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

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A prayer which Prime Minister Narendra Modi may kindly grant!

NAVAGRAHA STOTRAM

The King of Ragas: Sankarabharanam