The malaise -I

So, here goes another of those pseudo-intellectuals ranting about the Mumbai blasts and all that is supposedly negative about India- its politicians; its society; its neighbours;its people et al. The Mumbai attacks will go down as a landmark event in awakening the collective conscience of the 'common man'. If the anger is palpable and bursting at the seams, it has probably got less to do with the inevitability of these attacks and helplessness when one does happen but more to do with the fact that this was the first time that the upper echelons (read affluent upper strata) of society was targeted.

In its aftermath, we are already witnessing the customary recriminations. There have been questions raised about insufficient infrastructure; the security and even the media. No other country in the world is faced with such a multitude of difficulties when tackling any issue. Our secular and pluralistic credentials always seem to come in way. The USA had to stand up to a barrage of criticism once the interrogation for 9/11 commenced for the way minorities (read bearded individuals) were isolated and targeted. The American society by and large, however was unaffected. Contrast the situation with India where the killing of every individual in any 'encounter' has political repurcussions. 

I suspect that we have carried too much baggage ever since Independence because of the word 'secular' in the Preamble to the Constitution. For all things that the endearing Mahatma was able to obtain, his methods have ensured that we will forever be burdened by minority appeasement that will always prevent us from taking decisive action as a society. 

The Indo-Pakistan conflict has been allowed to linger on for so long that it would put the Middle East conflict to shame. We have reached such a dead end where a round of talks is said to be successful if a consensus has been arrived at to meet again. Successful resolution of the Kashmir crisis would require a major compromise on the part of one of the sides which cannot be foreseen in the near future. 

The less said about the leadership vacuum at the centre, the better. Manmohan is honest but soft; Advani and Modi are tough but communal; Mayawati and Pawar are shrewd but regionalists; Sonia is probably downright incompetent. Voting has suddenly become an exercise in trying to pick out the lesser of the evils- an elimination as compared to positive support. Is it realistic to expect decisive and fair action from this motley crowd?

Threats of controlled military action constitute mere hollow rhetoric since the reality of the situation is something else. Pakistan is a nuclear state where worryingly the controls are in the hands of rogue elements. India cannot afford to be reckless as a result of the actions of its political forefathers and its best hope lies in a sustained international diplomatic effort backed by concrete pressure tactics.

India probably needs a decisive political mandate in the next parliamentary elections. Right-wing or centrist, the ruling formation should have the mandate to carry out reforms and govern without the pulls of a coalition government.

The country as a whole could benefit if:

1) Regional parties are banned. The political system can simply survive with so many stakeholders who have a parochial outlook. Regional parties should be given space only in the assembly elections and there should be no more than three entities fighting it out at the national level.All states should be guranteed a budget amount commensurate to its size so that the respective State Governments can pursue policies that suit the interests of the state best.

2) Press censorship is imposed along the lines of the Red Kingdom. The media has to play a responsible role as it does in the USA (at least from an American perspective) or has to be forced to play one if it doesn't toe the line. As praiseworthy as the coverage in the print media has been, some of the news broadcasts have been horrendously lopsided. Most of the Hindi news channels are a disgrace especially when a crisis is at hand and the only sane and balanced coverage is not surprisingly on Doordarshan. Leaving the choice of what to watch to the audiences works fine when we talk about an educated society but in a society like ours, the media should bear in mind the fact that it has a responsibility to educate and not just trivialise and sensationalise. The barrage of criticism directed at our politicians by our media has left everybody disillusioned. Does Cuba or Venezuela have better leaders in Fidel Castro or Hugo Chavez? Did America have a better President in Dubyaman? But why are they still endeared? 

3) The dignity of the administrative services is restored in terms of work profile and compensations. We could definitely stretch our subsidy bill to have more motivated policemen, bureaucrats and defence staff. It could also reduce if not wipe out corruption which has been the perennial bane of our society.

4) Indiscriminate entry of foreign nationals into this country is stopped. All consulates should be alerted as the importance of screening individuals thoroughly something the US has been able to achieve post 9/11. The borders should be sealed and if it means army deployment throughout the year, so be the case. The Navy, Coast Guard and Coastal Police should have an integrated command at the top so that a unified policy can be arrived at. India could also follow the Homeland Security model to traffic its skies effectively. These attacks cannot be prevented by having a more sophisticated police force but only through a more co-ordinated intelligence effort.