BAN THESE PRIVATE ARMIES

The recent assault on a Mangalore pub by the so called moral police “Sri Ram Sena” to enforce a moral code on pub goers cannot be reviewed as a stray incident, but with concern and alarm. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also, recently, under the leadership of a member of parliament, invaded a school during the republic day function and manhandled the students in the name of parochialism. What signals are we sending to a civilized society? Are we stooping so low to be branded as the world’s largest mobocracy? We cannot allow vandalizing hooligans to disrupt the normal life in the society. They need to be dealt with iron arms regardless of their religious or political affiliations and the offence should be made non-bailable.

There are various other means of moral policing, but through non-violent means. You can mount an awareness campaign through email or distribute advisory leaflets or by even hold demonstrations, but resorting to violent means only lead to aggravating the problem. If every political party is allowed to raise its own army, there will be total chaos in civic life and will interfere with the effective functioning of the police force. There should be total ban on these illegal entities.

TAINTED SHOULD BE OUT OF POLITICS

The induction of Sanjay Dutt to Indian political arena under the banner of Samajwadi party is unfortunate in that it is showcasing the quality of Indian democracy which is known globally for empowering candidates with criminal records.

Sanjay Dutt had been earlier found guilty for unlawful possession of weapons by TADA court and convicted for a jail term. Amar Singh appears to be wanting to capitalise on Dutt's "Munnabhai" reputation to gather votes. What he does not want to understand is that by fielding a candidate with a record of conviction, he is encouraging people with tainted records to be elected to public office.

If good governance has to become a reality in India, candidates with history sheets should be debarred for life from contesting in polls. If Satyam fiasco has tarnished the brand equity of India Inc., the admission of Sanjay Dutt to Samajwadi party will damage the image of our democratic set up.
TAINTED SHOULD BE OUT OF POLITICS

The induction of Sanjay Dutt to Indian political arena under the banner of Samajwadi party is unfortunate in that it is showcasing the quality of Indian democracy which is known globally for empowering candidates with criminal records.

Sanjay Dutt had been earlier found guilty for unlawful possession of weapons by TADA court and convicted for a jail term. Amar Singh appears to be wanting to capitalise on Dutt's "Munnabhai" reputation to gather votes. What he does not want to understand is that by fielding a candidate with a record of conviction, he is encouraging people with tainted records to be elected to public office.

If good governance has to become a reality in India, candidates with history sheets should be debarred for life from contesting in polls. If Satyam fiasco has tarnished the brand equity of India Inc., the admission of Sanjay Dutt to Samajwadi party will damage the image of our democratic set up.

PARADIGM SHIFT IN PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

It appears to be story of the fence that ate the harvest. So in the case of Satyam’s auditors, it is a case of the watch dog shifting loyalties. PriceWaterhouseCoopers, an internationally acknowledged firm of professionals, have been so negligent in their duties that they have tarnished the image of a noble profession.

Times are changing. Greed has taken over and professional ethics are being ignored. A battery of twenty five lawyers is busy out there, struggling to read between the lines and looking for potential loopholes in law to bail out Ramalinga Rao and his accomplices. The legal profession, whose main job is to uphold the laws of the country, is trying to crack the laws to shield the criminals.

Window dressing the balance sheets, under and over invoicing, deflating the liabilities, inflating the assets, etc. have become part of the game plan that business houses are resorting to determine the value of their shares in the market. This is tarnishing global image of India Inc. in this era of globalization. Corporates needs to practice self regulatory mechanisms and ensure absolute transparency to retain their brand equity in the market place. Institutional controls are only complementary.

BOOK THESE CORPORATE TERRORISTS

The revelation of Ramalinga Rao, Satyam’s chairman, is really shocking. Apart from causing great loss to the investor, it has shaken the public confidence in the corporate governance of business houses and, in the process, has shattered the image of Indian companies in the international market. It has proved that the audited financial statements cannot be relied upon and is signaling the arrival of a new era of auditor-management nexus hitherto restricted to politician-criminal caucus.

Terrorists kill the innocent with AK47, but these corporate terrorists possess weapons of mass destruction which brings misery to the families of thousands of unsuspecting investors. Regulatory authorities like SEBI and other government bodies will make strongly worded statements (in line with what our ministers make in the event of terrorist attacks) and, in the end, the system, which is lenient towards the wealthy, powerful and influential, will look the other way.

In my opinion, the entire Board of Directors and their accomplice, the auditor, should be tried under anti-terror laws.

TREAT EVERY INDIAN EQUALLY

Divide and rule. The British devised it, our politicians perfected it. Dividing the people in the name of religion, caste and creed, they have amended the constitution regularly and recklessly keeping in mind not the welfare of the masses, but the unsuspecting vote banks, who have been fooled time and again to keep them in the corridors of power. India of the 21st century needs a uniform civil code that treats all equally not on the status of his birth but on his economic status. The character of the individual differs from person to person and everyone cannot do everyone’s job. You need a person of high I.Q. to think and plan how the country is to be run, you need brave warriors to defend the sovereignty of the country, the merchants to ensure that goods and services are made available to the community at affordable price and another class to play a supportive role to the above mentioned class. It was the basic rule on which the ancient Indians divided the population, until our politicians misinterpreted this noble thinking for their personal gain. The American democratic system is successful today because it offered opportunity to people all over the world without looking into their nationality or color. The election of Barak Obama to the highest office in the country bears vivid testimony to this.

MINISTERS SHOULD STICK TO THEIR PORTFOLIO

It has become a fashion for some union and state ministers to hold offices in sports and other commercial bodies. Cricket, in India, is a very lucrative industry and anything sells in the name of cricket. If the union minister of agriculture wants to run the cricketing body, he should disassociate himself with his primary portfolio, agriculture, and hand over the same to people who are honestly willing to do the job. Thousands of farmer suicides all over India, unfortunately, does not make an impact on the agriculture minister and it took an American, who watched the Indian news channels, to bail out a few farmers in Andra Pradesh. This is not acceptable and the minister should restrict himself to one portfolio to remain more effective.

REVAMPING INDIAN DEOCRACY

The main reason for the success of American democracy is the availability of a constitutional provision that bars for life people convicted of corruption or criminal charges from contesting any election or holding any public office. India need to amend its constitution to give effect to a similar provision which will automatically ensure the quality and credibility of an aspiring candidate for any electoral 0ffice. In today’s scenario, almost half of the candidates are filing nominations from behind the bar.