvre, minimalist in scope and
very little by way of the expected thrust of true leadership and the
grand sweep of vision.
Our Prime Minister, for example, seems reluctant to voice his
opinions altogether, as if expecting to be ridiculed in the midst of
his chaotic governance. When he comes out to speak to the public or
the media, he gives the clear impression that he is doing so under
pressure from the Congress. In this prevailing climate of drift, most
committed commentators sound like apologists of either the UPA or the
Opposition as the case may be, or indeed the Left, which uniquely
manages to appear opposed to whatever is going on, irrespective of
whether it is formally supporting the Government or not.
opinions altogether, as if expecting to be ridiculed in the midst of
his chaotic governance. When he comes out to speak to the public or
the media, he gives the clear impression that he is doing so under
pressure from the Congress. In this prevailing climate of drift, most
committed commentators sound like apologists of either the UPA or the
Opposition as the case may be, or indeed the Left, which uniquely
manages to appear opposed to whatever is going on, irrespective of
whether it is formally supporting the Government or not.
All this caginess as the prevailing order makes for a dreary
narrative that rarely takes the India story or plot-line forward for
the hopeful. That we are going through tough economic times both at
home and globally does not help either. Civil society comes across,
alas, as mostly naïve, with a great deal of fury and thunder that
still isn't tantamount to effective intervention, though Anna Hazare,
with his simple and short sound bytes, may prove this perception
wrong yet. At least he, along with his supporters, growing more
numerous by the day, is trying to do something to clean up the mess.
For that intention and effort Anna Hazare and his supporters deserve
appreciation from those who do far less.
narrative that rarely takes the India story or plot-line forward for
the hopeful. That we are going through tough economic times both at
home and globally does not help either. Civil society comes across,
alas, as mostly naïve, with a great deal of fury and thunder that
still isn't tantamount to effective intervention, though Anna Hazare,
with his simple and short sound bytes, may prove this perception
wrong yet. At least he, along with his supporters, growing more
numerous by the day, is trying to do something to clean up the mess.
For that intention and effort Anna Hazare and his supporters deserve
appreciation from those who do far less.
To carry the corporate analogy further, politics does not actually
destabilise the polity with its manifestoes, however radical, even
though most are rarely implemented. Election promises too are largely
forgotten once a party is in power. But the fact remains that a great
deal of governance is about policy-making and its implementation and
has to be both continuous and viewed from a long-term perspective.
destabilise the polity with its manifestoes, however radical, even
though most are rarely implemented. Election promises too are largely
forgotten once a party is in power. But the fact remains that a great
deal of governance is about policy-making and its implementation and
has to be both continuous and viewed from a long-term perspective.
In a democracy, to find a Government that seems to say nothing at all
about its future direction is both disappointing and distressing.
Nothing that is, apart from occasional probing comments pronounced by
the more quixotic among its spokespersons, aimed at shoring up its
perceived vote-banks and trashing the Opposition. There is also the
tactical ploy of taking recourse to routine and boring denials in
stoic counterpoint to the criticism of the populace, the media, the
judiciary and, of course, the Opposition.
about its future direction is both disappointing and distressing.
Nothing that is, apart from occasional probing comments pronounced by
the more quixotic among its spokespersons, aimed at shoring up its
perceived vote-banks and trashing the Opposition. There is also the
tactical ploy of taking recourse to routine and boring denials in
stoic counterpoint to the criticism of the populace, the media, the
judiciary and, of course, the Opposition.
Combined with a dysfunctional parliamentary session or two, even as
it will be interesting to see how the political classes handle the
current monsoon session in the end, the picture of rudderless drift
and insouciant unresponsiveness is more or less complete. Not to
mention the huge legislative backlog suffering from unforgivable
neglect. Juxtaposed with a politician's natural urge to be economical
with the truth, it makes the case for disinformation in place of
transparency that much stronger.
it will be interesting to see how the political classes handle the
current monsoon session in the end, the picture of rudderless drift
and insouciant unresponsiveness is more or less complete. Not to
mention the huge legislative backlog suffering from unforgivable
neglect. Juxtaposed with a politician's natural urge to be economical
with the truth, it makes the case for disinformation in place of
transparency that much stronger.
Which brings us to the central point of the diminished quality of our
democratic discourse. We have parliamentarians and State legislators
who, like so many loutish schoolboys, do not uphold the grand
traditions of parliamentary democracy, but instead trash them in full
public gaze and media spotlight. We have institutions, set up by our
founding fathers to be vigilant against subversion of the workings of
Government, ruthlessly compromised by political interference -- to
the extent that they are more or less beholden to the Government of
the day. A bureaucracy that is disconnected and suffering from the
same malaise as the institutions. A judiciary, corrupt in parts and
overburdened to the extent that it can barely dispense justice.
democratic discourse. We have parliamentarians and State legislators
who, like so many loutish schoolboys, do not uphold the grand
traditions of parliamentary democracy, but instead trash them in full
public gaze and media spotlight. We have institutions, set up by our
founding fathers to be vigilant against subversion of the workings of
Government, ruthlessly compromised by political interference -- to
the extent that they are more or less beholden to the Government of
the day. A bureaucracy that is disconnected and suffering from the
same malaise as the institutions. A judiciary, corrupt in parts and
overburdened to the extent that it can barely dispense justice.
So where do we go from here? Is it the abyss of failure to implement
the grand vision of the founding fathers of our republic, or are we
on the verge of a renewal and modernisation in our functioning that
will give us new hope and determination to succeed in the future?
the grand vision of the founding fathers of our republic, or are we
on the verge of a renewal and modernisation in our functioning that
will give us new hope and determination to succeed in the future?
It could go either way of course, but the balance of power seems in
favour of an electorate growing more sophisticated in its needs and
wants. Much of the dissonance being experienced today springs from a
society and nation in the throes of growing up. Therefore, the
elected representatives in our young republic will have to respond to
this new and more demanding reality or be replaced by others who are
more attuned to the times we live in and willing to do so.
favour of an electorate growing more sophisticated in its needs and
wants. Much of the dissonance being experienced today springs from a
society and nation in the throes of growing up. Therefore, the
elected representatives in our young republic will have to respond to
this new and more demanding reality or be replaced by others who are
more attuned to the times we live in and willing to do so.
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