Disclaimer

Thursday, March 10, 2011

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE P.M. - THE STATESMAN (KOLKATA)


http://thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=361093&catid=38

Punish The Guilty And Praise The Honest
.
By Abhijit Bhattacharyya
.
DEAR Mr Prime Minister,
.
Since it is neither possible nor feasible to meet you in person, one is writing through open forum. It gives one no pleasure to write at a time when you are facing intractable problems all of which may not be the making of the present incumbent, but at least some of them could have been easily tackled during the past seven years of the UPA regime. Let it be clear, however, that one is not writing at the behest of anybody and that it is an ex-pression of one’s acute agony and anguish embedded in the sordid happenings all around.
.
We, the people of India, saw you the other day on television. One liked the manner in which a gentleman in politics tried to present matters in his perspective. But one also disliked the way an utterly helpless Prime Minister of 1.2 billion people, at a loss to defend, justify and explain the wrongdoings. One at least expected a plan of action to deal with corruption which was referred to and identified as “corruption ~ the national neurosis of India”, 50 years ago by Ronald Segal in his book Crisis of India. It was reportedly banned by the government on the charge that it was “seditious”.
.
Mr Prime Minister, what threatens the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India today is only a one-word subject ~ corruption. And if Indians fail to curb, combat or confront the menace, there will be a rerun of the days of the East India Company. Either some western or eastern power will try to destabilise a large swathe of the country.
.
Being an honest man of proven track record, history is bound to judge you harshly, if you fail. One fails to understand what prevents you from taking action in the interest of the nation! Why is the Bhagvat Gita’s advice to be “bold, brave and wise” eluding your erudition?
.
Mr Prime Minister, one earnestly feels that the present scenario of delightful high growth and a matching, yet painful, high inflation and price rise cannot be wished away. One expects “direct action” based on the collective wisdom of the hierarchy. It would have been better perhaps to have a 6 to 8 per cent growth rate with a reduced 4 to 5 per cent inflation to give the masses (and they certainly constitute at least 80 per cent of the population, if not more) some cushion in the form of savings. The economic boom implies luminous bulbs that provide no power to the majority. As the Prime Minister of 1.2 billion people, one also needs to face the continuing population boom. Hence, it is absolutely essential to look into the basic needs of the populace.
.
Before President Obama left for India in November 2010, he had publicly declared that he wants to “pry open” the economy of India for the growth of American employment! Can any Indian Prime Minister or President ever utter such blunt words on the eve of an official US visit? One is not against foreign investment, foreign companies and foreign equity per se, but one needs to examine how this will benefit the masses.
.
In recent weeks, the most disconcerting piece of news is the three-year rigorous imprisonment awarded to a 65-year-old retired three-star General. He has been found guilty of “procuring sub-standard meat and other dry rations for troops deployed to Siachen mountains and other high altitude areas”. Six out of nine charges framed against him have been established. Can one imagine the potential physical plight of soldiers above 9000 ft consuming wheat, rice, pulses and edible oil past their expiry date? Can one visualize how malicious, mean, dishonest and intellectually sterile a General could be, specifically to resort to such criminal activity, verging on treachery?
.
In this perspective, if one recounts the foreign invasions over the centuries, one sincerely prays that at least 21st century India will resist the repetition of the sordid past that was marked by rampant corruption, weak leadership and lack of vision. If a General betrays his frontline soldiers for greed and money, can there be any victory in battle? Will the enemy be so unwise as to ignore the corruption chinks in India’s armour? One recalls the words of Sun Tzu, the Chinese warrior-philosopher 2500 years ago, in his classic, The Art of War. “Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting”. The point is loud and clear. If Indians can be bribed at every stage, no mission of the enemy will be impossible. Should corruption lead to the demise of the “modern Indian state”?
.
Even the western media has been carping, even sarcastic, in its reportage on corruption and governmental failure. The cover story of the January 7-13 issue of The Guardian Weekly (London) was titled “India’s year of naked corruption”. The Wall Street Journal of February 18-20 criticised India’s Prime Minister in an editorial titled “Mr Singh’s lament”. I quote: “India’s Congress-led government has been besieged by allegations of graft since the middle of 2010. But Prime Minister Singh tacitly suggests it’s not fair to hold him responsible when he has little control over his own coalition government... It’s no secret that Mr. Singh has been India’s weakest Prime Minister the moment he took office.” The country’s overall prestige, honour and respect was in tatters with the acerbic conclusion: “But it’s more than embarrassing when the leader of the world’s most populous democracy throws his hands up at the hi-jinks of his own ministers. Accountability is clearly breaking down. India cannot be taken seriously on the world stage when its Prime Minister doesn’t have the power to speak on the country’s behalf”.
.
These are severely adverse comments. However, it was nice to hear that you will not resign or retire. But the time that has been lost cannot be retrieved. Nevertheless, you can still shore up the battered image. Be bold, brave and wise; punish the guilty and praise the honest, Mr Prime Minister. You have nothing to lose. It is better to leave with a trail-blazing glory than be cursed, or forgotten for folly and ignominy. India and its PM can certainly do better.
.
The writer is a practising advocate, alumnus of the National Defence College of India and a member of International Institute for Strategic Studies, London.

‘Judiciary Watch’ at http://www.vigilonline.com/

1 comment:

  1. An interesting take on the current shenanigans in Delhi. While the perpetrators of graft are being grilled (superficially?)for all of us hoi-polloi to see on the TV channels, the inordinate delays in bringing the culprits to book has its repercussion - we simply will lose interest till some other juicy tit-bit comes along. witness the Kasabian saga - proof, proof and irrefutable proof - I am sure the blighter will pass away of old age in the jail. Such is our yearning - to appear high and moral in the eyes of the white skinned foreigner - one who is laughing all the time at us.Can we have some quick retribution like we have in the Armed Forces?

    ReplyDelete