Colonial Hangover

There are many types of Colonial Hangovers that India suffers from. Many of us are closet anglophiles and have a sneaking admiration for the language and customs of an England, all but forgotten by the English themselves. Brexit is an example of a classic muddled English mess, not to be confused by the food they eat which is messy enough. Having said all this, one of the most pernicious colonial hangovers is our system of Government.

Parliamentary democracy originated in the 'Mother of all Parliaments' in Westminster and was probably appropriate for a small, rain soaked medieval island, struggling to free itself from capricious kings, an effete aristocracy and a dominating clergy. The necessity of an 'Upper House' where the offspring of dukes and earls could be accommodated was probably necessary if you had to maintain a semblance of a monarchy with the attendant trappings of an aristocracy. Why is it necessary in India? Here the Rajya Sabha is full of irrelevant nominees and it's only purpose seems to be to act as a check on the legitimately elected Lok Sabha. Why is such a check necessary? Carrying on the same theme, why must we have a ceremonial President who lives in a 350 room mansion and mimics the ceremonial duties and functions of the Queen of England? It seems totally absurd.

Even more absurd is the relationship between the States and the Centre. Our states are big places with populations of 100 Mn or more. Yet, in our legislation we have a Central list, a State List and hold your hat a Concurrent List of areas where the State, Centre or BOTH can create legislation. If this is not a mess what is? The pathetic situation in Delhi is a case in point where an elected Chief Minister who won by a record margin has to kow tow to a mid level bureaucrat. Surely the States should be competent to run their own affairs and we should not have situations like the GST where we have 3 types of GST to cater to the States and the Centre's wishes.

I could go on in this fashion. What we clearly need is a rethink on the way that Government works in our country. Specifically:

1. What should be role of the States vs the Centre. As our Economy grows, each state has become a powerful economic entity. Socio-Cultural differences are stark between one State and another. Surely, they should be allowed to manage their own affairs with only a limited role for the Centre?
2. What should be the Governance Structure? Roles and responsibilities need to be defined and the public should be clear about what they can expect from their elected representatives. Are any of us clear about what we should expect from our MPs or MLAs vs the bureaucracy? I for one am not clear at all. If political parties wish to claim that they are the ones who deliver economic prosperity in a physical sense to people as opposed to merely legislation let them define their roles and responsibilities clearly for the public.
3. Delayering and role clarity are some of the mantras of modern management practice. Sadly the reverse seems to be the case in Government. Instead we have multiplicity of roles, lack of clarity of objectives and so forth.
4. What is the role of the IAS? This is a generalist cadre who magically become MDs in highly technical enterprises. They also become Economists almost by osmosis and take on important roles in Finance. Many elected MPs and others complain of the stultifying attitude of the IAS. Surely we need to rethink the role of 'Collectors' - another Colonial Hangover.  

As of now I for one do not see any thinking or a way forward on any of these issues. Governments come and go but we do not see concrete and meaningful changes in the WAY we work. The net result is that there is very little difference between the performance of one Government and another. They may shout from the rooftops about their contribution and how they are different and better but deep down inside it's all much of a muchness.

India deserves better.



Take a look at my book 'Journey to the Hills and other Stories'. This nostalgic collection of short stories has reached the Amazon bestseller list for travel writing and has been highly acclaimed by readers.

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