The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Reform governance system, says Jaswant

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Tuesday, Jan 08, 2008
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Reform governance system, says Jaswant

Special Correspondent

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bonhomie: The former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh (second from right) with Director of National Institute of Advanced Studies, K. Kasturirangan at the inaugural session of the 22nd edition of a course offered by the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore on Monday.

BANGALORE: Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and former Union Minister Jaswant Singh on Monday said there was an urgent need for correcting the wrongs that were affecting the political system of governance in the country.

“The rot is in the political leadership and its consequence is showing on the governance,” Mr. Singh said while delivering a lecture at the inaugural session of the 22nd edition of a course offered by the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bangalore to senior executives from various fields on the theme “Excellence in leadership”.

“We have to reform the governance system and make it deliver. It should create confidence among citizens,” he said when asked by one of the participants on what the country should focus on in the present circumstances. He regretted that there was a fundamental lack of integrity among political leaders.

Mr. Singh said excessive centralisation of administration was also affecting governance. “There is excessive centralisation of power vested in Delhi. But nobody can govern the whole of India from Delhi. This is why our governance system has not been able to deliver the goods,” he said.

Mr. Singh said the country needed a cleansing and the “time has come to activate such a cleansing system,” he remarked. He said a good leader should have courage, conviction, good conduct and integrity. A good leader should have the humility to publicly admit his ignorance. He should own responsibility for the failure of the team instead of blaming his subordinates, Mr. Singh said.

NIAS Director K. Kasturirangan said the institute had been organising multi-disciplinary leadership courses for senior executives from various fields to nurture leadership qualities in them.

Course coordinator Sangitha Menon spoke.

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