VIEWPOINT

Political corruption is the source of the administrative corruption that’s rampant today. In the years after independence, cases of corruption were few as the ideals of the freedom struggle still guided over politicians. However, the situation has changed over the last few decades because politics has become the easiest means of amassing wealth for the unscrupulous. Further, politicians have systematically weakened the country’s institutions and demoralized the services instead of ensuring a strong and neutral civil service which is the backbone of a parliamentary democracy. While earlier ministers used to value and respect honest civil servants, today they prefer corrupt and pliable officers.

INDIA TODAY...

Whether the critiques like it or not, the ruling party is continuing with its governance in India.

There are security lapses, want of JPC, no parliament session, WikiLeaks digging up something nasty everyday, natural calamities like flood in some states, escalating food prices, increase in petrol price and what not?

Innumerable problems are tapping the doors of the Prime Minister and the UPA Chairperson almost everyday.

The opposition parties are very happy to see the pressure under which UPA government is operating.

All opposition parties big or small are putting pressure on the UPA from all angles.

What is the real idea behind all these pressures?

I try to understand the intricacies of all these incidents like many other people in our country.

No one has a correct answer to offer.

The lawyer-spokespersons of each party talk good about their party and bad about the ruling party in loud voices.

Is it democracy?

They say it is.

The public money is swindled by everyone who is in the top positions like Central Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers of States, bank CEOs, politicians, and journalists and even the civil servants and defense personals.

In order to catch these thieves, again the government is spending huge amount of public money in searches, advocate fees, commissions, stalling parliamentary proceedings for whole winter session.

I feel it’s sheer non-sense!

India is considered to be one of the corrupt nations in the world, next to China of course!

Remember, both are heavily populated countries.

Is it not a shame on the part of the responsible leaders our country to waste the public money and tell the people that they are taking care of the corrupt.

How long such things can happen in India?

I hope, sooner some bright economist or judge will come forward to give a solution for this tricky problem.

What the President of India doing?

No word from her so far!

Who will solve these ugly problems?

I do not know.

Do you?

21December 2010

DISINTEGRATING DEMOCRACY

It is very common nowadays that in most of the democracies no clear majority

for a single party is coming through.

Democracy survived well when a single party won with a clear majority.

Day by day democracies lost this luxury of single party majority.

This happened in India, United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany and of late in Kyrgyzstan.

Why such things like this happen?

Is it because of the proliferation of parties or people are divided in their opinions and do not like the mandate of the principal parties?

Or is it because more and more parties like to rule the country and derive the benefits.

Is it because the parties want to become prominent by taking over another party?

I think it is a mad race!

The net result is that a single party that has the largest number, but not sufficient to get a majority has to search for coalition partners with like minded parties or independents.

We have seen in the Australian election, three independents could decide the fate of the government.

In fact, parties sometimes the independents divide the votes of the electorates and become indispensable for a party that wants to form the government.

It is a very big drama going on all over the world.

Parties or the independent candidates are bought often by paying huge sums of money or offering ministerial posts and various other favors.

Demands from these indispensables are to be met if some party wants to establish a government.

However the coalition partners make a common minimum program for the government to implement as long as the government survives.

Coalition governments are formed at the cost of sacrificing some of the mandate of a party.

At every point the common minimum program has to be kept in mind to take a decision.

So the government and its head, the Prime Minister has to tackle very carefully such tricky problems.

The Alliance Partners support the Prime Minister only when they agree for the demands (reasonable or unreasonable) put forth by them.

There are many examples where, if such compromises are not met, the alliance partners withdraw their support to the leading party and thus the government collapses.

We have seen time and again such incidents in many states and nations.

To keep the flocks together is a big task for any ruling leader who can not implement his party’s programs without the consent of his partners.    

Such is the state of affairs of a democracy.

Is it the disintegration of democracy?

I think so.

Is there any way to integrate democracy with two or three parties alone?

May be possible!

But who will bell the cat?

Everyone wants to become a leader and start a party with some silly ideas and mandates.

There is no rule to control such mushroom parties.

Caste-based, religion-based, labor-based regional and national parties are plenty in a democracy. 

There is no one to control such stupid parties.

The President of the country is the supreme leader to oversee the government’s activities.

In fact the President can bring certain improvements to safeguard the decency of democracy.

But alas!

The President himself/herself is selected and elected by interested parties only.

Then it becomes obligatory for the President to follow the party.

Almost all the Presidents are the puppets in the hands of politicians.

Why?

Most of the Presidents thus elected are once an active politician in a particular party.

So they are biased to a certain extent.

They are unable to use their own discretion.

Ordinance can be brought by the President for improving the existing political system in order to integrate the democracy.

If it not done at the earliest, the governing system in a country like India is going to be affected and we will end up in chaos.

Presidents have to study the existing disintegrating democracy and find ways and means to save democracy.

Otherwise, no one else can save us except the Almighty!