WEEKEND LIGHTER: GOVERNANCE BY CONSENSUS
WEEKEND LIGHTER: GOVERNANCE BY CONSENSUS
(May 28/29, 2016, No. 22/2016)*
Weekend
Lighter is posted every Saturday @mgwarrier.blogspot.in
*Posted
on May 28, 2016 from Thiruvananthapuram.
I
Opening
Remarks
Governance by consensus
During
this month (May 2016), I was in Kerala and had opportunity to watch the fierce
election campaign in close quarters. I had some leisure and was able to go
through some books and articles I had collected during the last few decades. I
believe, the Indian democracy and the political system is fast maturing during
the 21st Century. The leadership provided by Modi, Kejriwal and Dr
Raghuram Rajan in their respective work areas has been helping this process.
Common
man or the ‘citizen’ has to play his role proactively to ensure that the
momentum of development is sustained. In several areas, including literacy,
legislative and economic reforms and financial inclusion, much more needs to be
done, much faster. For the purpose, GOI and state governments need to work out
a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) based on consensus, irrespective of political
alliances at the helm in centre and states. On issues like
(i)
Literacy
(ii)
Employment generation
(iii)
Exploitation of domestic resources for
economic development
(iv)
Ensuring distributive justice and
(v)
Social security for all
a
consensus approach should be possible.
II
Recent responses
May 22, 2016
Discount Swamy’s views
This refers to the report “Political attack on Rajan
unfortunate: RBI employees” (The Hindu, May 21). My personal view is that we
can safely discount Dr Subramanian Swamy’s enmity to Dr Rajan and open comments
to the gallery mostly for the consumption of media. His earlier suggestion to
replace Dr Rajan by appointing Vaidyanathan and the present campaign after
Swamy’s own entry into Rajya Sabha gives an impression that the learned
economist-turned-politician doesn’t differentiate between appointment of state
governors and RBI Governor. Though he has been given a RS membership, even that
may be a political decision by BJP to quarantine Dr Swamy.
Dr Rajan should have been appointed for a full 5 year
term in 2013. This is what happens when governments take short-term views on
serious and crucial issues. I had observed in an article written on the subject
during August 2013 (The Global ANALYST, September 2013) as under:
“The only negative in the whole affair is, as on
several occasions in the past, once again GOI has opted for a short-term
appointment. This time it should have been for a five-year term in the first
instance itself…..Ideally, RBI Governor should have an average tenure of five
to 10 years. If such a norm was followed, Dr Rajan would have been perhaps the
15th Governor of RBI. Now he is 23rd! All Governors who have stayed in office
beyond 4 years have contributed to the strength of the central bank.”
M G Warrier,
Thiruvananthapuram
Dr Rajan’s tenure
This refers to A V Rajwade’s article “Will Rajang eta
second term?” (Business Standard, May 19).Yes. Dr Raghuram Rajan is likely to
be appointed for a five year term from September 2016. So far, on all occasions
with the exception of two or three out of 23, GOI has shown a mature approach
while appointing RBI Governor. My personal view is that we can safely discount
Dr Subramanian Swamy’s enmity to Dr Rajan and open comments mostly for the
consumption of media. His earlier suggestion to replace Dr rajan by appointing
Vaidyanathan and the present campaign after Swamy’s own entry into Rajya Sabha
gives an impression that the learned economist-turned-politician doesn’t
differentiate between appointment of stategovernors and RBI Governor.
Dr Rajan should have been appointed for a full 5 year
term in 2013. This is what happens when governments take short-term views on
serious and crucial issues. I had observed in an article written on the subject
during August 2013 (The Global ANALYST, September 2013*) as under:
“The only negative in the whole affair is, as on
several occasions in the past, once again GOI has opted for a short-term
appointment. This time it should have been for a five-year term in the first
instance itself. We are not privy to the information as to whether the decision
to appoint Rajan for three years was because of a casual ‘cut & paste’ from
previous appointment orders or because GOI thought, if friction between RBI and
GOI persists, changing RBI Governor more often is a soft option. As someone in
the media already observed, the flip side is, if things do not go well, Dr
Rajan could choose an assignment anywhere, a choice, many in top positions in
India do not have.
Ideally, RBI Governor should have an average tenure of
five to 10 years. If such a norm was followed, Dr Rajan would have been perhaps
the 15th Governor of RBI. Now he is 23rd! All Governors who have stayed in
office beyond 4 years have contributed to the strength of the central bank.”
M G Warrier,
Thiruvananthapuram
*See pages 60-64 of my 2014 book “Banking,
Reforms & Corruption: Development Issues in 21st Century India”
for text of the article.
III
Leisure
VANCCHAA SAJJANASANGATAU PARAGUNE
PREETIRGURAU NAMRATAA
VIDYAAYAAM VYASANAM SWAYOSHITI RATIR
LOKAAPAVAADADBHAYAM
BHAKTIH SOOLINI SHAKTIRAATMADAMANE
SAMSARGAMUKTHISKHALAI-
RETE YESHU VASANTHI NIRMALAGUNAA-
STHEBHYO MAHADBHYO NAMAH
(Prostrations
to those noble souls with the following pure traits: Desire to associate with
noble souls, happiness in others’ prosperity, devotion to the teacher, thirst
for knowledge, love for one’s own wife, fear of defamation, devotion to God, power
for self-control and dissociation with evil souls)
***********
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