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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Is the nation in a coma?

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

1 comment:

  1. I agree with the view point of the writer in the article below.

    Due 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)

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