Our World Our Times: Call for an immediate end to the killings in Isra...

Our World Our Times:  Call for an immediate end to the killings in Isra...:   Call for an immediate end to the killings in Israel and Palestine   We at the Centre for Global Nonkilling (CGNK) draw attention to the la...

 

Call for an immediate end to the killings in Israel and Palestine 

We at the Centre for Global Nonkilling (CGNK) draw attention to the lack of collective concern and approach to putting an immediate end to the deepening humanitarian crisis and the killings in Israel and Palestine. We urgently seek indulgence in our collective wisdom and approach to stop the inhuman acts of violence and killings in the region for lasting peace.

Around two decades back two important works came out in this regard. One was the WHO World Report on Violence and Health edited by Eugene G. Krug, Linda L. Dahlberg, James A. Mercy, Anthony B. Zwi and Rafael Lozano. The second was Nonkilling Global Political Science by Glenn D. Paige. In the former work, the killing of humans was identified as a global health issue while in the later work, the task was given to the political scientists to come up with creative measures to eliminate killings from global life.

In the wake of the Israel-Palestine war, no one else more than humanity is at an ultimate loss. Thousands of innocent civilians have died and are still dying. At the Centre for Global Nonkilling, a call therefore is being given to all the humanists to come up with creative approaches by which the conflict may be resolved once and forever. It is high time that we cut across all our religious beliefs, faith and ideologies from across the world and bring the ideology of affirmative nonkilling peace into action. The process can be taken over by the United Nations in conformity with SDG 16 by promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. I must also mention SDG 4 can ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning. The affirmative approach encompasses an overall change in good quality values through moral education at primary schools and even lifelong learning based on precepts such as reverence for all life, nonkilling, nonviolence and human dignity in consonance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Charter. This will ensure a just and humane global nonkilling society for all future peace.

Indeed, the Israel-Palestine conflict has been a long-standing conflict. There have been atrocities done from times long bygone to the present-day war. Violence, terror and wars, have, however, never resolved anything to date and that is what we have learnt from history. If affirmative nonkilling peace is the aim, then both parties need to enter into reconciliation and that can only happen when we express apologies for past mistakes. Yes, there are some deep-rooted grievances instilled in the minds of both sides; they are aware of the injuries given by their opponent but not of the injuries given to the opponent by them. We know that the silent majority do not want war but there are some minorities for whom revenge, violence, retribution and wars are inevitable and probably a solution to their injustice. It is these people who have corrupted our societies and the world.

It is such individuals and groups that have to be identified so that they can be checked and if possible corrected from an affirmative nonkilling perspective. As humanists and global citizens, we need to take up this onerous task, for peaceful and nonkilling co-existence for all future on spaceship Earth.

We take this opportunity to sign the Declaration at the Centre for Global Nonkilling as under:

Let us affirm that virtues such as compassion, empathy, humanity
and nonkilling should be promoted in society by developing certain
framework for different institutions. The primary goal of each of these
institutions should be the inculcation of the above-stated affirmative
nonkilling values. Therefore:
Let us affirm to develop nonkilling educational system.
Let us affirm to develop nonkilling ideologies.
Let us affirm to develop nonkilling state.
Let us affirm to develop nonkilling society.
And most importantly let us affirm to develop nonkilling individuals!
NO MORE HATE, NO MORE Killing!

In the backdrop of this declaration by the Centre for Global Nonkilling, we draw attention to the earlier United Nations General Assembly Resolution 377, the Uniting for Peace Resolution, adopted on 3 November 1950, in case the Security Council, because of a lack of unanimity among its five permanent members, fails to maintain international peace and security, the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately and may issue appropriate recommendations to UN members for collective measures, to maintain or restore international peace and security. Incidentally, resolutions have been invoked many times in the past to call an emergency session of the General Assembly and the Centre for Global Nonkilling does look forward to facilitating and participating in such a change for nonkilling world peace.

The Centre for Global Nonkilling assures of our highest consideration and urgent efforts for nonkilling universal peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict and all future conflicts.

With aloha, shanti and a fervent call for an immediate end to all killings and hostilities,

Anoop Swarup
Chairperson, Centre for Global Nonkilling

Hawaii, United States

Open Letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on urgency in Korean Peace Process

Your Excellency Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,

I take this opportunity as the Chair of the Governing Council of the Centre for Global Nonkilling (CGNK) to draw your kind attention to the dangers of an all out but avoidable war that you are  very much concerned considering North Korean President Kim Jong-Un’s bombastic declarations and US President Donald Trump’s aggressive  retaliatory reactions. In this ongoing crisis the global focus has turned to military prowess and posturing rather than rooting out the misunderstandings between North and South Korea. Surely the citizens of Guam and the two Koreas have much to be alarmed of.

I approach you in our consultative status with the United Nations and complement you on your initiatives and efforts to achieve the very challenging task for all round peace in terms of the Charter of the United Nations.  Indeed, you have been a source of great hope not only for us globally but more particularly for those in Korea and for those who believe in peaceful reunification of both the Koreas. 

Your Excellency will agree that in the past, absence of the Peace Settlement has contributed to the development of nuclear weapons in North Korea, threats of nuclear counter attack, and periodic bloodshed on land and sea. It has contributed to mutual fear on both sides of the DMZ, violations of human rights, continued separation of families losing elderly members, economic deprivation related to diversion of human and material resources for war-fighting needs, and ecological destruction. Korean War veteran Late Prof Glenn D. Paige founding Chair of the Centre for Global Nonkilling (CGNK) and world acclaimed author of The Korean Decision (1968), Nonkilling Global Political Science (2002), co-editor of Nonkilling Korea: Six Culture Exploration (2010), and chair of the non-profit Centre for Global Nonkilling have been relentless in pursuing the goal of peace and unification.

Lest we forget the follies of war and its aftermath, the16 UN nations and the Republic of Korea fought under the UN Command led by the United States against the North Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers until the Armistice Agreement was signed and called for a political conference of both sides to be held within three months to conclude a peaceful settlement of the War. Apparently that conference never happened as absence of the Peace Settlement has contributed to the development of nuclear weapons in North Korea, threats of nuclear counter attack, and periodic bloodshed on land and sea, and mutual fear on both sides of the DMZ.  Violations of human rights, continued separation of families, economic deprivation related to diversion of scarce resources for war-fighting and ecological destruction followed. Geopolitically, these conditions have led not only to insecurity involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia, and the United States, but the region as a whole is regarded as one of the world's most dangerous.

Incidentally, Korean War combatants are members of the UN, including South and North Korea admitted in 1991, and China since 1971. Collectively they can act to establish the peace for which they fought, for the Korean people who have most at stake. Four world leaders can initiate UN action to reignite that 1953 Peace Settlement called for in the Armistice Agreement.  A UN Korean Conference would advance Six Party negotiations toward Korea becoming a nuclear weapon-free zone, and open economic and cultural relations favouring Korean evolution toward mutually peaceful political accommodation.  Under Article 99 of the UN Charter, it is imperative that you as the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres address the crisis and call the Security Council to the long aborted Peace Settlement as a matter of urgency for the maintenance of international peace and security.

In present day crisis everlasting peace eludes us even seventy two years after the arbitrary division of Korea in 1945 and sixty-four years after the July 27, 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement signed by the Commander-in- Chief of the United Nations Command, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army and the Commander of the Chinese People’s Volunteers. It is long overdue to conclude the 'Peace Settlement' called for in Articles IV and V “through the holding by both sides of a political conference of a higher level”. Constant political and military tensions on the Korean Peninsula require steps to be made following the principles of the UN Charter, which requires members to “settle their international disputes by peaceful means.”

Let me elaborate that the “Nonkilling Korea: Six Culture Exploratory Seminar” convened by the Center for Global Nonkilling, as a non-governmental organization in special consultative status with the UN, at Seoul National University during August 18-19, 2010. The results of the Seminar are reported in the book Nonkilling Korea: Six Culture Exploration edited by Glenn D. Paige and Chung-Si Ahn and co-published by Seoul National University Press and the Center for Global Nonkilling in 2012. The PDF is available for download at http://nonkilling.org/pdf/nkkorea.pdf. The Center for Global Nonkilling remains fully committed to the development of proposals that may catalyze a lasting Peace Settlement in the Korean Peninsula for a killing-free East Asia in a nonkilling world. 

Your excellency will agree that this is the time to act! As alternative to current dangerous threats and alarms in Korea, the Center for Global Nonkilling will continue to seek as an urgent 'UN Korean War Peace Settlement Conference' as outlined in the attachments. With your leadership we at the Centre for Global Nonkilling (CGNK) will keep trying to bring the proposal to global attention, and redouble our efforts with the Security Council, UN delegations, the President of the United States and political-military leaders of the two Koreas, media and public. 

Among anticipated consequences of the UN Korean Peace Settlement Conference will be to advance Six Party negotiations toward making Korea a nuclear weapon-free zone. Removal of the state of war among all Korean War combatants will open up universal economic and cultural relations favouring Korean evolution toward mutually desired peaceful political unification. Korea can and should become a killing-free nation as an example for the whole world.

Assuring you of our highest consideration and efforts for nonkilling universal peace,

With Aloha, Shanti and profound regards,

Modi is right in reforming the bureaucracy!

Anoop Swarup

In contrast to the earlier regimes when the Administrative Reforms Commission Reports mostly gathered dust now all the State Governments have been asked to study the recommendations of the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission including that of its 15th report that advocates abolition of the post of Divisional Commissioners to avoid red tapism and delays to realign these roles and also to review and monitor the reforms and their implementation. It is hoped that by reforming and streamlining the bureaucracy Modi will be a pathbreaker in both letter and spirit. The amendment by the Narendra Modi Government of the 46 year old All India Service Rules one may recall, included a 19 point guideline that was widely welcomed both by the bureaucracy and the fourth estate. Amongst other issues it had exhorted the much beleaguered relic of the Raj and the much hyped steel frame to maintain honesty, integrity and high ethical standards. More importantly it also mandated the bureaucracy to maintain political neutrality, make recommendations on merit alone and take decisions only in public interest. There has been a decline over the years on all these ideals of yesteryears. One may find it amazing that even in England not to speak of the US, Australia or for that matter the European Union, the Civil Service is mostly hired from professionals on contract with specific and well defined key performance indicators, targets and goals. It is ironical that the various services that do commit themselves to complete loyalty and unremitting zeal have failed to discharge themselves on any of the ideals set before them by the founding fathers of our country at the time of independence.

Let us briefly understand the past before we redefine the future . If we go back to history, the genesis of various services and the post of District Collector goes to 1786 when the East India Company made the Districts as the focal point of revenue administration and the following year vested them with magisterial powers with certain exceptions as the mainstay of their presence in British India. The bureaucracy in India and the various Services are much criticized now for corrupt practices in particular, and for apathy to the common man. The reason may not be far fetched as both the All India and Central Services even in the 21st century do follow the Cornwallis Code of 1793 at least in practice if not in spirit where distrust and class consciousness was distinctly promoted. Narendra Modi may well go down in the annals of history as the first Prime Minister of independent India to have taken the much needed decision to clip the wings of red tape and to reform this colonial vestige.

Let us examine some of the changes in the offing for the bureaucrats, particularly the work culture and on the ethics front. Semantics apart the former conduct rules for the babus of various services stated “All members shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and shall do nothing which is unbecoming of a member of the Service.” I at the cost of repetition would like to restate what is already there but as it always happens is that it is lost sight of and have no doubt that many of the babus are blissfully unaware of its letter and spirit. Perhaps it will do well for the country if both the federal and state governments have these rules prominently displayed both at the entrance to the Secretariats and the Ministers’ offices for the public and the common man they are appointed to serve that it be known that it is incumbent on them to: “Maintain principles of merit, fairness and impartiality while discharging duties; Maintain accountability and transparency, responsiveness to the public — particularly to the weaker sections; Maintain courtesy and good behavior with the public; Maintain discipline in discharge of duties; Be liable in implementing the lawful orders duly communicated to them; Maintain confidentiality in the performance of duties as required by law, particularly with regard to information, disclosure of which will prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the nation or friendly relations with foreign countries; Commit themselves to the Constitution and uphold its supremacy and democratic values; defend and uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, public order, decency and morality; Take decisions solely in public interest and use or cause to use public resources efficiently, effectively and economically; Maintain high ethical standards, integrity and honesty; Maintain accountability and transparency; Promote the principles of merit, fairness and impartiality while discharging duties; Make choices, take decisions and make recommendations on merit alone; Not misuse position and not take decisions in order to derive financial or material benefits; Not place themselves under any financial or other obligations to any individual or organization which may influence them in the performance of their official duties; Refrain from doing anything which is or may be contrary to any law, rules, regulations and established practices; Declare any private interests relating to their public duties and take steps to resolve any conflicts in a way that protects the public interest; Perform and discharge duties with the highest degree of professionalism and dedication to the best of their abilities; Act with fairness and impartiality and don’t discriminate against anyone, particularly the poor and the under-privileged; Ensure courtesy and good behavior with the public, display responsiveness to the public, particularly to the weaker section.”

Let me now briefly delve into other factors and particularly what really ails our bureaucracy. Attempts made in the past to reform the bureaucracy have only been either cosmetic or a lip service to appease the stray voice both within and outside the corridors of power. I recall the Vora Commission set up with much fanfare, to which I had the occasion to informally contribute much to though informally, almost two decades ago on bureaucrat politician nexus and on eradicating corruption, that is now gathering dust in the North Block. No wonder that the services though once regarded as the steel frame were programmed during the raj to function on distrust of the masses and to provide an insulation against any revolt or unrest became not only self-preserving and self-aggrandizing by their very instincts but also through active connivance of vested interests. These vested interests have over the years not only focussed on centralizing the power function but along with it the planning process. This has been the most unfortunate reason over the years for very poor participation of the masses in their own growth story when virtually every country both in the developed and the developing world were scripting a success story of sorts. This damning indictment of the various Services was well orchestrated by none other the then Cabinet Secretary Nirmal Mukarji who in his key note at the 50th anniversary of the Service made a very pertinent point that the Indian Administrative Service should ‘move from a command and control strategy to a more interactive, interdependent system’ that should give way to local state and central bureaucracies as an aid to better accountability, involvement and efficiency.

It need not be overemphasized that the countries and the city councils in the west being more participatory have ensured not only better delivery but have made the democratic process a real success at the grassroots. There is thus now a very strong case as Modi plans his strategy for good governance that we abolish these services in favor of federalism. The local representation that will hire the best professionals locally will fortify the existing Panchayats, Municipal Bodies, Corporations and the local self governments with its own brand of good governance that suits the needs, aspirations, language, culture and traditions of the people. Also for sure they will be more responsive instead of simply carrying forward the legacy of the Raj and the ‘Lal Batti’ culture and a good antidote to any form of corruption or nepotism as they will be locally hired and directly answerable to the people.

No doubt that the professionals who are hired both at the national and local levels on contract will deliver on strict time frames. It is now reliably learnt that Prime Minister Modi may redefine the role of District Collector/ Deputy Commissioner, again a vestige of the past for a more development oriented and more professional body that will be forward looking in keeping with his reforms agenda. There is now a realization though belated that the Deputy Commissioner or the Deputy Commissioner will contribute more to his existing core functions such as land and revenue, excise and treasury management as also coordination and general administration, the developmental roles may be better handled by a more professional body such as those of disaster management, public distribution and civil supplies, elections, transport, census and developmental projects whereas law and order may be left to the Police where the prevailing metropolitan commissionerate model may be redefined.

With administrative reforms now on cards, administration should be closer to the citizens and the “minimum government and maximum governance” mantra of Modi should be a dream come true.

Amazing global solidarity UN Sustainable Development Goals

Amazing @UNGlobalPulse team! We love working with you all! #WeThePeoples #unga #globalgoals #peoplesvoices pic.twitter.com/0jXKhOtVJR

— Millennium Campaign (@mcampaign) September 29, 2015

Will the crude oil windfall make the “India Story” complete?

Anoop Swarup

It is said that economic theories are only good for academics but not for intelligent animals and of course not for real world politics. Are the ‘acchey din’ (good days) here again? Well a lot will be incumbent on the policy response to the drop in crude oil prices, well over 25% since July that means a cumulative saving of USD 10 billion or INR 61000 crore for the Indian economy. Surely, this is a windfall for a country like India, which has large oil import needs and external adjustment pressures that also impact its overall credit ratings. No wonder external agencies such as Fitch Ratings are now painting a rosy picture with better economic growth prospects, improved terms of trade provided that the lower prices are sustained below USD 90/bbl through 2015, as being forecast.

But there is a lot more than what meets the eye! Incidentally this month’s production output has been the highest for the last two years by OPEC at 31.06 million bpd according to Reuter’s surveys. Latest reports suggest that the weighted average marginal cost of oil at Shale dominated onshore at USD 73 a barrel plays an important role in fixing international oil price and therefore a short position now will play a major role for a rally later as observed in case of gold. Also, paradoxically there would be a big winner in the US oil industry and the US consumer who gain a rebate of almost USD 600 per household in case Brent crude falls to USD 80 per Barrel. Yes, there would be an income boost to the BRICS as also the emerging economies as their net oil import bills are significant. On the world stage the global economy is set to have a daily windfall of USD 1.8 billion dollars.

The big question remains whether or not the impact will be passed on to the consumers for positive consumption effect as the lower oil prices may not only help in lowering inflation but also may act as a trade offset. Our policy makers have the twin challenge to bolster growth while reducing the external account deficits. Thus in India the diesel prices were rightly enough, deregulated on October 18 and the direct impact on headline fiscal forecast is expected to be limited making the fiscal accounts more robust against future oil shocks as both diesel and petrol prices will now be determined by the markets. Unlike in Indonesia where President Joko Widodo raised the administered price by over 30% recently to cater to the fuel subsidies and to implement his reforms agenda, to make the best of this happy reversal of fortunes, India is yet to come up with some very ingenious measures to make the best of the fortune.

Let us also have a brief overview of the impact of such a fall in countries other than India. Lest we forget, the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991 was preceded by a fall in price of oil, its main export by two thirds during 1980 and 1986. Likewise oil producing countries such as Iraq, Syria, Nigeria and Libya, now are in turmoil as the price of Brent crude fell over 25% in the last three months and for countries such as Saudi Arabia their budgets may go into red as this translates into a yearly loss of 100 billion USD in export income. Venezuela wants oil at USD 120 barrel and Iran at USD 135 a barrel to sustain their spending plans. Even emerging economies like Brazil want to have high oil prices to attract investments for its deep offshore oil reserves.

The assumption is not off the mark that though a windfall for some, at least half the world economy may face a slowdown with crude oil prices at historic low. On a strategic front it is held that by 2018 the US crude will replace the entire Middle East production that will also help the US save its dollar from being replaced as a reserve trading currency. Similarly, Russia has much more to achieve on the strategic front with higher defense and military spending in recent years that can be met only by higher production and higher prices currently estimated at USD 130 a barrel for its sustainability. There is no denying the fact that sovereign funds accumulated over the years by the Middle East and Arab world, have been a threat to the US and the European economies. Thus there appears to be a competing drive to achieve more production outcomes rather than just the debt sustainability that is ostensibly professed by these nations.

In order to sustain crude at levels of USD 120 there have been concerted and frantic efforts by many oil majors that need a potential capital spend of over 550 billion USD in the next ten years for newer projects and to keep pace with higher oil field service bills. Thus there is an imminent danger of a price war that will keep pace with a cold war between major oil exporters. The aggressive Russian posturing and the latest air strikes by the US in Syria at targeted oil facilities controlled by the ISIS may be a pointer of the shape of things to come. Mathew Levitt, a former US financial intelligence official has reportedly stated that ‘the ISIS is probably the wealthiest terrorist group we have ever known’ as it now controls a huge swath of land area that is now bigger than the UK and has enormous revenue currently estimated by Iraq Energy Institute at over USD 3 million a day from the oil resources that it controls and the discounted sales in the black market at USD 40 a barrel.

No wonder that the reason why crude prices are on the down swing now need no further elaboration. Let us now examine the policy imperatives and a strategic plan for India at this juncture. Of course India needs superb storage facilities for a time when crude price may hit the roof in the international market as also better exploration outcomes and efficiencies in existing production. Developing alternative energy resources particularly for the agriculture and agro-business sector may be a necessity as in the near future the world economy will have a predicted slow down with consequential impact on India. Also on the downside is also the fear of a unemployment due to a prolonged and massive slow down of global economy. We may at this stage question RBI about cutting down interest rates as the economy is now in terms of the FRBM as promised during the last budget.

For India, though the India story gets a boost when global growth is weakening, the twin deficits–current account and fiscal–will surely moderate and inflation will decline with liquidity in the banking system likely to improve leaving more room for cutting interest rates. Yet there is no need for complacency–notwithstanding the jubilation among the public over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much publicized India story because its too early in the day and the story is far from complete! Indeed there is the conventional wisdom, but there are pertinent issues that we should not be losing sight of. As it is perhaps the conventional wisdom that has held us back all these years! Now since the global crude prices are low and are expected to be below USD 100 until March 2015 based on the reports from the world market in view of the low productivity and demand in the US, Europe and China. Finance Minister Arun Jaitly may well have an opportunity as India’s emerging economy not only needs more crude from abroad but also the surplus funds that would now be available for investments in well thought out policy initiatives to break from the ghosts of the past.

The crude war is indeed dirty. There are so many challenges and we may have little to smile at due to the dark clouds that loom on the horizon.The drop in crude oil price has given an opportunity that we cannot afford to throw away by inadequate policy response.

On values, morals, ethics and good governance Mr. Prime Minister!

Anoop Swarup

Let us examine the underpinnings in a democracy such as ours as also the continuities and change in our societal heritage in the backdrop of both ancient and modern practices of our own upbringing, values that transcend socio religious beliefs, public life and duties, private morals and virtues, political governance and personal rights, and responsibilities.

We may have no doubt that such a study is important as it stands at the intersection between the practice of our belief system, our own democratic citizenship, and the exercise of morals, values and political ethics.

This issue has been addressed through the ages in different countries, on law and morality, from the Vedic ages and ancient Mesopotamia to the age of enlightenment to modern times; this millennium’s scientific, technological and information transformations to that of evolving links with various cultures, religions, practices, civilizations and different beliefs. Also intricate and complex ethical issues in domestic and international democratic governance that in varying contexts assume critical importance for our developing economy in today’s globalizing world should be understood before we understand morals, ethics, values and good governance.

I do believe that when a government and its representatives such as ours justify their actions in our name that is the public at large, we not only have the right but also a moral duty to be concerned. Thus public wrong doing or even apathy by the political class or the bureaucrats or for that matter even the judiciary may not be exposed by the fourth estate and that leads to the need for us to separate individual citizens who bear a special responsibility. It is not very infrequent that individual citizens may bear the wrath of failures of their representatives and the state institutions and the intellectual class will have to be responsible and act lest they would be taken to be morally corrupt be complicit. A case in point is the lal batti (beacon light now in different colors) culture of the ruling classes that include all the pillars of our democracy and the clamor for more goodies such as pensions by the elected representatives. The confrontation with the political class of any ideology is a moral dilemma or an ethical challenge that many a times institutional remedies fail to cope with and hence we need a fair discourse on the issue.

Our obligation to participate in the democratic process does make it incumbent on us to question every decision of the political class that tends to believe that it is the master particularly due to the feudal mindset of our polity. It is in this context particularly welcome is the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that each of the 125 crore citizen in our country will be his ‘think tank’. We should nonetheless be mindful that obligation to participate in the democratic process is much greater when we risk serving as accomplices in the process. At this juncture I may question whether a country such as ours that is steeped in poverty, ignorance, superstitions, beliefs and identities in the garb of ‘unity in diversity’ be allowed to delay the process of development, prosperity, literacy, scientific temperament and positivity? If the answer is no than it is high time that we should be led by the ‘highest common factor’ and not the ‘least common multiple’. If this be the case than the time is ripe for our country to have a debate on Presidential form of Government where the country is led by the professionals and experts in disparate fields instead of so called public representatives who may be good orators but have little interest in good governance and perhaps negligible understanding of the very complex and intricate policy issues and processes. Having said so based on my own past dealings with the political class in various Ministries of the Government I may assert that more often than not the babus do tend to find an easy way to either discover a via media or be complicit with their political masters much to the detriment of the masses. Thus the two pillars in our democracy more by incidence than by design only fortify each other much to the detriment of the masses. It is also very frequently asserted that the fourth estate is only a fiction and does not exist. The notable exception is judiciary but in most cases justice can be delayed and perhaps denied due to complicity in an archaic and stale framework of eighteenth century Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence that we have inherited from the Raj days.

Now let me briefly delve into the apathy that our bureaucrat and political masters have when it comes to good quality school education for all our children who will be the citizens of tomorrow’s India. I may mention that with all the talk on introducing values and morals in the Universities, it is indeed the Schools that we should be more focused on. There is no denying that over the years we have created a distinct division between the haves and have nots in having government schools that in most cases impart poor quality education on one hand and the convents and the public schools in private hands on the other hand that invariably see a mad rush from desperate parents who spend their savings of a life time and loans in ensuring admissions for their wards. A society that does not care for its future generations has no right to question moral deprivations, and values in society and above all corruption at the political stage. It is amazing that when I questioned a bureaucrat who was incidentally vested with many other charges apart from elementary education in a state government when he replied demurely that the cost would be immense considering over 100,000 schools in the state. My obvious retort to him was to do away with all the unnecessary departments in the state ranging from fisheries development and public works to public enterprises and electricity and to just focus on key areas such as elementary education, health and infrastructure rest being a policy outcome as is being done in most countries.

When it comes to access, equity and quality of education that indeed holds the key to a good and enlightened society we should bank more on policy outcomes such as the concept of neighborhood schools and mid day meals, attract the best in the society to school education particularly government schools and to deliberate on what constitutes good education than on introducing mindless changes in the course content and curricula by the reigning political class and leave it to the academia. It will not be a surprise that the more the political and bureaucrat class control the quality of education more it will be the detrimental to the quality of education.

Postscript: I am reminded of Mahatma Gandhi, who had once noted : “I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to Swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and yourself melt away.” Ironically enough, the thumb rule prescribed by the Mahatma seems to have been forgotten completely by the political masters and bureaucrats.