Maravi

Lessons from India

Lessons from India
Written by Editor

We have a lot to learn from India in all areas of human endeavour. For all the problems of that country, one thing that serves them well is the type and nature of political leadership. Abraham Lincoln defined democracy as a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

In India, we can define democracy as a government of the humble, by the humble and for the humble. In India, one sees a government that is closely linked to the people, that arises from the people and has the support of the people and devotes itself entirely to working and struggling for the people and people’s interests.

One thing that strikes one when one visits India and meets its political leaders is the humility, simplicity in the mannerism and style of those who govern that country. We have had the privilege to visit that country and meet some of its leaders. Always and everywhere, we have been impressed by their modesty in deeds and in words. India is a third world country but one with a lot of advancements in science and technology and in many other fields. It is a country with a far much higher income level than most of our poor countries. But when one looks at the way the political leaders of that country carry themselves, it looks as if we have more money than them. In India, the leaders drive very cheap automobiles manufactured in India. They don’t drive big cars, expensive SUVs that our politicians drive. The extravagance, pomposity, arrogance and lack of humility one sees here cannot be seen in India. We don’t even think such behaviour can be tolerated for a second in that country. In India, one doesn’t see the narrow-mindedness that we see here every day. Probably that explains their progress because no nation can be great whose people are narrow in thought or in action. The people of India are citizens of a great country, on the verge of bold advance, and they seem to be living up very well to that high standard set by Jawaharlal Nehru on August 14, 1947: “Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially…the future is not one of ease or resting but one of incessant striving so that we may fulfill the pledges we have so often taken and the one we shall today take. The service of India means the service of millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.”

Truly, the freedom Nehru was talking about brought responsibilities and burdens on the political leadership of India, but no one can deny that they have faced them in the spirit of a free and disciplined people. They can truly be said to have been worthy followers of the father of that nation – Gandhi, who, embodying the old spirit of India, held aloft the torch of freedom and lightened up the darkness that surrounded them. They seem to have always remembered his message and bear the imprint in their hearts of this great son of India, magnificent in his faith and strength and courage and humility. They have never allowed that torch to be blown out, however high the wind or stormy the tempest. They are doing everything they can to bring opportunity to the common man, to the peasant and workers of India; they are fighting to end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and they have created social, economic and political institutions that are today trying to ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman. This should be admirable and inspirational to all of us.

This is what the independence of India reminds us, especially this 62nd independence day of that country.

It is interesting to note the consistent commitment to the path charted by Nehru in 1947. In a message to mark India’s 62nd Independence Day, Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil said social services for the people can be delivered smoothly only if there is an effective governance system that is less cumbersome but more transparent and accountable and that there was outrage when money meant for welfare schemes was pilfered out by corrupt practices. She further stated that the emphasis on reform of governance for an effective delivery of public services was critical to changing the lives of the people and that their work is a public service, commitment, dedication and honesty should be the hallmark of their work.

President Patil also said that an enlightened citizenry conscious of its civic duties and social responsibilities, maintaining discipline, following good habits, particularly about hygiene and cleanliness, respectful towards nature’s bounty and sensitive to environmental concerns was the greatest asset of the nation and that India’s narrative growth should be a story of opportunity and a life of dignity for all; the voice of every citizen is important and the principle of inclusiveness integral to democracy.

Truly, citizens world over look up to the government and its organs for high quality performance. When good governance is guaranteed, citizens go about their personal business and pursuits with enhanced expectations. On the other side of the spectrum, bad or indifferent governance not only restricts opportunities of success but it can even degenerate into sectarian conflicts and civil wars. In such an atmosphere, personal accomplishments as well as social achievements get severely restricted.

Good governance helps create an environment in which sustained economic growth becomes achievable. But good governance, as we have seen over the last 18 years or so, does not occur by chance. It is, therefore, necessary that the citizens are allowed to participate freely, openly and fully in the political process. Good governance is accordingly associated with accountable political leadership, enlightened policy-making and a civil service imbued with professional ethos and not one dominated by ruling party cadres who have been rewarded with top positions for their militancy. The presence of a strong civil society including a free press and independent judiciary are preconditions for good governance.

And when we look at India, what can we say is good governance in the context of that country? What is it that we can learn from India on this score? The central challenge before good governance relates to social development. In the “tryst with destiny” speech, Nehru articulated this challenge as “the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunities”. Good governance must aim at expansion in social opportunities and removal of poverty. In short, good governance, as we perceive it, means securing justice, empowerment, employment and efficient delivery of services. Good governance is undoubtedly linked to the citizen’s right of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. This could be secured in a democracy only through the rule of law. And we need to be clear what we mean by the rule of law which we sloganeer about every day. The rule of law is different from the rule by law. Under the rule by law, the law is an instrument of government and the government is above the law while under the rule of law, no one is above the law, not even the government. It is under this framework that rule of law not only guarantees the liberty of the citizens but it also limits the arbitrariness of the government thereby it makes government more articulate in decision making. The rule of law is equality before the law. And this is secured through formal and procedural justice which makes independent judiciary a very vital instrument of governance. It is widely appreciated that human factors, that is the quality of political leadership, the executive and judicial officials play important roles not only in upholding supremacy of rule of law and inefficient delivery of service but also in shaping traditions, customs and institutional structures that are part of the democratic machinery.

And when we look at India, it is not difficult to see that three institutions have played remarkable roles in improving public service delivery over the last 62 years – the judiciary, the media and civil society. The independent character of the judiciary that the constitutional architecture provided for has been of immense help to India. The judiciary has intervened meaningfully to correct failures in service delivery by the executive through public interest litigations.

The media has emerged as a source of pressure for change. It has brought to the fore aspirations of the common people, which in turn has exerted enormous pressure on public officials to deliver goods.

And the emergence of a large number of non-governmental organisations in different fields ranging from environment to culture to education have become institutions that bring forward the concerns of the public with a degree of regularity.

Clearly, an empowering approach to poverty reduction needs to be based on the conviction that poor people have to be both the object of development programmes and the principle agents for development. And this being the case, to steal from the poor should be a very serious crime.

These are some of the things we should learn from India and meditate over as we celebrate the 62nd anniversary of this heroic country’s independence. In fact, on that day – August 14, 1947 – Nehru pledged: “And so we have to labour and to work, and work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today and for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart. Peace has been said to be indivisible; so is freedom, so is prosperity now and so also is disaster in this One World that can no longer be split into isolated fragments…To the nations and peoples of the world, we send greetings and pledge ourselves to co-operate with them in furthering peace, freedom and democracy.”

Labels: INDEPENDENCE, INDIA

posted by MrK @ 3:12 PM