Govt must be a willing servant, not an oppressive tyrant

The term ‘‘governance’’ refers to the decision-making and implementation processes in the administration of a country, state or organisation. At the country/ state-level, governance is the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of multifarious affairs. Governance comprises the complex mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, mediate their differences and exercise their legal rights and obligations. Good governance is participatory, transparent and accountable. It is effective in making the best use of resources and personnel and is equitable. Basically it promotes justice and the rule of law.

Governance includes the government, which is its dominant part, but transcends it by taking in the private sector and civil society. All three are critical for sustaining human development. The government creates a conducive political, legal and living environment. The private sector promotes enterprise and generates jobs and income. The civil society facilitates political and social interaction — mobilising groups to participate in economic, social and political activities. Because each has its weaknesses and strengths, good governance is brought about through constructive interaction among all three.

But what is the reality on the ground? In the last six decades since Independence, have governments in the Centre as well as states succeeded in creating a conducive political, legal and living environment for the private sector to create jobs and income, and the civil society for peaceful mobilisation of people for economic, social and political activities? Far from it. In actual practice, politicians and political parties, over a period of time, have hijacked governments, reducing institutions of democracy to submission. The result: poverty, rampant unemployment, corruption, increasing autocracy and criminalisation of governance that has left the civil society in utter despair. So how is this civil society going to challenge the government, as fondly hoped by the Prime Minister in his address to the nation?

The Constitution is the blueprint for governance of the Indian Republic. To quote Joseph Story: ‘‘Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people in order to betray them.’’ The founding fathers of our Republic indeed strove to bring ‘‘thought and passion’’ to India’s governance, and, for that purpose, built into the Constitution several institutions of democracy to be manned by men and women of virtue, public spirit and intelligence, namely the President, Vice-President, Governors, Parliament, State Legislatures, Supreme Court, High Courts, Election Commission, Union Public Service Commission and Civil Services.

The Constitution gives each of these institutions distinct roles and responsibilities to provide good governance. But over the years, these institutions have abdicated their roles without a whimper because, barring honourable exceptions, the ‘‘wise and the virtuous have been banished from these institutions because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are being rewarded because they flatter the people in order to betray them’’. In the event, these institutions stand marginalised and governance has lost its capacity to think, feel and act.

What is happening in Parliament and our state legislatures is too well known to need any elaboration. The office of Governor has become a haven of non-governance. The Election Commission, despite valiant efforts, has not been able to prevent ‘‘acknowledged criminals’’ from contesting elections and capturing State power. The UPSC has done precious little to safeguard the efficiency and integrity of the civil services. What is worse, despite the anguish expressed by serving as well as retired Chief Justices of India about the quality and functioning of our judiciary, the President, Prime Minister and the Parliament have maintained a stony silence.

These institutions need to be pulled up and made to perform the tasks for which they were created. There is no other way to rejuvenate the governance of this country.

The writer is a retired IAS officer