By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE
Government should be a force for good. Sadly, in India, it has become synonymous with corruption and intimidation, even as we as a society have become increasingly illiberal and fractious. What this nation desperately needs is a clean and caring, efficient and enlightened government.
A government that serves the people instead of harassing them; that facilitates instead of obstructing; that creates opportunities for the greatest number instead of favouring a select few; that is fair and consistent, not vengeful and whimsical; that instils hope instead of spreading fear; that encourages initiative and entrepreneurship instead of killing it.
Five years ago, there was a buzz around India. We appeared to be a nation headed, almost inevitably, for superpower status. China and India were spoken of in the same breath. That promise has clearly been belied. Growth has plummeted from sub-10% to sub-5%. Corruption has become endemic, and is eating into the very soul of this nation.
It’s obvious that the priority of the next government should be to get growth back as close to double digits as possible. But will that alone put India back in the superpower sweepstakes? A nation that cannot provide basic healthcare or education or housing to large swathes of its people, and where millions go without a full meal a day, cannot claim to be ‘developed’.
Our socio-economic indicators are dismal — trailing, on several counts, even our neighbours Bangladesh and Nepal. We tend not to take sports seriously (except cricket), but our shameful record at the Olympics is emblematic of a deeper malaise. Perhaps we should stop bothering about tags, and simply focus on doing the right things the right way.
INNLIVE has put together a manifesto that it would like political parties to study seriously and perhaps even incorporate into their own; we would also urge the new government to debate it with an open mind and in a spirit of bipartisanship.
Broadly, the INNLIVE manifesto makes a case for fiscally responsible policies and socially progressive laws. We believe an environment must be created for businesses to grow, but grow honestly and not through crony capitalism. We also believe in a pluralistic society, and that individual freedoms must be protected at all cost. Archaic laws, many of them dating back to our colonial past, should be consigned to oblivion because all they do is give corrupt government officers a handle to bully and extort.
Education is modern India’s greatest leveller and its redemption; it is the path out of the slum, the road to the high table. We are all prisoners of birth, but education has the power to snap the meanest bonds of economic and social enslavement. It’s the best investment we can make in our youth and in our future.
Besides price rise and jobs, corruption is what exercises people most today — to the extent that a new party made a spectacular electoral debut on the back of it. So, what should be done about it? There are several bills pending in Parliament; they should be passed at the earliest. But that alone will not suffice. Most of these laws deal with catching and punishing the corrupt.
There’s a need for preventive measures that strike at the very roots of corruption. That will require a complete relook at the way just about everything is run: the economy, the bureaucracy, the police, the judiciary. Our manifesto is informed by this understanding of dealing with corruption by making all parts of the system more transparent and accountable, instead of merely cubby-holing it as an ‘issue’ or ‘topic’.
Government and the legislature have become a symbol of much that is wrong with India. Governance has all but collapsed at every level, and there is cynicism everywhere. Do our politicians have it in them to regain the trust and respect of the people? We hope that the 16th Lok Sabha will bury the unhappy memory of the 15th and do what the legislature is meant for: legislate and legislate well.
We do not claim to be the ultimate repository of wisdom; there are Indians of great integrity, knowledge and experience who should also be heard before policies are framed and laws made. But we will have achieved our objective if our manifesto serves as a starting point for a deep conversation that places the interest of the nation – and not narrow, partisan considerations – front and centre.
Over the next few weeks, we will bring you the thoughts of prominent Indians as part of a ‘My India - My Vote’ series. And we welcome your feedback at http://www.innlive.net
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