Sunday, December 7, 2008

It's been over a week since the Mumbai blasts and analysis is pouring in from every corner of the news media, from both within India and elsewhere. There is a considerable amount of anger in the press, at both the colossal security and intelligence failure of the government, and, more dangerously, at Pakistan. While the frustration with both is completely justified, loudly blaming Pakistan is always an extremely dangerous course of action, and one frequently used by the Indian government to distract from its own shortcomings. The Mumbai episode, unfortunately, revealed to the world the serious challenges facing the Indian state, serious enough to reverse some of the very real progress India has made over the past 15-20 years.

Corruption is at the core of the problem. It has infected the very machinery of government, and has infiltrated every part of the political process, from the awarding of lucrative government contracts and the nomination of party candidates, to the appointment of officials, both low and high. Unqualified individuals have control over key portfolios, leading to disaster when crises strike, as they do with alarming regularity in India: floods and droughts, strikes and riots, bombings, assassinations, derailments and stampedes - all are very regular features of the daily newspapers, often not even page one fare. Even the most efficient of governments would find it nearly impossible to adequately respond to such challenges; a state crippled by graft and bribery is in absolutely no position to do so.

So sadly, we are left with the spectacle we saw last month, where ten well-trained, cold-blooded men could bring India's most dynamic city to a practical standstill for nearly three days. Various analysts have pointed out the inadequate equipment and training of the men deployed against the terrorists; brave men, no doubt, but ones incapable, even, of isolating the conflict zone with bright yellow tape. The result was unprecedented access for the television media, who broadcast live images and a breathless, over the top play-by-play of the counter-terrorism operations directly into the livings rooms of the world - and the Blackberry's of the attackers.

Will a new generation of politicians save India's government, restoring its credibility and efficacy? The talent certainly exists, India being a country full of dynamism and energy. Perhaps more of India's intellectual and business elite will begin agitating for change instead of perpetuating a rotten system or just tuning politics out; perhaps they will stop playing the game enjoyed by a corrupt set of rulers, the one of unwritten rules, of winks and the turning of blind eyes. Instead, perhaps, they will demand accountability and competence from their politicians, demand results. Indians have a progressive set of laws set out in black and white for all to read. It's time they stopped being treated as words of fiction.

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