Opinion Indias old image returns
Can you think of a time when an Indian government looked as pathetic as Dr Manmohan Singhs government did last week?
Can you think of a time when an Indian government looked as pathetic as Dr Manmohan Singhs government did last week? In a single week of international disgrace,the Prime Minister has succeeded in obliterating our proud new image of being an emerging market and one of the fastest growing economies and replaced it with that old image of India as an eternally Third World country of starving millions and eternal squalor.
India made headlines all over the world last week for its incompetence,filth and shoddy infrastructure. Newspapers outside the territory of the Commonwealth had stories of the Games on their front pages. These were not stories about brilliant athletes or fine stadiums,like those that came out of China during the Olympics. These were stories of inferior construction,criminally careless officials and child labour. The picture of little boys cleaning seats in stadiums appeared everywhere,as did pictures of construction workers in rags. Then,there were those pictures of stagnant water in which mosquitoes bred the dengue fever epidemic that currently afflicts Delhi.
You and I know that the images and the stories were painfully true. And,you and I know that the villains of the piece are Suresh Kalmadi,Sheila Dikshit,M.S. Gill and Jaipal Reddy,but in the eyes of the world these officials are nameless. They blame the Indian government,as they should,and they blame India. The damage done to Indias image was so serious that the External Affairs Minister was forced to take time off from the UN General Assembly to damage control. It will not be easy,especially,since Commonwealth officials from abroad have gone on record to say that they have warned about delays for more than a year.
What I do not understand is why it took the Prime Minister so long to notice what was happening under his nose. What puzzles me is why our ruling family took so long to notice that deadlines were being missed and that the stadiums were in dreadful shape.
These Games have brought nothing but shame so far but since I am among those who search for hope in the most dismal situations,I have to say that I see a glimmer of it even here. Let us begin with the squalid apartments that athletes from abroad were expected to live in. Lalit Bhanot of the Games Organising Committee was puzzled when the athletes fled because of excrement in the wrong places and filthy linen. He has been reviled for saying that Indian standards of hygiene were different,but the truth is that he is right.
As someone who travels by road a lot,I can report that Indians (continue to) defecate everywhere to use V.S. Naipauls unforgettable words. And,standards of public hygiene are so abysmal that small children are allowed to play barefoot in garbage dumps and can often be seen eating and defecating in them as well. This has nothing to do with poverty. It has to do with a lack of awareness of hygiene. Most Indians do not know that rotting garbage carries disease. So can Sonia Gandhi take personal responsibility for ordering her Health Minister to organise a powerful television campaign to teach basic hygiene and healthcare in all Indian languages? We have many public minded movie stars who would happily participate.
While she does this,would the Prime Minister take personal responsibility for ensuring that the building of infrastructure is done according to a clear set of guidelines? We do not have proper rules in place on either land acquisition or environmental clearances. It goes without saying that land must be bought (not acquired) at a fair price but once sold it cannot be demanded back. Environmental permissions must be given according to clearly articulated rules and after environmental hearings. But,once given environmental permissions must not be reversed. Nobody will invest in big infrastructure projects in India if they fear that they can be stopped by pressure from dodgy environmentalists.
And,while Rahulji is touring the country to rally the youth,could he please pay attention to the horrendous conditions in which young Indian athletes live and train. We will never improve our dismal record in international tournaments unless we look for Indias best and give them the best. It is because this has never happened that the Indian team at the Olympics is the only one with more officials than athletes. Finally,Kalmadis performance should leave no doubts at all that politicians must be banned from heading sports bodies. They have ruined Indian sport and should have no role when there are professionals who are much better qualified.
If we can make public hygiene a political priority,put some urgency into infrastructure and improve facilities for sportsmen,the Games may not be a complete waste of taxpayers money.
Follow Tavleen Singh on Twitter@ tavleen_singh
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