BAR CRIMINALS FROM CONTESTING ELECTIONS

Sonia Gandhi said it. Speaking at the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Election Commission, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the UPA, called for barring candidates with criminal records from contesting in elections. The call has come a bit late, but what is more important is that the call has finally come, and that too, from a very responsible person holding a very high office. Given legal effect, this will greatly improve the quality of governance at all levels.

In the sixty years of post republic era, India has successfully emerged as a global player in the world economic scene by adopting a series of effective economic reforms and the credit goes to different parties that came to power at the centre, in that, no government at the centre tried to undo the achievements of the previous government.

But what was, unfortunately, overlooked was the simple truth that political reforms too have to be put in place from time to time if the economic reforms have to achieve the desired results. The replacement of British rule by Babu’s rule brought in rampant corruption, nepotism, use of money power and muscle power, criminalization of politics and, finally, the creation of an unbreakable nexus between the underworld, police, politicians and babus that left the common man a silent sufferer with no constitutional means to address his grievance. The track record of our honorable MPs will testify to this.

Today, after sixty years, Indian democracy remains a democracy of the powerful, by the powerful and for the powerful. The police don’t register cases if it involves powerful people, the victims are threatened, the lawyers use their skills to protect the law breaker than the law abiding and the judiciary is influenced, all to protect the big guns.

It is indeed a great call from no less a person than Mrs. Sonia Gandhi to stop criminals from contesting elections. American constitution has a provision barring criminals from holding public office for life. We just need a single constitutional amendment which will not only improve the quality of governance, but make India an enviable place to live.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE WILL LEAD TO GROWTH

In his award winning publication “The World is Flat”, New York Times journalist Mr. Thomas Friedman narrates a beautiful story of an Indian Muslim family based in Mumbai half of which migrated to Pakistan on partition of the country. Fifty years down the line, the part of the family that chose to stay back in India did exceedingly well in all fields while, unfortunately, the part that opted for Pakistan did not progress at all. A young boy from the Indian side of the family asked his father “Dad, we have done well in our life. Why is that our Pakistani counterparts are not doing so well?” Answering this the father replied, “Son, when an Indian Muslim boy looks at a rich man standing on top of his mansion, he will tell his father, “Dad, one day I will become that man, where as the Pakistani Muslim boy will tell his father, “Dad, one day I will kill that man.” You got it.

That makes the difference. One is positive in his approach and the other negative. For decades, successive governments in Pakistan, both civil and military, had ‘India Bashing’ as their main agenda and key issues like economic development and education were shifted to the back burner. Supported by the powerful military establishment, the Pakistani media also thought its moral duty was to feed the public on a regular diet of hatred towards India. This negative strategy might have helped few to hold on to the power, but certainly, it has not done any good to the people.

In strange contrast, neither the Indian leadership nor the media nurtured a similar attitude towards Pakistan or its people. Though a creation of political divide at the time of independence, both the countries share a common culture and language, and there is no logical reason for a fall out between the people of both nations. In fact, Indians would cherish a politically stable Pakistan, in that it would help the inflow of foreign capital resulting in the growth of the economy and improve the quality of life. The growth of Indian economy during the last decade is a glaring example. Today, any Indian Muslim will vouch for the fact that he enjoys more privileges than his counterpart in Pakistan.

What Pakistan needs today is a stable civil government and a hassle free bureaucracy for its growth. Harping on the Kashmir issue or terrorizing innocent civilians is not going help neither the people of Kashmir or Pakistan. The leaders need to adopt a positive attitude and they will be amazed at the results.