The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : CHALLENGE AHEAD

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Monday, Aug 16, 2004

Opinion

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CHALLENGE AHEAD

THAT MANMOHAN SINGH would not waste an occasion as important as the Independence Day address to the nation on empty promises and perfunctory announcements was obvious enough — on account both of his own unfussy personal style and the unusual circumstances of his elevation to Prime Minister. In many ways the speech was a test for Dr. Singh, who was expected not merely to rise above ceremonial oratory and place a larger vision before the nation, but to do so in a manner that proved he was his own master. Neither task was simple given the pervasive cynicism of the times: Any speech that harked back to the idealism of the early years of Independence or recalled the words of Gandhi, Nehru and Ambedkar ran the risk of seeming hopelessly anachronistic. In the event, it is to Dr. Singh's credit that he was able to invest his address with a sense of history that was relevant for the day. Who can quarrel with Nehru's impassioned call to India's midnight children to cast their motherland in their own image? Who can argue with the Mahatma's plea that each one of us do our utmost for the welfare of the nation? For his part, Dr. Singh appealed to his fellow citizens to build a Bharat "that is just and humane, that treats all its citizens as equal..."

In themselves, these words could be just a rhetorical lip service to the dreams of our forefathers. But the Prime Minister was undoubtedly conscious that he was speaking to an audience that for the large part lives in a climate of distrust and mutual suspicion, in situations that divide this country, pitting communities against one another. The time and occasion called for the reiteration of principles on which this country was founded. As for whether Dr. Singh came through as his own man, his speech affirmed as much. It was as if he was setting the agenda for none other than his own party, his own Government. Take his advocacy of a code of conduct for those in public service: "We must look within our own parties and ourselves and ask ourselves what is the root cause of the decline in values in public life?" Clearly, this anguished cry emanates from a scrupulously honest Prime Minister who, thanks to circumstances not of his making, inducted into his Government men whose reputations left much to be desired. As Dr. Singh correctly submitted, the exclusion of such persons must come as a result of conscious and sustained political pressure rather than be enforced through legislation.

Prime Minister Singh's focus on water sharing was another instance of turning the mirror within. "I urge you and all our political leaders to take a national and holistic view of the challenge of managing our water resources," he said in an obvious reference to the unprecedented crisis created by the Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh. Again, in an approach similar to what the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, outlined the day before, Dr. Singh made a case for freeing education from both the bureaucracy and ideology. Was there a message here for Congressmen as well? The Prime Minister made it clear that reform of government means reform of the way elected representatives and public servants functioned. The challenge before him lies in translating this vision into reality, a difficult enough job. Additionally, in the short term, he has to deal with such enervating problems as soaring inflation, a possible slowdown of the Kashmir peace talks and the fast-deteriorating environment in the Northeast, where right in the midst of the Independence Day celebrations, a bomb blast claimed the lives of several innocent children.

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