Europeans believe that Indian
leaders are too blinded by new wealth and deceit to comprehend that
the day will come when the have-nots will hit the streets.
MOHAN MARUTI—INDIA
A few days ago I was in a panel discussion on mergers and
acquisitions in Frankfurt, Germany, organised by Euroforum and The
Handelsblatt, one of the most prestigious newspapers in German-speaking Europe.
The other panelists were senior
officials of two of the largest carmakers and two top insurance companies — all
German multinationals operating in India.
The
panel discussion was moderated by a professor from the esteemed European
Business School. The hall had an audience that exceeded a hundred well-known
European CEOs. I was the only Indian.
After the panel discussion, the floor was open for
questions.
That was when my “moment of truth”
turned into an hour of shame
& embarrassment —
when the participants fired questions and made remarks on their experiences
with the evil of corruption in India.
The awkwardness and humiliation I went through reminded of The
Moment of Truth, the popular Anglo-American game. The more questions I answered
truthfully, the more the questions got tougher. Tougher, here
means more embarrassing.
European disquiet
Questions
ranged from “Is your
nation in a coma?”, the corruption in
administration, even in judiciary, the possible impeachment of a judge, the 2G,
telecom scam and to the money in
billions, parked illegally in tax havens.
It is a fact that the
problem of corruption in India has assumed enormous and embarrassing
proportions in recent years, although it has been with us for decades. The
questions and the debate that followed in the panel discussion was indicative
of the European disquiet. At the end of
the Q&A session, I surmised Europeans perceive India to be at one of
those junctures where tripping over the precipice cannot be ruled out.
Let me
substantiate this further with what the European media has to say in recent
days.
In a popular prime-time television discussion in Germany, the
panelist, a member of the German Parliament quoting a blog said: “If
all the scams of the last five years are added up, they are likely to rival and
exceed the British colonial loot of India of about a trillion dollars.”
Banana Republic
One German business daily which wrote an editorial on India
said: “India is becoming a Banana Republic instead of being an
economic superpower. To get the cut motion designated out, assurances are made
to political allies. Special treatment is promised at the expense of the people.
So, Ms Mayawati who was Chief Minister of the most densely inhabited State, is
calmed when an intelligence agency probe is scrapped. The multi-million dollars
fodder scam by another former Chief Minister wielding enormous power is put in
cold storage. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chairs over this kind of unparalleled
loot.”
An article in a French newspaper titled “Playing
the Game, Indian Style” wrote: “Investigations into the shadowy
financial deals of the Indian cricket league have revealed a web of
transactions across tax havens like Switzerland, the Virgin Islands, Mauritius
and Cyprus.” In the same article, the name of one Hassan Ali of Pune is
mentioned as operating with his wife a one-billion-dollar illegal Swiss
account with “sanction of the Indian regime”.
A third story narrated in the damaging article is that of the
former chief minister of Jharkhand, Madhu Koda, who was reported to have funds
in various tax havens that were partly used to buy mines in Liberia. “Unfortunately,
the Indian public do not know the status of that enquiry,” the article
concluded.
“In the nastiest business scam in Indian records (Satyam)
the government adroitly covered up the political aspects of the swindle —
predominantly involving real estate,” wrote an Austrian
newspaper. “If the Indian Prime Minister knows nothing
about these scandals, he is ignorant of ground realities and does not deserve
to be Prime Minister. If he does, is he a collaborator in crime?”
The Telegraph of the UK reported the 2G scam saying: “Naturally, India's
elephantine legal system will ensure culpability, is delayed.”
Blinded by wealth
This seems true. In the European mind, caricature
of a typical Indian encompasses qualities of falsification, telling lies, being
fraudulent, dishonest, corrupt, arrogant, boastful, speaking loudly and
bothering others in public places or, while travelling, swindling when the
slightest of opportunity arises and spreading rumours about others. The list is
truly incessant.
My (MOHAN'S) father, who is 81 years old, is utterly frustrated,
shocked and disgruntled with whatever is happening and said in a recent
discussion that our country's motto should truly be CHANGED TO
Asatyameva
Jayete.
Europeans believe that Indian
leaders in politics and business are so blissfully blinded by the
new, sometimes ill-gotten, wealth and deceit that they are living in defiance,
insolence and denial to comprehend that the day will come, sooner than later,
when the have-nots would hit the streets.
In a way, it seems to have already started with the monstrous and
grotesque acts of the Maoists.
And, when that rot occurs, not one political turncoat will escape
being lynched. The drumbeats for these rebellions are going to get louder and
louder as our leaders refuse to listen to the voices of the people. Eventually,
it will lead to a revolution that will spill to streets across the whole of
India, I fear.
Perhaps we are the architects of
our own misfortune.
It is our sab chalta hai
(everything goes) attitude that has allowed people to mislead us with impunity.
No wonder Aesop said. “We hang
the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to high office.”
(The author is former Europe
Director, CII, and lives in Cologne, Germany.)
The views expressed here by the Author
are strictly personal
I agree with the view point of the writer in the article below.
ReplyDeleteDue to the mentioned ills, the people of indian origin outside the country also buy bad name & are looked down upon. I was speaking with an indian friend who is in Australia a few days back. I mentioned that Australians must be very happy with their performance in the common wealth games.
He went morose & said that in those days Australian Media was giving negative publicity of the event on daily basis - shoddy accommodation, stinking toilets, corruption etc; & he was having hard time to save face?
Unfortunately in our country there are two sets of communities basically divided by money power. the first type are the 'haves' who have political clout, muscle power, brains wrongly tuned, education, are well placed in the social hierarchy & are corrupt. They will scheme a situation, manipulate affairs to gain unlawful advantage to themselves.
The second type are the 'have nots'. They possess none of the above despite hosts of rules / regulations to up - lift their status in all walks of life, as very little is implemented on ground by the design of the 'haves' who have the audacity to mis - appropriate the share of the 'have nots' in their kitty. But they say, ultimately the system corrects itself & that is what maoist / naxalites are trying to do. They find themselves driven back against the wall & hence left with only one choice to move forward & try to force necessary changes through militant means. As the Constitution / law has failed to protect their interests, they care not for the same. We all know theoretically, how to redress these ills & in our wisdom would try to correct the same. But at the very least, we should be sympathetic towards the 'have nots'.
Do we feel a pang in our hearts when we see beggars in streets or just want to walk away from the scene because the same is not compatible with our life style?
Pradeep Saklani (saks/saku)