India-Africa trade relations

  WE in India are sorry to note that our country's share of total exports to the East African region has not been impressive, considering the market potential. The two principal reasons behind this are the huge information gap between India and these countries, and the lack of will on the part of the Indian trading community to be present physically in those markets to gauge the changes first hand.

The region, dominated mainly by the economies of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, has been posting a GDP growth rate between 6 and 8 per cent over the past couple of years. A regional bloc the East African Community (EAC) has been created to accelerate economic development, free movement of goods and resources, and to mobilise the collective strength. It is suggested that Indian investors think of joint ventures with buy-back arrangements with the EAC members to make the optimum use of the vastly untapped natural resources of the region.

The EAC, now a market of nearly 80 million people, is a part of the common market for Eastern and South Africa (COMESA), essentially created to exploit a highly promising market of nearly 300 million people. According to a recent study by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), Indian exports to the EAC have enjoyed the slender growth rate compounded annually in the 1992-98 period.

According to Mr Rakesh Shah, President of the FIEO (Eastern Region), it was only 18 per cent for both Kenya and Uganda, and 3.35 per cent for Tanzania. A country-wise analysis clearly highlighted a drop in the export of Indian goods and services to the three major East African economies in 1996-97 compared to 1995-96. Though there has been a slight recovery in 1997-98, the drought and economic recession persisting in Kenya have contributed to a continuing downtrend.

Describing India's share of the total exports to the EAC at an average of below 0.5 per cent as unimpressive, the report says that over-pricing and not up -to-the-mark after-sales service for most of the Indian products on offer (particularly engineering products) compared to the products offered by MNCs in these markets could be some of the other notable factors behind the slump.

The present information gap could easily be bridged through a frequent exchange of business delegations and the holding of seminars and trade fairs, largely through the efforts of organisations such as the FIEO, FICCI and ITPO.

(Prof) ATTAR SINGH
Delhi

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Factors behind BJP rout

In his latest article, "Lessons from BJP rout" (The Tribune, Dec 4), Mr Hari Jaisingh has listed several reasons for the party's debacle at the hustings and its being indistinguishable from the much-maligned Congress: arrogance of party leadership, indifference to Indian sensitivities, lack of concern for issues touching the common man, infighting in the party, poor quality of leadership, bullying by coalition partners, etc. It is, however, the pithy caption of the article that pinpoints the lessons of lessons — people strike if leaders play around.

It seems pertinent to recall the electoral upheavals suffered by the then ruling parties in 1977 and 1980 for betraying stark indifference to the public sentiments. The tragedy is that the political parties, irrespective of their hue, do not become wiser with experience. Back in power, the outfits betray the same arrogance and indifference to the common man's problems. The only lesson they seem to learn is to suck the blood of the people more speedily and frantically vis-a-vis the mindless retrace to become rich overnight. They seem to act on the dictum: make hay while the sun shines.

It is encouraging to note that the electorate can no longer be taken for granted and befooled with populism or gimmickry. It is in the long-term interest of the political leadership to be honest with the people. Let them pause and ponder!

TARA CHAND
Ambota (Una)

INDIAN ETHOS: I feel there is more than what meets the eye. First, as pointed out in the article, the plurality of Indian society is the sheet- anchor of our socio-cultural ethos. But the BJP not only negates, it also attracts the odious tinge of being communal, as is borne out by the reprehensible activities of some of its frontal organisations against Christian, Muslims, etc. This is the greatest potential danger to the unity and integrity of India.

Secondly, the great expectations of ushering in an era of "suraj" have been dashed to the ground by the acts of omission and commission of the ruling elite. How could a 15 per cent decline in onion production trigger off a cascading effect on the prices, showing an over 700 per cent increase? People were convinced beyond doubt that this was the result of the obnoxious nexus between traders, bureaucrats and politicians being at the helm of affairs. It has been rightly said that it is always a hazardous business to suppress what carries conviction with the masses.

The BJP agenda is loaded with emotive issues whether the party is in power or not. This is nothing but a myopic vision of nation-building.

PREM SINGH DAHIYA
Kanlog (Shimla)

GROUND REALITIES: The article "Lessons from BJP rout" provides the leaders of the defeated party the necessary material for introspection.

The jolt received by ruling party leaders should make them humble and truly responsive to the aspirations of the masses. Actions always speak louder than words. If the BJP wakes up to the ground realities, as pointed out by the author, the drubbing received by it at the hustings may well turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

S.K. SHARMA
Hoshiarpur

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Human behaviour

This refers to Mr J.L. Gupta's article "All in a day" (Dec 3). Human behaviour is a result of an interaction between heredity and the environment. The writer offers a promising possibility as a generalised, testable theory of having faith in humans. Those who are caught and convicted often represent that portion of the criminal society where people are of lower intelligence, poorly taught and unable to afford an influential lawyer, or are simply unlucky.

Intelligent criminals are out there on the rampage in the wild world called society. Moreover, punishment is not frequently provided, and when it is, it is so late in coming that it proves ineffective. The writer is lucky enough not to find himself in a place where human behaviour is shaped and criminally controlled by environmental contingencies and events.

Gibbon wrote: "Crime is the outcome of being at the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong people".

VIVEK SINGH MAR GIRAN
Kurukshetra