Opinion Depoliticise the common man
In todays digital world,its an uphill task to lift society without industry strengthening the economy
Politicisation of every social and industrial aspect in West Bengal is playing havoc with the states economy and the quality of peoples lives. In todays digital world,its an uphill task to lift society without industry strengthening the economy. Currently,Bengali politics is only focused on roping in voters for the Assembly election. The sad story through this mudslinging is of the innocents who are losing their lives in the state every day over election politics.
My proposition to Bengali politicians is to drive the idea of the ruling party taking a selected few members of the Opposition party,as ministers in the ruling government. The Opposition should welcome the move. This paves the way for collaborative governance. Jawaharlal Nehru had similarly taken Syama Prasad Mookerjee of the Hindu Mahasabha and BR Ambedkar of the All India Scheduled Caste Federation into his cabinet post-Independence. An election fought by multiple political parties is in line with Indias democratic norms. Thats why,its important to avoid ruling with one political doctrine as in Chinas party rule. Its undesirable for political parties to politicise the publics every action,compelling people to go through party dictates,as is largely the situation in West Bengal today. If the winning party can respect the Opposition,the government can better concentrate on the states development. With whatever margin a political party wins,the Opposition represents a huge mass of people. Today,Opposition benches challenge governments every move,so nothing happens. Isnt it better for all parties to work collaboratively for the good of the people and economy? The common man/woman and the business community need total emancipation from obstructive,negative and deliberately destructive politics.
Political balance in governance is not new to a country like France,where the worlds first Revolution took place in 1789. In abolishing the monarchy,they taught us about Liberty,Equality and Fraternity. After World War II,General Charles de Gaulle returned as a national hero and established a Government of National Unity to ensure national stability. Pierre Mendes France as President in 1954,brought radical and centre-right politicians to negotiate ending the Indochina war. In de Gaulles next term,he successfully brought in Leftists,which allowed France to find the road to recovery. François Mitterrand in his first term,restored historical Louvre with a Pyramid,built the modern era with Channel Tunnel,Grande Arche at La Défense,Bastille Opera,and National Library. Co-opting four centre-right politicians in the cabinet in his second term,including Michel Jobert and Jean Pierre Soisson,helped to quell peoples protest against usage of public funds for the monuments and complete them. These monuments have helped make France the worlds No 1 tourist destination,which 79 million people visited in 2010. Nicolas Sarkozy may be continuing the tradition as he brought leftist-minded Bernard Kouchner,founder of Doctors without Borders into his government. Sarkozy backed the important socialist party cadre Dominique Strauss-Kahn to be elected asManaging Director of IMF,even though Strauss-Kahn will be a Socialist presidential candidate in France 2012. The ability to balance both right and left,but avoiding the extreme sections,gives a political edge where the mass public gains. By doing that,France today has best overall healthcare as declared by WHO,the most comprehensive social security,and free education in secondary and technical schools. When politics is separated from governance,people win. Bengal was such an advanced society,but its barely been able to show any visible difference after economic liberalisation in1991. In contrast,Karnatakas retirement paradise of Bangalore has changed by aggressively inviting investment in industry. Business and the common man/woman are totally isolated from politics. Karnataka may have its share of dadagiri or matobori (political broker),but peoples daily lives nor business are disturbed,unlike in Bengal. Karnatakas revenue from foreign direct investment was US$ 7.2 billion from April 2000 to May 2010 while it was US$ 1.4 billion for Bengal for the same period.
Most importantly,whats in store for West Bengals young generation? Researching societal trends these last 10 years,Ive defined three generations: the below-30-year Zappers whose mindset is attuned to globalisation,the 30 to 45-year-old Compromise,and the 45+ Retro. The latter two generations are in commanding positions in most stations of authority. Unless they yield to Zapper influence,Bengals future would remain paralysed. To get better TRP,the electronic media is inviting largely Retro generation speakers from the major parties who talk at cross purposes. No one is connecting to Zappers,nor is any analysis directed at them. A new West Bengal government can invite a talented few from the major Opposition party to participate in governance. Im not advocating an obligatory coalition government,but a voluntary move to co-opt the foe as friend. The defeated political party should never be considered the war front enemy. In West Bengal,political parties engulf everything in their wake,demarcate people as party supporters or non-supporters. This has to stop so as to prevent the violence and scoring of cheap political points at the cost of the people. Opposition politicians need to understand that to better serve people and increase chances of their own next win,they have to accept participating in government rather than devising ways to pull it down. The common man/woman of West Bengal demands the halt of government-Opposition confrontation politics. Shouldnt the ruling and Opposition parties display maturity and work together for the betterment of society and the economy? The situation is such that collaboration government is the only choice today.
Shombit Sengupta is an international creative business strategy consultant to top management. Reach him at http://www.shiningconsulting.com
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