* In search of a dictator* Rahul Kansal Oct 9, 2013,
Increasing frustration with the muddled nature of our democracy seems to be leading more and more Indians to secretly envy the benevolent dictatorship at work in China. W In search of a dictator e moan in despair at the paralysis in our policy making and the general breakdown of governance, and sigh wistfully at the way our neighbour is able to put its collective will behind any national project it decides to take up. Infrastructure a bottleneck to growth? No problem, 65,000 km of expressways coming up! English literacy a vital link to global business? Voila, three lakh new teachers to teach the language to 50 million young Chinese every year. And so on. Why can't we develop a similar political will to get things done, we find ourselves wondering. If only we could also cut through the petty gamesmanship and cynical populism of our political processes, couldn't we be world-beaters again? So what if we have to sacrifice a little bit of 'freedom' (that noble idea that's steadily descending to anarchy anyway), for the sake of some order and collective will? Singapore may not allow one to chew gum (big deal!) but has done pretty well for itself on the whole, hasn't it? But hold it. what about Syria? Or Saudi Arabia? Or — horror of horrors — North Korea with one trigger-happy hand on the nuclear button and the other on its starving people's throats? What guarantee that we'll find ourselves an enlightened <http://timesofindia.speakingtree.in/topics/soul/enlightened>dictator like Lee Kuan Yew <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Lee-Kuan-Yew> and not a despot like Mugabe? Truth is that the Emergency, while a picnic compared to the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Khmer-Rouge>or gulags of Soviet Russia that operated around the same time, is widely remembered as the darkest hour of India's poli-tical life. Maybe we've just got too used to democracy to risk its attendant freedoms, by wishing for an authoritarian regime that could turn nastily against its own people. Then how about a compromise? Why don't we elect ourselves a dictator? Not a full-blown dictator like Stalin or Hitler — but someone with the same tendencies, operating under the checks and balances of a democratic system? A large-scale opinion poll amongst first-time voters in a recent issue of India Today shows a whopping 88.6% wanting an 'authoritative and decisive PM...a sentiment that seems central to the rise and rise of Narendra Modi. A wide spectrum of voters seem to be increasingly willing to ignore his more-than-dubious record of human rights and bet on him as the man who could give India a decisive new direction. While the core of his appeal may be his strong track record on development, the somewhat sinister reputation surrounding his role in the post-Godhra riots and subsequent 'encounters' may, if anything, be helping him, by adding a glint of steel to his personality. Modi likes to see himself as a one-man army, capable of turning India around single-handedly. While campaigning in the recent state elections, he would simply ask people to vote for him with barely a reference to the BJP candidate standing meekly by on the same dais. "Like all political bullies he despises free speech and artistic creativity," says political commentator Ramachandra Guha. Yet the Modi juggernaut marches on, in large part because of rather than despite his authoritarian style of governance. Across the country, there seem to be more and more takers for a similar brand of leadership. In Akhilesh's UP, mired in increasing drift and lawlessness, one hears people wistfully remembering Mayawati<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Mayawati>for her no-nonsense control over the state's goonda raj. Many of these new admirers were vocal critics earlier of Mayawati's overbearing manner, with accusations of rampant corruption and 'monumental' waste of public money spent on deifying herself and various Bahujan gods. But she was at least a strong leader who was clearly in charge, goes the new refrain. -- With best wishes S Chander -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
