Mumbai hit yet again

Its a tought night. Makes me think we could do more, we are a soft state, we need to tighten our security, begin an armed conflict with our sullied neighbour. Then i think of the impossibility of it all where tighter security means loss of liberty, armed conflict means more lives lost and more terror bred and taking a hard line doesnt reduce the probability of such attacks (Israel being case in point). For now, my heart goes out to those who have loved and lost in a city that has always been so full of hope and when the sun comes up tomorrow, will go back to the business of living.

The Absence of Reason

One of my daily rituals is to end my day watching politicians debate on the news. Over the last few months i havent missed a single debate and with every debate grows a sad realization that our democracy is in serious trouble.The political discourse in our country has been reduced to a bar room brawl with both parties refusing to miss an opportunity to score political brownie points and rarely indulging in a constructive argument based solely on the facts. Our news media doesn't help much, polarizing every debate with a self righteous scowl and towing the anti incumbency line in reflection of the popular mood and in pursuit of higher TRPs.

In the first few decades after independence, our parliament made for a remarkable sight as it debated the merits of numerous contentious laws and successfully put differences aside in the quest of nation building. Whether it was on matters deeply personal such as the creation of a national language or on the equally charged issue of creation of language based provinces, the parliament debated every issue without any showmanship or grandstanding. Was it Nehru's stature or the complete dominance of the Congress at the center and states or the particular breed of politician that allowed for the early successes of a constitutional democracy?

Nehru's populist appeal was the primary reason for Congress retaining dominant power in the first two decades after independence. His oratory excellence and consultatory demeanor kept him in good stead with the populous and the executive. He alone however didn't make up parliament and credit therefore must be equally shared with the elected politicians of the time.

In this era of coalition governments that have very few if any lifelines, placating ones allies and jockeying for positions and perceptions that may swing the vote have replaced the quiet and efficient functioning that used to characterize the lower house of lawmakers. That in itself however is not the primary reason for this decay in democratic process.

To quote the german sociologist Max Weber, "There are two ways of making politics one's vocation: Either one lives for politics or one lives off politics". The seeming absence of reason today is gratis an abundance of the latter kind of politician and the severe drought in the former. When one seeks to live off politics then one must be in power to extract their pound of flesh. This leads to what may appear to be irrational behavior like demanding the prime minister's resignation at the drop of a hat or stalling parliamentary proceedings by refusing to debate but in fact is perfectly rational given the incentives.

Over the last six decades there has been a gradual degradation in our political class. This has occurred due to the marketization of politics where power and position serve as forces of market dominance and corruption serves as the means to extract the value created from this monopoly. Corruption was virtually non existant in the 50s with only the Mundhra scandal and the Keiron administration serving as the black sheep of the political class. However it grew in the 70s with arms deals and crossed the chasm from party fundraising to personal corruption in the 80s. Once being in power became extremely profitable, it began to attract those in search of a quick buck and thus came the rush of criminals in all shapes, sizes and crimes.

If its our leaders who are a problem, then how then can we begin a return to reason? How can we get our leaders to maintain the sanctity of the institutions they represent and respect the faith we have put in them to lead our country? It certainly isn't going to be through the creation of an ombudsman that will watch over them like a principal watches over errant school children. As history has taught us, the problems aren't the institutions, its the people that represent them and therefore any solution has to start with these people.

India desperately needs electoral reform. We need people from all walks of life to consider politics as a vocation they can pursue without the need of connections or inherited wealth. This means a competitive remuneration mechanism, regulation around both the source and quantum of money spent on elections and minimum qualifications by way of education and experience in the workplace. Today, we should be fighting for a bill on electoral reform. A bill that will help us restore our faith in the institutions that have carried us thus far. A bill that will help us return to reason.