WHEN THE PLOT IS LOST

WHEN THE PLOT IS LOST

Malvika Singh

Just past dinnertime on November 26, Mumbai was held at ransom by terrorists and the stark reality of years of inept, lazy, weak and corrupt governance hit us smack on the face. It jolted us into witnessing and experiencing, yet again, the trauma of being saddled with leaders who do not act at once. It is terrifying to watch our elected representatives, who hold high office but are incompetent, who are ostensibly responsible for our safety, for maintaining law and order and are therefore accountable to the citizens of India, but are unable to speak out extempore when the situation so demands, who stammer and stutter as they attempt to speak about the the horror and the methods of tackling it. The first fourteen hours of this brutal, meticulously planned, carefully orchestrated assault have exposed the incompetence of both the government of Maharashtra and the government of India in dealing with such situations. Our political class stands naked and exposed. It is a happening such as the Mumbai mayhem that makes ordinary citizens take a firm position vis-à-vis the continuous exploitation of their patience and civility. Enough is enough. With the exception of the home minister making some inane comments on television that were devoid of any humanity or strength of purpose, no national leader either arrived at the scene of the crime or addressed the nation when it needed to hear them. They would not be disturbed in their ‘beauty sleep’, they would call an ‘emergency’ cabinet meeting at 11 am in the next morning, 13 hours after the first shots were fired and people killed, and Indians would be disregarded yet again. This is the impression of our leaders’ attitude which becomes more evident every passing hour. Into the abyss Anywhere else in the world, the top leadership would have been there with the people, standing side by side in the enormous, inexplicable tragedy. Our governments seem to have lost the plot and they will lose the election as a result. This ‘attack’ and the whimper of a response from the governments only proved that they are incapable of taking decisions and leading from the front. All that the episode evoked was an advice to the ministers to stay at home! The difference between the recent assault and those in the past is that this has been deliberately placed at the door of those who make and influence policy, who are privileged but misuse their privilege, who have exploited this land and the patience of its people. There are many things being ripped apart and exposed for all to see. Political failure to govern the people is all too apparent. Misplaced priorities have resulted in this complete administrative and political breakdown. Nearly five years of competent policies as well as the proper delivery of goods have come to naught with this one act of utter failure on the part of the government. When the government should have taken charge, it chose to remain silent. This is wholly inappropriate and unforgivable. It has turned citizens away from the government, forcing them to brace themselves for a dictatorial regime in place of a democratic one. This incomprehensible ineptitude has caused India to regress into the abyss of a soft and ineffective State. The Union home minister must be removed from office, now. He is responsible for the unchecked social anarchy that has pervaded our land — a chaos brought about by the Naxals, Maoists and other insurgent groups infiltrating into the country from across its western and eastern borders. Someone at the top has to go, and go now. Someone has to take charge. Someone has to force the accountability of the ruling class. A State can operate competently within the democratic framework if only there is a strong political will and administrative expertise.