SCHOOL OF POLITICS

The Global ANALYST, February 2014

APOLITICAL

Needed AAP-style School of Politics!

M G Warrier, Former General Manager, Reserve Bank of India

Everyone who has a pen

 is writing about the ‘broom’ and

 its impact on India Growth Story.

I did not want to be the odd man

out. More than that, it is time to

use the seive simultaneously with

the broom. The message sent out

by AAP from Delhi is being

deciphered by different people

in different ways. Naturally, the

responses have been diverse.

From Rahul Gandhi’s observation

- ‘Congress has to learn a lot

from AAP’ - to N R Narayana

Murthy who said, ‘What Arvind

(Kejriwal) has done is that he

has redefined what is possible’,

though also adding that he

would still ‘Bat for Nilekani’

-the politically and financially

wise who responded to the AAP

challenge did not leave the Aam

Aadmi wiser by their responses.

But their quick comments and the

current media discussions about

the future of AAP, rather than

the future of Aam Aadmi are,

nevertheless, indicative of the

churning Indian Political System

is undergoing, post-AAP uprise.

The Indian Aam Aadmi has

asserted his right to make his

voice heard, thanks to the dias

provided by AAP. It is not wise to

compel AAP to show the results

they apparently promised, if they

are voted to power, without even

giving a clear mandate.

From now on, it is the turn of

the common man to organize,

wherever they are, and force the

legislature, executive and the

judiciary at all levels to uphold

the spirit of the Constitution

and bring back ethics and

morality to governance. Here, all

political parties (Right, Left and

Centre) have a responsibility to

participate. Time is running out.

There are positive indications.

In one media interview Arvind

Kejriwal said, “I am aware that the

status quoist parties will derail us

because we have challenged the

basic premise of their existence.

But we are a party which is here

to change the politics of all other

parties. Very soon you will see

how the other parties will be

forced to follow our agenda.”

Redefining leadership!

Indeed, the kind of ‘THE

BUCK STOPS HERE’ model of

leadership may not be sustainable

for democracies like India.

Though leadership is what will

ensure survival of nations. Walter

Bagehot, the 19th century British

journalist and businessman,

who wrote extensively about

government, economics and

literature, had this to say about

leadership: “By the structure of

the world we often want, at the

sudden occurrence of a grave

tempest, to change the helmsmanto

replace the pilot of the calm by

the pilot of the storm.”

Let us be optimistic about the

current turn of events by hoping

that the message for change sent

out loudly and clearly through

the medium of AAP with the

‘sweeping symbol’, is accepted

in a positive sense by the political

leadership and in 2014 India

writes the right preface to the

country’s 21st century growth

story, which helps Indians live a

better life in the coming years. If

this optimism is to be sustained,

Aam Aadmi will have to learn

to use the sieve with skill to

segregate corn and chaff from the

abundance of information and

misinformation being dished out

to him through word of mouth,

print and electronic media and

other conduits of propaganda.

Research-oriented approach from

the regulators and to some extent

from the legislators, towards

the reforms of financial markets

and ensuring financial stability

and financial inclusion which

has been part of the reform

agenda has helped diagnose the

ills of the financial sector and

definitely expedited getting right

prescriptions for restoring and

maintaining the health of the

economy. The political leadership

could think of promoting a

similar R&D approach for the

political system to take care

of the diagnostic needs of

the executive and legislative

machinery which is waiting for

an overhaul of processes and

procedures including those

relating to selection, training and

placement of suitable individuals

for manning various positions.

Political education, the need of

the hour!

There are schools, colleges,

institutes and even universities

grooming candidates for

different careers and providing

opportunities to take up serious

study/research in the area of

specialization. To ensure that the

benefits of political education

reach the target group, a reverse

reservation system through

committed campus recruitment

of cadre by political parties

and transparent remuneration

arrangement for full time political

work will have to be thought of.

All these, naturally will take

time to materialize. In the

interregnum, schools, colleges,

professional institutions like IIMs

and law colleges should hold

short-term orientation programs

both in-house and postal (with

contact programs of convenient

durations). The target group may

include sitting legislators, office

bearers and activists of political

parties and youngsters intending

to take politics as a career.

APOLITICAL

The Global Analyst | february 2014 59

Decoding DATA