| by Bijo Francis
( October 29,
2012, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka Guardian) The cabinet reshuffle in India has
concluded. New Delhi has witnessed the usual exit and entry of old and new
faces. While speculating, reporting and allegedly analysing the event, the
Indian media liberally used words like "new blood", "team
Manmohan" and "fresh faces." These terms wrongly suggested that
something new is introduced into an alleged team that the Prime Minister leads.
 |
The "dynasty preserving" exercises are incompatible with the very essence of a democratic republic and better fits a monarchy. Equally unfitting is entrenched corruption that negates the basic structure of the constitution.
The present
government neither works as a team in discharging its constitutional mandate,
nor was anything fresh brought into the administration. In fact the teamwork is
visible between the ruling and opposition benches in the parliament, that
today, together they resist everything that is elementary to bring a real new
phase in administration.
The country's
political leadership is united in preventing fundamental reforms that are
required to end corruption; to restructure and revive the administration of
justice; and above all, to end impunity for criminal acts committed by those
having access to the political elite, and by the political leadership itself.
In fact some of the new faces that were "elevated to the ministry" to
"serve the people" have no qualification other than their relation to
a political heavyweight.
These
"dynasty preserving" exercises are incompatible with the very essence
of a democratic republic and better fits a monarchy. Equally unfitting is
entrenched corruption that negates the basic structure of the constitution.
Myriad forms of
violence are committed daily with impunity against the people in India. The
widespread practice of custodial torture and the unwillingness of the
government to deal with it, at least to the extent of drafting an effective
law, negate the premises of fair trial. Despicable delays in adjudication,
judicial corruption and ineptitude renders the concept of judicial process a
farce.
Extra-judicial
executions and arbitrary punishments vitiate the basic notion of presumption of
innocence. Denial of livelihood options; malnutrition; deaths from starvation;
and gender, caste and religion based discrimination challenges the notion of
human dignity and individual freedom, fundamental premises required to
guarantee the basic structure of the constitutional architecture.
The singular
impediment in effectively dealing with these evils is the absence of resolve by
the political elite in India. No political party in the country is an exception
to this. Dealing with these vices is not the unique liability of the civil
society. It is on the contrary the government's responsibility.
Unfortunately it
is the tools to discharge this responsibility that the government lacks.
Reshuffling the cabinet will be only useful in identifying these tools required
for change, if those who are introduced into the ministry are there to do
exactly this. Unfortunately the fact is, it is not.
(The piece originally
published by the Asian Human Rights Commission as a statement)
For information
and comments: Bijo Francis, South Asia Desk, AHRC. Telephone: + 852 - 26986
339, Email: india@ahrc.asia
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