The increasing chasm between rich and poor is testimony to the fact that rulers have erred terribly in deciding the economic model, writes former IAS officer V.S.Pandey
Recently the Union Budget was presented in Parliament. It was generally hailed by the various industrial and commercial bodies and by captains of industry. But the common man is still wondering what there is in it for him except a few development programmes and plenty of spectacular jargon. The question is why there is no mention even of critically needed programmes for solving the long standing problems plaguing our nation. Certainly , we the people have the power to determine our future through our vote, and people need to vote only for such a government which work for their welfare and takes the nation to new heights of prosperity and progress.
Henry David Thoreau in his famous essay titled “ Civil Disobedience” wrote “ Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step towards obtaining it. Can there not be a government in which majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong but conscience? ” . Certainly in a democracy , governments have to act in the larger interest of every section of the population but instead when they start acting primarily to protect the interest of the moneyed and powerful – then they demand less government obviously. So the slogan “Less of government and more governance.” The problem arises when in the name of a government which governs the least , a system is attempted be put in place where people are to be controlled and governed, not by governments but by monopolies, corporations, organized groups and moneyed people who are accountable to a miniscule number of share holders only but still want to determine the direction the country has to take.
By raising the bogey of governmental interference, incompetence and the prevailing corruption, sustained efforts were made in the past and are being made even today , to transfer an increasing number of functions from its domain and place them under the control of monopolies, oligopolies and to set the narrative that only the corporations and monopolies can enhance public interest. What happens when the neo liberal economic model takes over, is now well recorded and understood across the world. The recently published data on income inequality prevailing in our country is an eye opener. The increasing chasm between the rich and poor in our country is testimony to the fact that we have erred terribly in deciding our economic model.
The current neo-liberal economic policies are the dominant economic policy prescription for most nations to follow . They are always good for the rich and organized and the powerful. The common man exercises his authority only through the government that he elects and tries to influence the course of his life and that of the nation through the power of his solitary vote. By removing an increasing number of functions from the government’s purview, under various guises, the common man is made increasingly irrelevant in the process of deciding his own and his country’s future.
Undoubtedly, for more than 80 percent of the population with minimum financial resources, the commercialization of the education and health sector in our country has had a devastating impact and this kind of policy recipe has caused untold misery to millions .However, this still remains out of contention for those who are ruling us. Issues like rising prices, employment programmes, direction of policies in the public services sectors are all very crucial to the general population. According to reports published in the media , we have achieved the unique distinction of being the most privatized health system in the world. And our education sector is also being pushed in that very direction brazenly.
How can a system be labeled corrupt first then be made to divest its legitimate functions instead of making concerted efforts to rid the system of its malaise? Can one claim that the monopolies will be less corrupt than the system? Does the common man know, what goes on in the name of big corporations? Put them also under the scanner and there is a likelihood that the revelations will surpass the misdeeds reported against the corrupt elements in the governments. This is not to defend corrupt politicians or bureaucrats. They ought to be punished stringently for their wrongdoings. But their corruption should not be allowed to be used as a handle to weaken governments by making governments increasingly irrelevant in guiding the course of the future of the masses. If this is allowed to happen, people will start feeling a sense of powerlessness.
With the growing influence of money at all levels , those having no accountability towards the public have started having a disproportionately greater say in all matters directly concerning the common man. Unfortunately the medium to influence public opinion is also dependent on the moneyed. In the name of the people, the media propagates the thinking of the group that controls them. All this propaganda needs to be countered and a peoplecentric narrative needs to be foregrounded . The people need to realise that they have to enforce accountability and ask questions regarding their own future. To build their future they must stop casting their vote blindly on caste and religious lines and reject all those who use money and muscle power to muzzle our democracy.
(Vijay Shankar Pandey is former Secretary Government of India)
