A fitting end to a disastrous year in Indian politics

It was a fitting end to a disastrous year for corruption-ridden India’s floundering government, destructive parliamentary opposition, and self-serving politicians. At midnight last night, amid almost unbelievable scenes of chaos and uproar, legislation to introduce an anti-corruption Lok Pal (ombudsman) was stalled in parliament with MPs on all sides shouting and screaming at each other about whether and when to vote on over 180 amendments.

This was just the latest of a series of examples this year of how coalition leader Sonia Gandhi and prime minister Manmohan Singh are unable to run an effective government. The examples range from their slow handling of corruption scandals, to their clumsy attempts to deal with a mass anti-corruption movement, and their failure to reinvigorate the country’s flagging economy, declining international image, and faltering business confidence.

The parliamentary opposition has made matters worse. Scenting blood with a stream of corruption allegations against leading members of the government, it has been in destruction mode – maybe thinking it can force an early general election (though it is itself in no fit shape to fight one).

Consequently, India now has a coalition government that cannot govern, partly because of its own internal failings and contradictions, and partly because of a vicious opposition that has no new coherent policies of its own but wants power. Making matters worse, are regional parties in the Congress-led coalition that have little interest in the nation as a whole.

MPs are no doubt content today with their behaviour last night. Firstly, as has happened repeatedly since the 1960s, they have successfully avoided introducing a Lok Pal which could have impeded the extortion and fraud that run from their own offices and homes right through the economy and society. (Parliament is now in recess till the Budget session starts late in February or early March, when the government says it will re-present the Bill). Secondly, they have plenty of ammunition to use in campaigns for five state assembly elections that take place in the next two months – both sides can claim that the other has shown is not interested in stemming corruption because it prevented an effective Lok Pal being introduced, and also stalled two other anti-corruption bills on judicial accountability and protection for whistleblowers.

The idea of a Lok Pal is far from simple. Action is certainly needed to stem corruption, and that needs effective independent investigation that does not currently exist, but it is arguable whether a Lok Pal ombudsman is the right answer. If the ombudsman and supporting bureaucracy is as strong and independent as Anna Hazare, India’s anti-corruption campaigner, would like, it could seriously undermine the authority of the prime minister and the entire government machine with devastating corruption investigations and accusations. But if it is as soft as the version that was being debated in parliament this week, it could have little effect. Either way it is highly likely that it would itself become corrupted, as Amitabha Pande, a retired senior bureaucrat, argues here.

But India likes debating symbols and creating icons rather than facing reality, and the Lok Pal has become an iconic symbol of a fight against corruption that few have wanted to wage.

What is clear is that something needs to change in 2012. India cannot repeat 2011 without doing serious damage to its economy and fabric of society. The exposure of corruption ranging from the telecommunications scandal, which reaches to top government ministers and the prime ministers office, to the 2010 Commonwealth Games graft that is rumoured to reach even further, plus mining scandals in many states, shows how deeply ingrained extortion and greed is in politics, government and business.

In all this, Manmohan Singh has seemed to be able to exert little prime ministerial authority, except possibly in foreign affairs. Sonia Gandhi has suffered from ill health and was in the US during August for a rumoured cancer operation. It is still not known how well or ill she is, though she is now back at work at the head of the coalition. Much now depends on how successful her son and heir, Rahul Gandhi, is in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly election which takes place in February. He is staking his political reputation on boosting the Congress Party’s currently small role in the state and, if he does well, is expected to play a bigger role nationally.

If Congress were to build a sizeable position in UP, it should then logically call a quick general election to try to boost its numbers in the Lok Sabha (lower house) and thus have to rely less on unpredictable coalition partners. But MPs hate having to risk losing their lucrative seats before the due date (2014), so that is a political gamble that it is unlikely to happen.

If an election were called however, it could pave the way for a more coherent and stronger government than the one that is now failing to govern India.

For a longer version of this post, go to John Elliott’s Riding the Elephant blog – http://wp.me/pieST-1xf

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• leconfidant

  If India and Pakistan were to mutually consented to monitor each other’s corruption, they would each do a wonderful job and they’d be a long way to a peaceful coexistence.

• SouthAsianObserver

  India, as also the rest of the World, could benefit a lot by incorporating into it’s Constitution, an amendment that forces all public authorities to place on the internet the details and scanned copies of all their incomes and expenses, contracts, credits and debts, and in general all public rights and obligations within three business days of having exercised such power. After all, if they are admistering all these goodies in order to benefit the public, as they say, why shouldn’t the public see all of it?

• Brownie

  You mean like the good people in EU? We all know how good that has worked out.

• bendethu

  Main reason for failure of this bill is that the corrupt MPS and their cohorts have been caught offside  and have had not the time to remove their loot from their prospective hiding places. They need a breather to be able to stash this elsewhere. Be it the ruling party or the  opposition,they are in it together . The grandfather at the top has no clue , the elite that rule have made sure he stays there until the dynasty takes over and continues for the next Sixty years what they have been doing to the country for the past 60 years. The only time India ever did any good economically was when the dynastic nehru family were not in power. It will take time for  getting rid of this parasitic family from ruling India.  

• http://www.hoodaki.com/ flights to Bangkok

  Its good, Actually its great time in India when people of India strongly stand for fighting against corruption, so this time is memories for me for India before freedom, when every people stand behind Gandhi Ji and other people for getting freedom, same that there every people stand with Anna Ji for getting freedom from corruption.