Opinion Leaderless India

From an Indian perspective,how should we view the outcome of Hu Jintao’s US visit? Like the rest of the international community,we certainly have reason to be satisfied that there are no fears of a new Cold War breaking out between the world’s two big powers. Despite having serious differences,the two are forging a constructive partnership. This is extremely necessary for global peace,stability and progress. Nevertheless,at a time when China basks in its well-deserved glory on the global stage,we Indians naturally have to ask ourselves: Where does India stand in the emerging New World Order? True,we can be proud of many of our successes that have significantly enhanced our own global stature in the past decade or so. Yet,over all,why is India a low and slow achiever?

The principal reason is that India lacks political leaders who have a strategic vision and are in a position to effectively implement it in a steady and sustainable manner over several decades. India undoubtedly has had outstanding leaders who,man to man,are as good as those that China has produced. But our system of politics and governance does not allow them to pursue,with any degree of continuity,a strategic vision of India’s socio-economic development,resolution of major historically inherited problems,and relationship building with the international community. China’s stupendous achievements in infrastructure development,manufacturing,agriculture,education,sports,tourism and in dozens of other fields are all the result of a bold and strategic shift in the country’s destiny enforced by Deng Xiaoping three decades ago. However,China’s real achievement is that Deng’s strategic vision of the country’s modernisation,with all its hyper-ambitious goals,was shared by a succession of leaders who have implemented it with single-minded focus. True,the Tiananmen Square tragedy was a blot in this process,and China has to come to grips with the imperative of development with democracy sooner rather than later.

But let’s look at our own record. We have gravely debilitated our democratic system by allowing money power,and several divisive factors,to rule the roost in politics and governance. Worse still,our political leaders have been unable to adhere to a common strategic national agenda rooted in a firm consensus on India’s socio-economic development and critical foreign policy issues. What can be more painful than to see that even the best among India’s leaders do not—and cannot,even if they wish to—look beyond their respective parties’ prospects in the next elections? Nations cannot achieve glory when their leaders’ attention span is five years. To make matters worse,we have,misusing the fair name of democracy,evolved a self-defeating political culture in which there is no place for mutual cooperation between competing parties. From panchayats to Parliament,confrontation reigns.

Where are the inspiring leaders who think for India as a whole,internalising the concerns and aspirations of its diverse population? Where are the leaders who think of India in 2050? Where are the leaders who have a steely determination to fix India’s myriad problems,the root of which lies in lack of good governance at different levels? Where are the leaders who have the vision to re-unify our divided subcontinent in an amicable and cooperative framework? It may take a hundred years to achieve,but do our leaders even articulate this strategic goal,the way China has done vis-à-vis Taiwan? Do they have a roadmap for moving towards that goal,beginning with a resolution of the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan,which is bleeding both our countries—and is impeding India’s rise on the Asian and the world stage?

The more one focuses on an India-China comparison,the more one gets convinced that we are suffering from a serious leadership crisis. India urgently needs visionary leaders—not just one leader,but a team and a succession of mutually cooperating leaders driven by a strong common national purpose—who are capable of tackling both the critical challenges of today and the big questions of history. Our democratic system has to be reformed to empower our leaders. But,first,we need leaders who will reform our failing democratic system.