M A I N   N E W S

The drift must end
by Hari Jaisingh

The people are sullen and angry as the nation celebrates 54th Independence Day today. Independence from what and for whom? From the nagging persistence of poverty and social injustice? From the unfair system and corrupt practices? From the clutches of the mafia operating in collaboration with wayward official and political groups? How come the system has been hijacked by operators and middlemen or those who run a parallel system which is more powerful than the official order?

What is disquieting is the increasing insensitivity of the ruling elite to the problems facing the nation and the inability to grapple with them. There are blank spaces in every sphere of national activity. This is inevitable in a situation in which the country's politics is increasingly dominated by "a palace-style elite game of musical chairs". The signal is clear: the nation is in a state of drift which has resulted in the chasm between the leaders and the led. This is not reassuring since people want just governance, fair play and firm action to earn for the country a place of honour in the comity of nations.

Take Kashmir. The bloody Kargil chapter was the offshoot of official make-believe that arose out of the bus diplomacy. Policy-makers just ignored 53 years of Pakistan history written in blood on the one-point jehad programme to grab Kashmir by hook or by crook. No nation can put its act together by being a soft state. A goody-goody approach is a sign of weakness. The nation's real strength has to come from its inner vibrance, especially the economy, social justice, clear-headed policies, the requisite political will, resolute determination and efficient governance. But what can we do with the rulers who treat all matters on the touchstone of political convenience and divide the country on the basis of vote bank and communal and sectarian considerations?

Take the simple case of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan. He has been holding two southern states to ransom for years, managing to get away with all his crimes. If this gangster cannot be nabbed despite the massive security operation in the forests of Tamil Nadu and Karanataka, what face can we show to the rest of the world? Also, how can we expect our friends and enemies to take us seriously? How come we are unable to tackle even a small-time gangster, foreign mercenaries and ISI agents who have infiltrated deep into every nook and corner of the country? What has happened to our proactive policy? Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his colleagues owe an explanation to the nation.

There is something basically wrong with the way national affairs are being handled. It seems the right perspective is missing on major issues. The priorities too are lopsided. There is no sense of direction. What is tragic is that even knowledgeable persons tend to see the successes and failures through political and personal angularities or through the eyes of vested interests they represent. How can a coherent national policy and approach be evolved in these circumstances?

If impotence is not to overwhelm us, we must keep looking for issues within issues, and take the right initiative to move forward. Equally vital is the political will to translate policy matters into a concrete plan of action. Not that there are only failures and no successes. Our failures, however, outnumber our success stories. As a people, we are a talented lot. But our resources and energies are wasted in intrigues and politicking in the absence of accountability.

Democracy must not be allowed to sap the spirit of democracy. The fragmentation of the party system, decomposition of political processes, destruction of institutions, perversion of norms and values have all contributed to the degeneration of the polity. Communalism, lumpenisation, brutalisation, casteism and criminalisation are the new forces that are cutting at the very roots of the democratic order.

Equally disgusting is the way our leaders mislead people with false slogans and insincere promises. Unless they change their mindset, approach and performance and learn from the failures, things can hardly improve. At this critical juncture, the message for the ruling elite is clear and candid: either govern and deliver the goods or get lost!

The people are getting impatient with the government and the system. They want convincing answers to their problems. They also want the nation to be saved from the designs of the enemies within as well as from across the border. The dangers are real but more real is the fact that saboteurs and destabilisers have penetrated in critical areas of activity and they have to be removed.

Looking ahead, the failures must not be glossed over with the gimmickry of a PR exercise. The game of bluff can only spell doom. What is needed is understanding, vision and skill on the part of the national leadership. For, the major part of the crisis lies in facing the challenge of making the Indian nation impregnable.