The recent death of the Andhra Pradesh chief minister was indeed a tragic event. To lose a leader is a loss to the nation too. However, what is striking is the immediate succession drama that ensued. The top choice for the new CM’s job was, in what will be no surprise to Indians, the CM’s son. Somehow, we have almost accepted the hereditary entitlement of the children of Bollywood superstars and politicians. I have no view on the choice of CM; nor am i an expert on Andhra politics. However, i am intrigued by this general phenomenon on how some of the most important jobs in the country are handed over based on lineage more than calibre.
We simply don’t have a mechanism to get the best person for the most responsible jobs in the country. So, why are we like this? Why do we think it is almost alright for a politician’s son to become the next leader? I think there are three main reasons. First up is emotional decision-making. Apologies for stereotyping, but Indians are emotional people. The content of our films and TV programming is ample evidence of this. When it comes to choosing a public figure, the decision is almost never completely rational. We are fond of Big B, so we also give Junior B a chance. It doesn’t matter as much when it is about choosing the star you want to watch on screen. It has huge repercussions when you use emotional criteria for positions that involve running the country.
There is no doubt that the deceased CM’s family is in deep grief, but to hand over the reins of the state only for that reason may not be the best idea. Political choices by voters must be rational. I am not suggesting that all people with lineage will not be able to do a good job. Rahul Gandhi has resurrected the Congress; he speaks well and has kept his patience and not jumped to take the top post. Maybe that should be the reason to elect him, but not because he reminds you of his father. Similarly, if some of his subsidy policies are damaging the country’s finances, you can consider switching your vote. Your vote is an important choice for your country, not an expression of love.
Second, there is a lack of institutions to groom political talent. We make great engineers and doctors but we don’t take our liberal arts courses seriously. A handful of colleges are good, but most places are poorly run and we don’t have any institutions like Georgetown University in the US, for example, which actually trains students for political careers. The content of existing courses is outdated. I have met few political science graduates who can give an insightful view on the current state of Indian politics and how to bring about change in the present times. Even apart from education, the political parties have no induction methods of taking in bright young Indians, conducting training programmes, or a meritocratic evaluation system in place to make sure the best talent gets a chance to shine.
In absence of all this, parties depend on a few charismatic personalities to run the show and their sudden absence creates a void, which needs to be filled by a personality clone rather than the best leader available. This further acts as a demotivator for capable people to make a career in politics who know they’ll never make it to the top. This worsens the supply of good people in times of need.
And then there is the lack of political awareness. While we do study the oversimplified definition of a democracy in school by the people, for the people millions of Indians, particularly in the economically weaker sections of society, still do not understand the full power of a democracy. Our history of monarchy is difficult to shake off, as democracy is a recent arrival in India’s story. The established lines created by the caste system over centuries make it difficult to grasp the concept that anyone with talent can and, importantly, should rise to the highest levels in society. In this scenario, we see political leaders as kings, and their little princes are automatically next in line.
If we do pay attention to these issues, we can make the beginning towards a robust political system that elects strong leaders who can take India to the next level. Meanwhile, the little princes should learn a lesson from Bollywood. Your pedigree may have given you a break, but you still need to perform. There are only so many flops daddy’s name can support. Somebody may have made you a prince, but to stay there and become a real hero, you need to become a leader. The lights and cameras are on you now, so let’s see if you can deliver. Action!
We simply don’t have a mechanism to get the best person for the most responsible jobs in the country. So, why are we like this? Why do we think it is almost alright for a politician’s son to become the next leader? I think there are three main reasons. First up is emotional decision-making. Apologies for stereotyping, but Indians are emotional people. The content of our films and TV programming is ample evidence of this. When it comes to choosing a public figure, the decision is almost never completely rational. We are fond of Big B, so we also give Junior B a chance. It doesn’t matter as much when it is about choosing the star you want to watch on screen. It has huge repercussions when you use emotional criteria for positions that involve running the country.
There is no doubt that the deceased CM’s family is in deep grief, but to hand over the reins of the state only for that reason may not be the best idea. Political choices by voters must be rational. I am not suggesting that all people with lineage will not be able to do a good job. Rahul Gandhi has resurrected the Congress; he speaks well and has kept his patience and not jumped to take the top post. Maybe that should be the reason to elect him, but not because he reminds you of his father. Similarly, if some of his subsidy policies are damaging the country’s finances, you can consider switching your vote. Your vote is an important choice for your country, not an expression of love.
Second, there is a lack of institutions to groom political talent. We make great engineers and doctors but we don’t take our liberal arts courses seriously. A handful of colleges are good, but most places are poorly run and we don’t have any institutions like Georgetown University in the US, for example, which actually trains students for political careers. The content of existing courses is outdated. I have met few political science graduates who can give an insightful view on the current state of Indian politics and how to bring about change in the present times. Even apart from education, the political parties have no induction methods of taking in bright young Indians, conducting training programmes, or a meritocratic evaluation system in place to make sure the best talent gets a chance to shine.
In absence of all this, parties depend on a few charismatic personalities to run the show and their sudden absence creates a void, which needs to be filled by a personality clone rather than the best leader available. This further acts as a demotivator for capable people to make a career in politics who know they’ll never make it to the top. This worsens the supply of good people in times of need.
And then there is the lack of political awareness. While we do study the oversimplified definition of a democracy in school by the people, for the people millions of Indians, particularly in the economically weaker sections of society, still do not understand the full power of a democracy. Our history of monarchy is difficult to shake off, as democracy is a recent arrival in India’s story. The established lines created by the caste system over centuries make it difficult to grasp the concept that anyone with talent can and, importantly, should rise to the highest levels in society. In this scenario, we see political leaders as kings, and their little princes are automatically next in line.
If we do pay attention to these issues, we can make the beginning towards a robust political system that elects strong leaders who can take India to the next level. Meanwhile, the little princes should learn a lesson from Bollywood. Your pedigree may have given you a break, but you still need to perform. There are only so many flops daddy’s name can support. Somebody may have made you a prince, but to stay there and become a real hero, you need to become a leader. The lights and cameras are on you now, so let’s see if you can deliver. Action!