The Price of Stability

       “When a crime is committed, half of the punishment is acquired by the Criminal, a quarter by his ally and a final quarter by the silent observer”, thundered a furious Vidura as accomplished warriors remained mute spectators to Draupadi’s humiliation in Hastinapur’s Royal Court. A similar situation presents itself before the nation today, as layer after layer of the 2G scam is uncovered. A Prime Minister, initially feigning ignorance and later helplessness to the whimsical policy shifting of his own Minister, refuses to remain accountable to the loot of public wealth which has been entrusted to him by the electorate. Whether he is a willing ally or a silent observer is a matter of debate, though his responsibility remains undiminished. The rulers of Kaliyug might object to being held accountable to the Rules of Dwapar Yuga, but a simple question of the current era itself might help in assigning responsibility of the scam. If Kanimozhi is responsible for the transgressions of Kalaignar by virtue of being the actively involved in its affairs, should not the PM, being the functional head of the government, be judged by the same measure?

       A conversation with a friend led to an article hailing the merits of the stability provided by the Congress’ ‘Monarchy’ against the inherent instability of the BJP’s internal democracy. Indeed, the First Family provides stability to the Congress as to many other Regional fiefdoms. However, the basic nature of a Monarchy or a Dictatorship is that the unquestioned authority of a single individual provides the organization with unmatched stability. However, it is this stability within the organization which results in unrest and chaos outside it. In an organization with multiple power centers, every action of the person in charge is scrutinized and every mistake is pounced upon. Internal conflict becomes the framework for internal audit and ensures that the Throne remains accountable. The complacency arising out of the absence of such internal checks results in arbitrary policy formation (2G Scam), compromise of neutral offices(CVC fiasco and appointment of Naveen Chawla as CEC) and becomes a breeding ground for corruption and mismanagement.

       When UPA-1 assumed power, the Sonia-Manmohan pairing was hailed as the perfect model for governance. While the Congress president would involve herself with all the political concerns of the Head of State, the Prime Minister could concentrate his energies on administrative issues. However, there was one basic flaw in the master plan: separation of accountability and power. The person accountable for the fallout of the State’s policies was not in charge of formulation of those very policies. While this arrangement worked perfectly in favour of Mrs. Gandhi, allowing her to mould governance in a whimsical manner. The Prime Minister remains unbothered by the flak he draws due to such wayward governance as the political fallout of such situations are the least of his concerns. A classic example of this arrangement is the continued hoarding and import of food grain to ensure that the much touted ‘Food Security Act’ sees the light of the day, even as the government continues to grapple with measures to check soaring inflation. The formula for success has turned into a recipe for disaster.

       ‘Power without responsibility’ seems to be the Mantra for the ‘Crown Prince as well as he embarks on his Mission-2014. The repeated rebuttals, of the heir apparent, to the PM’s frequent offers of a berth in his ministry are indicative of an aversion to responsibility. A ministerial berth would effectively mean creating metrics to assess his performance. At the moment, only his statements can be the subject of the scrutiny of his rivals. However, once he assumes a position of power, every policy decision and its fallout under his purview can be debated. A clean slate works perfectly in his favour, as he can go about blaming the ‘system’- created by his own creators- and ask for votes under the pretext of cleaning up this very system. He can be the incumbent and yet be unaffected by anti-incumbency.

       A lot of debate that is conducted these days on the issue of corruption generally ends on the TINA note and laments at a similar malaise affecting the chief opposition party. Some even blame the BJP for not raising the concerns of the public as vociferously as it should have. While the BJP too has some skeletons in its cupboard, most of the criticism is unfair on the principal opposition party. Arun Shourie has been raising the issue of financial impropriety in 2G allocation at multiple forums since 2007. The appointments of the CVC and the CEC were opposed vehemently by the party, and in the CVC case, their stand has been upheld by the Supreme Court. Based on the five years of NDA rule itself, the NDA acquits itself quite comfortably as compared to the seven years of UPA rule. Unfortunately, a section of the elite News fraternity has an allergy to anything ‘Saffron’ and attempts to create a perception suiting their own needs and beliefs.

       While one party chooses to focus on Individual based politics, since Individuals are the only ones keeping it afloat, the other prefers to dwell on Issue based politics. In the battle of perceptions it is always easier to create a larger than life persona than it is to drive home a hard fact. Only when the country moves beyond perceptions of Individuals and moves on to judging performance on the basis of fact, can we hope to actually cleanse the system. Until such a time arrives, we can only be amazed at the embezzlement of our money carried out by the very people we appointed to safeguard it.