Congress Party's Silent Opportunity

A traditional Buddhist reflection is to ponder the sound of a single hand clapping. As the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and their electoral hand logo were decisively welcomed back into power last month, it was not just the Buddhists in India who were left wondering what noise a hand alone can make.

India, a country of so many religions, regions and voices is rarely as harmonious as it was in its choice of government this spring. High expectations now rest heavily on the leaders of the national coalition government, the Congress party, to provide unity and stability, along with coherent national policies and leadership. Some voters want even more liberal global trade opportunities, others need farming loan waivers, but most seemed just to agree that they need a stable government to fulfill the basic promises of education, health care and shelter for all.  

Simple needs, but not simple tasks. Of course, like the rest of the world, the Indian government must face the exceptional challenges of a global recession. However, predictions are cautiously optimistic for India’s economy, with GDP growth forecast for this year and next. In other areas, too the national government has shown some promise, despite the difficulties generated by coalition politics during its last term. To highlight just a few successes: a bill granting the right to education for all children was approved; a loan waiver scheme for rural farmers was well-received; and the opening of new employment opportunities in telecommunications was admired. The guiding principle behind all this was reaching out to the aam aadmi (common man).

Unfortunately, however, far too few of the common men have been touched by this progress so far. As the stock markets rise, only 0.7 percent of the Indian population own any international shares. As access to education improves, 35 percent of Indians are still illiterate. As the health care industry makes record profits, 900,000 Indians still die each year from tainted drinking water and air pollution. The challenge for this new government goes far beyond providing policies and leadership, then; it must also figure out how to translate a successful economic record, well-meaning legislation and sound policies into real and lasting change for the masses.

Weak governance is a key factor diluting even the best of the national government’s intentions. In particular, corruption and a barrier of administrative paperwork have been identified by severalexternal pagenationalcall_made and external pageinternationalcall_made reports as a major hindrance to implementation across all sectors and at all political levels. external pageAccording to Global Integritycall_made, a think tank which reports on global governance and anti-corruption, India’s political financing, judicial accountability, media and law enforcement are all extremely weak. In concrete terms, the Education for All Global Monitoring Report testifies to empty schools, where government teachers do not turn up and bribe the local school inspectors. Similarly, it has been suggested that the loan waiver scheme allows farmers to take on loans which they know they cannot repay, while government-run banks get their cut in the meantime.

Tackling such broad and deeply embedded problems is not easy, of course. It is also not as popular as giving handouts to farmers. However, it is essential that this exceptionally robust government avoids another short-lived, populist approach. The Indian electorate will only wait so long for the grand ideas and economic returns to reach them, and the state elections in the next year or two will clearly reflect such disappointment.

Some obvious starting points would be tightened legal enforcement mechanisms and constitutional reform to better promote accountability and transparency. Most crucially, however, improving cross-sectoral governance entails political commitment and leadership. A strong national government can play an important role in inspiring a more honest approach to governance - by politicians, civil servants and even by the “common man.” Implementation should be seen as everyone’s responsibility, as well as their reward. In this way, the national government may at last bridge the gap between the electors and the elected of India.

In actual fact, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seems to have already understood this, propagating a desire for “inclusive growth” in his electoral campaign. This term does not only imply the final result of a more equitable India, but also the inclusion of everyone in the growing process. Similarly, by voting in Singh, with his quiet earnestness, and the Gandhi family, with a name that inspires trust and respect, voters seemed commonly guided by a sense of honesty and sincerity. So perhaps that is what the real noise of the Congress Party should be all about: While the Indian electorate listens intently for a single hand clap, the government could bring all hands together.