India"s Failed Government and Un-launched Democracy
CUT SIZE THE BUREAUCRACY - NOT NUMBER BUT THE POWER "If you are going to stop the functioning of all corrupt offices here, then you will have to first stop the government offices from functioning because most corruption takes place no where else but within the government...
" -Bishop Mar Powathil.
What has failed? Is it the state, the market or the people surrounded by it? Why do most people support privatisation and sometimes even nationalisation? Because the bureaucracy often fails to deliver what is expected of it.
Bureaucracy, wherever it is unchecked or unmonitored, without any accountability, leads to corruption at all levels.
India's most corrupt organisation is its Government.
At the top level, it is the central government that is the most corrupt, followed by the central government departments and then the state governments.
It is well known how civil service question papers are leaked and the examination papers of the University Grants Commission, the UGC/NET, and the National Eligibility Test for college lectureship are available in advance on payment.
The business ethics of the Indian bureaucracy generally functions on the basis of black money and bribe.
Bribe, black money, corruption are all accepted norms of government official practices in India.
When the Prime Minister openly admits that you can't do without middlemen in the defence deal, it is an open admission of defeat.
Does this mean that he is also part of the chain? There is no doubt in anyone's mind in India that the Indian Bureaucratic system is corrupt.
Recently Bishop Mar Pawathil of the Catholic Church made an interesting comment.
He was in the forefront of a campaign against excess state intervention in higher education, and reacted to a Left student Union threat of not permitting corruption and closing down corrupt offices.
Left Student activists from Student Federation of India (SFI) were opposing donation and capitation fee and higher fees charged by self financed colleges in Kerala.
Bishop Powathil told the agitating student activists that "if you are going to stop the functioning of all corrupt offices here, then you will have to first stop the government offices from functioning, because most corruption takes place no where else but in the government.
" The most corrupt national bureaucracy is the Indian Bureaucracy.
Prime Minister Dr.
Manmohan Singh is not a mass leader.
He worked as RBI governor and primarily a bureaucrat.
It is not surprising that his ministry has very few people who commands mass support or even people who can win an election if the party that it supports them if withdraws.
The biggest tragedy of Indian democracy today is its dependence on former bureaucrats for every thing.
Except Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Arjun Singh, Vayalar Ravi or new minster Mr.
Antony and few other leaders from UPA partners, how many of its ministers can win a Lok Sabha election or any other democratic election? Very few Congress ministers can win an election or have the history of a public life.
This is a very dangerous trend.
India won freedom in 1947.
Today in 2006 are we better off or worse off with the freedom we won from the British? Have we won any freedom? Seriously if we think we never won any freedom or independence.
The trend of depending on bureaucratic solution is detrimental to Indian democracy.
The unilateral decision of the Prime minister to back a UN bureaucrat for the post UN secretary general itself shows the prevalence of the tendency to undermine democratic process.
Dr.
Singh took the decision of fielding Sashi Taroor or the support to him was announced with out sufficient discussions and any consensus.
It is also surprising that a bureaucrat has been supported for the post from the largest democracy.
The most coveted position that a young person aspires in India is becoming an IAS officer or clearing the civil service examinations of the similar grade.
It is very surprising from the world's largest democracy.
We are not yet a democracy.
We need to grow as a democracy.
Conducting elections every five years and having a parliament and state assemblies and periodical elections will not make us a democracy.
There is no participation of people in our democracy.
It is bureaucracy that runs the show.
It is surprising that, district collector and ministry secretary has more power than the democratically elected representatives and much more dangerous is the discretionary powers bestowed upon them and unnoticed by the political and democratic class.
The discretionary powers that they enjoy are very dangerous in the context of India's pluralism.
We must remove these powers and let the local bodies and elected representatives take over and let them decide and administer.
Cut the bureaucracy in to size not their number/s but the power and discretions so that democracy won't perish in India.
It should never be an attractive job option in a democracy.
Increase the working hours and punishments.
We will have to strengthen the democratic process.
We need institutions to train people as leaders and in democracy and not the mass scale conducting of civil service exams.
The kind of attention that it attracts today has to go away.
Let more people get attracted to careers and jobs outside the government.
" -Bishop Mar Powathil.
What has failed? Is it the state, the market or the people surrounded by it? Why do most people support privatisation and sometimes even nationalisation? Because the bureaucracy often fails to deliver what is expected of it.
Bureaucracy, wherever it is unchecked or unmonitored, without any accountability, leads to corruption at all levels.
India's most corrupt organisation is its Government.
At the top level, it is the central government that is the most corrupt, followed by the central government departments and then the state governments.
It is well known how civil service question papers are leaked and the examination papers of the University Grants Commission, the UGC/NET, and the National Eligibility Test for college lectureship are available in advance on payment.
The business ethics of the Indian bureaucracy generally functions on the basis of black money and bribe.
Bribe, black money, corruption are all accepted norms of government official practices in India.
When the Prime Minister openly admits that you can't do without middlemen in the defence deal, it is an open admission of defeat.
Does this mean that he is also part of the chain? There is no doubt in anyone's mind in India that the Indian Bureaucratic system is corrupt.
Recently Bishop Mar Pawathil of the Catholic Church made an interesting comment.
He was in the forefront of a campaign against excess state intervention in higher education, and reacted to a Left student Union threat of not permitting corruption and closing down corrupt offices.
Left Student activists from Student Federation of India (SFI) were opposing donation and capitation fee and higher fees charged by self financed colleges in Kerala.
Bishop Powathil told the agitating student activists that "if you are going to stop the functioning of all corrupt offices here, then you will have to first stop the government offices from functioning, because most corruption takes place no where else but in the government.
" The most corrupt national bureaucracy is the Indian Bureaucracy.
Prime Minister Dr.
Manmohan Singh is not a mass leader.
He worked as RBI governor and primarily a bureaucrat.
It is not surprising that his ministry has very few people who commands mass support or even people who can win an election if the party that it supports them if withdraws.
The biggest tragedy of Indian democracy today is its dependence on former bureaucrats for every thing.
Except Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Arjun Singh, Vayalar Ravi or new minster Mr.
Antony and few other leaders from UPA partners, how many of its ministers can win a Lok Sabha election or any other democratic election? Very few Congress ministers can win an election or have the history of a public life.
This is a very dangerous trend.
India won freedom in 1947.
Today in 2006 are we better off or worse off with the freedom we won from the British? Have we won any freedom? Seriously if we think we never won any freedom or independence.
The trend of depending on bureaucratic solution is detrimental to Indian democracy.
The unilateral decision of the Prime minister to back a UN bureaucrat for the post UN secretary general itself shows the prevalence of the tendency to undermine democratic process.
Dr.
Singh took the decision of fielding Sashi Taroor or the support to him was announced with out sufficient discussions and any consensus.
It is also surprising that a bureaucrat has been supported for the post from the largest democracy.
The most coveted position that a young person aspires in India is becoming an IAS officer or clearing the civil service examinations of the similar grade.
It is very surprising from the world's largest democracy.
We are not yet a democracy.
We need to grow as a democracy.
Conducting elections every five years and having a parliament and state assemblies and periodical elections will not make us a democracy.
There is no participation of people in our democracy.
It is bureaucracy that runs the show.
It is surprising that, district collector and ministry secretary has more power than the democratically elected representatives and much more dangerous is the discretionary powers bestowed upon them and unnoticed by the political and democratic class.
The discretionary powers that they enjoy are very dangerous in the context of India's pluralism.
We must remove these powers and let the local bodies and elected representatives take over and let them decide and administer.
Cut the bureaucracy in to size not their number/s but the power and discretions so that democracy won't perish in India.
It should never be an attractive job option in a democracy.
Increase the working hours and punishments.
We will have to strengthen the democratic process.
We need institutions to train people as leaders and in democracy and not the mass scale conducting of civil service exams.
The kind of attention that it attracts today has to go away.
Let more people get attracted to careers and jobs outside the government.
Source...