The governance deficit

New Delhi must show way forward to states

It is entirely understandable that a group of 14 distinguished and highly respected senior citizens, including business leaders, eminent economists and legal luminaries, chose to write an “open letter to our leaders” on the issues of a deficit in governance and the urgent need for a proper response to it. Many concerned citizens have expressed similar views in recent months. It would be wrong to assume that all of this concern is directed merely at the central government in New Delhi. The fact is that most citizens of this vast country experience mainly the governance deficit that they feel at their neighbourhood level. It is the lack of transparency, responsiveness and accountability in the functioning of so many governmental authorities and institutions and public services delivery systems that more often than not affects the ordinary citizen. The statement issued by these concerned citizens does not point only to the central government, it does refer, for example, to the situation in Karnataka. However, it does not also explicitly make the point that the task at hand is a challenge to all political parties since most of them are in government in one part of the country or another. That is the way in which this statement ought to be read. Unfortunately, India’s centralised media, located mainly in New Delhi, tends to take a “Delhi-centric” view of things. Of course, given the scale of some recent examples of misgovernance, be it the organisation of the Commonwealth Games or the sale of telecom spectrum, it is natural that there is more focus on the governance deficit at the Centre than in the states and at lower levels of governance. The governance deficit in India is more at the bottom of the governance pyramid than at the top.

But the top has a role to play in correcting the situation. It must set an example for others to follow. New Delhi has to show the rest of the country how to bridge the governance deficit. Administrative reform and legislative revitalisation must begin at the top. The Centre must set an example in good governance for states and panchayats to follow, even though the larger problem of governance deficit is, in fact, at the level of the states. The statement of eminent citizens very correctly pleads for the end of the disruption of Parliament. Unless Parliament functions well, state legislatures and municipalities will not do so. Dissent is one thing, disruption another. It has been reported that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is considering a reshuffle of his Council of Ministers. He would gain public support and enhance his government’s governance credentials if corrupt and inefficient ministers were to be dropped and competent and honest ones promoted. Such a drastic action may initially destabilise the government and unsettle his party, but it would benefit both in the end and set an example for other parties and state governments to follow.