Dynastic politics has been a bane for our country and Goa being part of it cannot have a different outcome. The Gandhi family has received most flak, which in a way, is understandable because their entire family only focuses on politics as their bread and butter, even though they have lost two of their family members to brutal assassinations. But the Gandhi family is not the only one involved in this, the Congress and the BJP have almost the same amount of political dynasties in business at the moment, however, they are at the lower level so they escape scrutiny.
The Indian film industry is another example of dynastic succession where most new kids on the block happen to be kids of established actors. Once in a while, you will get actors like a Shahrukh Khan or a Priyanka Chopra break the glass ceiling and succeed so magnificently. Imagine if this industry played fair and attracted only the best talent, it would be on a different orbit. The film industry uses their own money to make movies and we the audience have the right to either watch or avoid. Politicians on the other hand are in charge of the country’s finances, all the more reason for us to decide ways and means to eradicate the menace of dynastic succession in the political space, if we want our country to be on a different orbit.
For all practical purposes, it might not be logical for a politician to tell his offspring that he is not entitled to be a politician because he chose to be one in his lifetime. That will be like trampling the rights of the child to choose his or her career. But why should there be a career in politics at all. In this modern age where democracy has progressed to such an extent, is it not time for the global world to start thinking of eradicating career politicians, similar to how we eliminated the concept of kings and queens?
Career politicians once eliminated will attract the bright and the best with limited time at their disposal to serve the country. India should change the law and lead the way to make it compulsory for “One Indian One Term”, meaning you get only one chance as a citizen of the country to either become a Municipal Councillor, Panch, Member of Legislative Assembly, Member of Parliament or Finance Minister or Prime Minister or the President. You have a choice to decide in which capacity you want to serve the country. Running a country is an important task to be handed over to one person or one party forever.
India has abundant smart and capable people, given the chance would love to serve the country, but for that to happen the sitting politicians will need to vacate the space, and that’s not happening voluntarily, hence the change of rule.
The United States of America initially never had a written rule of a two-year term limit for the President, but when Theodore Roosevelt ran successfully his fourth presidential term, the United States Congress in its wisdom decided to amend the constitution, famously the 22nd amendment to the US Constitution. Before Roosevelt no President sought a third term, because it was an unwritten rule of sorts started by the first President of United States, George Washington suggesting that two-term limit was enough. The amendment was necessary to make sure, under no circumstances the President can seek a third term, thereby making sure the President Office remains bigger than the individual.
India has no dearth of talent wanting to make a change for their country or their State or their constituency or their village, the problem is that this domain is occupied by career politicians who have learnt the tricks of the trade, to either stay in office or in opposition. Once you share the same roof for years, you tend to make friends and fix outcomes, not necessarily in the interest of the nation, but to advance your own career.
The way politicians change political parties overnight, only goes to show that political parties have no ideologies anymore. A time will come when democracy will be run without any political parties but a set of citizens elected to do a job. Then Members of Parliament will have real debates and the best decision will be taken in the interest of the nation, quick and fast.
Let’s understand from the politician’s point of view, why should they spend their entire life serving the country without living a life for themselves? Some might want their own personal time, but are forced by circumstances to continue. Circumstances created by people down the line so as to benefit personally by using the power of the politician’s office. By chance the arrangement gets exposed; the politician becomes the fall guy, while the crooks under him remain insulated, ready to con the next politician.
Many might argue that this arrangement will take a toll on continuity, but when systems get stronger, transition becomes easier. Recently when the Managing Director of HDFC Bank, was asked the time needed to bring in his successor; his answer was 15 days, while some of the other banks have been hand holding their successor for more than a year. HDFC Bank has great systems in place and therefore makes transition a walk in the park. If term limit for politicians existed, by now we would have had most of the intelligent people in the country complete their professional careers and also complete their five-year term of either being the President or Prime Minister, satisfied that they contributed to their country in a meaningful way.
If we need India to really take off to the next level then we need to make our systems stronger, transparent and not individual centric. The advantage of politicians with a term limit is that from day one it is not about them, it is about the country. Their full focus being on improving the systems in a transparent manner making sure the next person to follow gets a smooth transition. Agreed this idea is ahead of time, maybe even laughable at the moment, but it has to come. By the way, this system automatically takes care of dynastic politics.
(The author is a business consultant)
