Without bureaucratic & political reform it is next to impossible for a country like India to claim its rightful place on the global stage. Government Corruption has always been a part of running a business in India. Out of the 539 winners in Lok Sabha 2019, 233 have declared criminal cases against them an increase of 44% since 2009.
Now it’s also a ever increasing part of doing business with private enterprise. Kick backs in private contracts is becoming a norm. Don’t want to partake in this system, then move aside & make room for hundreds lined up behind you ever ready to grease palms.
Not only does this increase the cost of doing business, it also gives permission for business to cut corners. Oh, did forget to mention the added costs to tax payers & shareholders of publicly traded companies!
It’s frustrating to see it all unfold in front of your eyes, while the media keeps harping on the enormous potential the 1.3 billion people of India hold. A potential that remains severely underdeveloped in almost every area, from education, health, infrastructure, employment, employability, innovation, purchasing power, availability of credit & on & on.
We may be a democracy on paper, but in reality we are still a feudal society that is struggling to shrug off the hangover from hundreds of years of Raj.
A child learns more by seeing his parents & observing society at large than he or she does by telling them what to do. If you consider the political leadership of the country as our parents, then it’s scary to think where we are headed.
“Show me the heroes that the youth of your country look up to, and I will tell you the future of your country.” Idowu Koyenikan
Can the current leadership muster up enough courage to take concrete actions against its own kind? That’s where in my opinion real reform should start. There has been a lot of preaching by our leaders, but the proverb “Practise what you preach” has not been put into practise by those preaching to us.
It’s time that political class to look into the mirror, self reflect & realise that true reform start with a capital “I”