And
yet our leadership did not articulate a new vision or set
new goals. Even the goals set by JP in March 1975 when a
million people marched in Delhi to present a People's Charter
for political reform to the presiding officers of both the
Houses of Parliament were not pursued with any vigour. By
then, India became a passive supporter of the Soviet Union
in foreign affairs. The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan
took place in 1978-79, sowing the seeds of the current global
war against terrorism. Obviously India had a strategic interest
in the future of Afghanistan. It was a glorious opportunity
to shake ourselves out of the Russian orbit and pursue a
new, more balanced and forward-looking foreign policy. And
yet, ostrich-like, we continued merrily with our old ways
even as the world around us was changing with breath-taking
rapidity. Only liberation of Eastern Europe and the collapse
of the Soviet Union forced us out of our hibernation. Even
now we do not seem to have found a national vision and will.
Most often there is bluff and bluster in place of clarity
and sense of purpose, and status quoism in place of vigorous
change for the better. We muddle along and drift, and do
not set the course or change pace.
A
quarter of a century is a long time in modern era. The dramatic
transformation of China began in 1978 during JP's lifetime,
and when Janata was in power in India. After the demise
of Mao Tse Tung and the fall of the Gang of Four, Deng Psiao
Ping articulated the vision of the Four Great Modernizations,
which changed his nation's course and transformed China
into a giant in the 21st century. Thanks to the last 23
years of successful modernization, China is the next super
power, with the capacity to rival the US economically and
militarily. Even as the world reels under a spell of recession,
Chinese economic growth continues apace.
Deng
focused on four vital areas to rejuvenate the Chinese state
- agriculture, industry, military and science and technology.
In agriculture he boldly deviated from communist orthodoxy
by dissolving the rural communes, allowing leasing of land
by peasants, and permitting marketing of the produce. The
results are astounding. China now produces over 450 million
tonnes of food grains. In Industry he created Special Economic
Zones in which labour laws are liberalized, and market forces
are allowed to prevail. China recorded 8-10% growth rates
over the past two decades consistently, and has emerged
as the world's second largest economy in purchasing power
terms. An estimated 100 million new jobs were created in
the past two decades. Chinese global trade now is well in
excess of $ 500 billion. In military, Deng advocated scaling
down of conventional forces and modernization using the
state-of-the-art technology. Happily, after the misadventure
in Vietnam in 1979, the Chinese military strength has never
been tested. But nobody seriously doubts Chinese military
capability. Finally, Deng concentrated on development of
science and technology, the key component of which was exposing
Chinese students to Western education. Young Chinese practically
invaded American and European universities, and their skills,
knowledge and entrepreneurial talents are bringing extraordinary
amounts of foreign and domestic investment, fuelling growth,
creating jobs and promoting trade. Rarely in history has
a vision been translated into reality with such success.
What almost appeared as burocratese in 1978 has in retrospect
become the most successful restructuring of the economy
and society in the world's largest nation.
In
stark contrast, India clearly wasted the last quarter century.
Far too often the apologists for status quo argue that democracy
has its price. The truth is democracy is not an impediment
but is an engine of growth, for only democracy can ensure
liberty and rule of law. Absence of both is a problem, not
a stimulus for growth, in China. Nor do we need to diminish
state's role. As Swaminathan Aiyer argued in these columns
this week, what we need is a more effective and enlarged
state's role, but in the right direction.
We deserve a lot more than what we receive from the decrepit
and corrupt state institutions. We need honest introspection
and purposive governance to fulfil our potential, and not
more shibboleths and pious homilies. We must force our political
and bureaucratic dinosaurs to change and build a just, efficient
and truly democratic state. Only then will we atone for
the failures of the past 25 years.
***