Good Governance and Its Importance for the Development of People - Research Paper Example

Good governance and its importance for the development of people Prajakta Kanegaonkar "The happiness of the commoners is the happiness of the king. Their welfare is his welfare. A king should never think of his personal interest or welfare, but should try to find his joy in the joy of his subjects." (Chanakaya.com) These are the words from none other than the great administrator and the kingmaker from India Chanakya. He was the mentor of Chandragupta Maurya, one of the most famous kings of ancient India. Chanakya in his famous books of “Nitishastra” (the science of morals of the society) and “Arthashastra” (the economics) has clearly mentioned the policies and philosophies the king has to adapt to make his kingdom a well governed and happy place to live. Most democracies even today directly or indirectly follow the same principles of governance. If we observe, the development of the society started from the small tribal groups which culminated into the large nations and countries today. The tendency of a common man is to be guided by the able minded and once upon a time even able bodied leaders who would take them to the happiness of coexistence and ultimately towards freedom from fears and anxieties. Leaders world over have cajoled, bullied, threatened, coaxed their subjects and lead them through the pages of history. Initially the natural leaders from the group were identified or established themselves as the leaders of the groups. However as the societies developed and matured the successors were identified and trained to take charge accordingly. The identification of second in command happens even today even though the explicit method and mention is not so prevalent in today’s groups and societies. We have even traveled a long way from being led by a single person to guided democracies or ruling by majority. It is proven by the history over a period of time, that no one method or system of governance is foolproof. Every system has its own flaws and follies. However as we take a closer look we realize that in reality only those systems have survived where development and progress of the people has been the central focus of the system. Even when we observe todays corporate, which is termed as the new dynasty, the same rule prevails. Management of the people of an organization cannot be overlooked, as irrespective of the infrastructure it is the people who run the organization. We are considering the examples of two countries that were born on the same day. Pakistan was formed on 14th August 1947 and India came into being on 15th August 1947. This is not to portray one bad and the other one to be good, but these two are the classic examples of how good governance and bad governance can affect the development and progress of the people inhabiting in them. For any society to have an all round development all the perspectives of development need to be taken into account, such as social, economical, cultural etc. The policies and their implementation of any government in this regard affect these perspectives in a real long way. For both these countries, some of the issues were right from their formation and some developed in the later years. Religious and Social development: Both the countries had religious and social issues right from the beginning. The partition which separated both the countries was based on religion and caste. This factor played a major havoc then and it continues to play havoc even now. Ironically both the countries claim that they have come to friendly terms with each other and every time a fresh government takes charge in either of the countries, bonds of friendship are renewed between the two. The intention of both the governments is not to be doubted here. But both the governments have also fuelled the religious wars from time to time. India by constitution is a secular country. This country has got innumerable castes and religions under one constitution. This is one factor where the history of the country is unmatched with any other country of the world. “WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a [SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC] and to secure to all its citizens. JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all, FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the [unity and integrity of the Nation];” (Preamble of Indian Constitution) Thus by constitution every religion and caste is neutralized and is treated equal in the eyes of the law. However the caste system in India comes from the societal structure that divided the society into four significant castes. However to get certain economically backward communities into the mainstream the constitution of India provides for affirmative reservations or discriminations. This was done because it was recognized and accepted by the creators of Indian constitution that improving the economic conditions of certain strata can bring equality in the people. The race begins when all the athletes stand on the start line and all of them get the equal advantage. However medicine is not the staple diet of a person and the same goes for the reservation policies for a society. The purpose is to bring equality in the social order and the reservations should be discarded after this purpose is served. Unfortunately this is an area where ulterior motives have come to surface and there are a lot of anti social and political factors which have dominated the decision on this issue unfavorably. This is a classic case of a policy of good governance implemented in good faith that works beautifully for a longer period of time but goes total haywire in the later years. Social and religious casteism plays all the more a serious role in the national politics in India. If we observe most of the countries have their own religious system or a religion accepted as the national religion. In India one can reside peacefully while practicing his or her own religion. Religion was the basis of the partition. India in functionality has always been tolerant towards invasions and people from other religions ruling her. Right from the times of Alexander to the mughals and then on to the British every ruler and every dynasty is of varied religion. In history we see that the religion of the invader or the ruler is imposed as the principal religion on the masses as well. Indians have always tolerated and welcomed the other religion although the principal religion of the country has always been Hinduism and then consciously the government has decided to take a tolerant view towards other religion and has even established the equality status of all other religions in front of the law. “Now if we want this great state of Pakistan happy and prosperous we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor. If you will work in cooperation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet, you are bound to succeed. If you change your past and work together in a spirit that everyone of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in past, no matter what is his color, caste or creed, is first, second and last citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges and obligations, there will be no end to the progress you make. We should begin work in that spirit and in course of time all these angularities of the majority and minority communities, the Hindu community and the Muslim community because even as regards Muslims you have Pathans, Punjabis, Shias, Sunnis and so on and among Hindus you have Brahmins, Vaishnavas, Khatris, also Bengalees, Madrasis and so on will vanish. Indeed if you ask me this has been the biggest hindrance in the way of India to attain freedom and independence and but for this we would have been free peoples long ago.” (Jinnah 1948:9-10, Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic identity: The search for Saladin AKbar S. Ahmed) Jinnah was the first elected head of Pakistan after its formation. This excerpt is quoted from one of his speeches to understand his vision for Pakistan. Both the countries are acutely aware of the minor and major castes that are prevalent in their social system. However over a period of time both the countries have also shown strength and resolve by unifying them when needed and traveling towards progress together. It is indeed very ironical to watch that having started on secular and tolerance basis both have been seen inclined towards their principal religions. Pakistan has heavily bent towards being Islamic fundamentalism and India is tilting towards more and more Hinduism although it would still prefer to call itself a secular state. We are going to consider issues regarding women and children of the society predominantly. Child labor is a burning issue in Pakistan. 3.3 million out of 40 million children are child labor in Pakistan. The factors that push the child into labor and menial tasks are parental poverty and illiteracy, irresponsible political system, social and economic pressures, lack of education and social attitude. Among which poverty ranks the highest. Each member of the family has to work in order to survive and support his family. Even a small amount of money that is earned is valuable. The basic needs like food, clothes shelter also are not sufficed for which it is better for the parent that the child works and gets more money rather than getting into school and getting educated. Unfortunately the education system in the country also is not sound and does not lead to creating productive members for the society. People who get an education do not know how to use it and those who don’t get the education can’t afford to get educated. This results in creating literate-illiterate who are no better than illiterates of the society. The economic and social structure doesn’t give much choice to the parents than to pull out their children from the school and put them to work rather than train them for betterment of their lives. This also further explains the government’s attitude and priorities. The country’s military development cannot be top ranking on the priority list when the children of the country have to feed themselves at the cost of their education, development and future. The status of the women in Pakistani society is dominated by Islamic fundamentals. Efforts have been taken to elevate the status of the women through introduction of reforms through religious means. Women’s place in the political system and in the familial structure is the two issues which have been constantly discussed. 1979 Hudood ordinance is an example of the mentality of the society and even law towards women. To quote the difference between rape and adultery, the man can be convicted of rape only if he was actually observed by women while committing the act; however a woman can be convicted simply because she gets pregnant. This act has been quoted to illustrate the status of the women in the society and from what point the struggle begins. Today the focus of the woman’s movement has changed considerably. Earlier it was to fight against the injustice caused by the legislation, but now it has shifted to securing the place in political representation, to raise the awareness among women and fighting against suppression of women’s rights in the social system. These causes would require the government’s support which is lukewarm and in some cases even nil. In such situation it is going to be a long fight for women in Pakistan to recognize them and fight for their rightful place. (Pakistan: Status of Women & the Womens Movement encyclopedia of Womens History - from Jone Johnson Lewis) (Social issues in Pakistan - : Sania Aamir) Indian society is traditionally a patriarchal society. Even if the woman of the house is far more superior to her male counterpart and she is far batter knowledgeable, she has to prove herself staying well within her limits of her family and pass on the credit of her good work to the male head of the family. Education in women is still a burning issue. Today India is facing a serious problem of dropping male to female ratio. The government has taken up active campaigning against female infanticide and feticide and is also promoting education amongst women fiercely. But the need of awareness is greater than the force of the campaign. Reservations for the women in the political system are already implemented. Although by constitution gender discrimination is prohibited it is still in practice in the society. The more developed urban and metro areas display it lesser however the more rural and semi urban areas have it more on display. To counteract this problem the government has also introduced the concept of all women administrators in the village administration. But the perennial issues of woman education and equality in the society still remain the undying causes to fight for. Child labor is a grave problem in the Indian social structure as well. The industry where child labor works ranges from manufacturing, servicing, repairs, processing etc. The wages that a child earns is supportive to the household. It is better if the child works and gets the money so needed for the survival and existence than get the education. Hazardous working conditions and death tolls happened in case of children has forced the government to take a strong view and enforce laws against the system. Irrespective of it the system still prevails and is a part of the vicious cycle of economy, education and social system. Development of industry and commerce Since the initial years of its independence India the progress of the agriculture and industrial sector in Indian economy is phenomenal. The government adopted the five year plan model which was based on the Russian model of development. The idea was to plan the development for the next five years and then achieve the targets set. The government has taken extensive efforts to develop the much needed infrastructure for the industrial development. It has also invested heavily in the sector. The government promoted entrepreneurship, provided finance, and facilitated progress by providing and creating infrastructural support. There were protective tariffs in the initial years. There were a lot of restrictions on the establishment of the factories, industries and production houses. The era is popularly known as “License Raj” in the history of India. The terminology came into being because there were so many permissions that were needed to start and operate an industry that it was virtually impossible to set up an industry and run it. The study of economics indicates that the economic development and progress of any country depends on the development of industry and commerce of the country. So in the year 1991 the policy was changed completely. Restrictions were relaxed, custom tariffs were brought down and economy welcomed the foreign competition. As a result of all these policies there is now well diversified base of industries and service sector. The agricultural sector which is the backbone of Indian economy wasn’t lagging behind. The green revolution in 1960 liberated India from importing the grain and saving a considerable foreign exchange. This could happen because of the cooperation that was extended by the agriculture sector to the sustained efforts of the government. Indian industries were suddenly thrown open to global competition through the liberalization policies that were implemented. Foreign direct investment was allowed and even foreign assistance and technology was invited in the country. Foreign collaborators were allowed to take over. Post liberalization Indian industry did struggle a lot. But the qualities of the merchandise, services, agro based products etc improve to match the global standards. The approach of the customer and that of towards the customer also changed a lot. With limited range of products available the customer did not really have a choice and say in the market. However the Indian middle class played a great role in accelerating the pace of the liberalization in the country. This class had the money, wanted better products and services and was interested in buying the luxury as a part of their lives. This was also contradictory to the cultural system of the country because the mindset of the society was heavily inclined to simple living and high thinking. The change in the societal structure happened when the economy opened. People in India today are more aware, more informed and more inclined towards technology for development. All these positive change happened due to the liberalization and the globalization policy that was implemented by the government of India in the year 1990 -1991. Today when globalization has brought the world closer, it is necessary to evaluate the role of managers in the industry all over the world. “What are the challenges for a manager as a citizen of the world? You have to be adaptive in the office and outside. You have to accept that there is more history than “western triumphalism” and that new history is being create din Asia and elsewhere. You have to accept that we live in a flat world where new ideas and products could come from anywhere. You have to be in the vanguard of the effort to create a fair equitable, peaceful, green and happy planet. You have to unlearn traditional rules of the globalized corporation. I define globalization as sourcing capital from where it is cheapest, sourcing talent from where it is best available, producing where it is most cost-effective and selling where the markets are, without being constrained by national boundaries. Today the economic success of India and the rapid rise of emerging countries have changed most of our assumptions on capital flows, talent and markets. As a leader you will have to decide on an objective that is laudable, exciting and aspirational and you will have to be a global manager – a management professional whose aspiration transcends the national boundaries, whose benchmarks of performance are set on the global scale and who is comfortable in dealing with many cultures.” (Excerpt from the speech of N R Narayana Murthy, creator and ex-chairman of global Indian IT giant Infosys, which was a convocation address at IESE Business School, Barcelona on 9th May 2008. Collection of his speeches, A better India, A better World) What globalization has brought into industry is the focus on the customer. If we notice every perspective today is customer centric. In such situation would it be a very preposterous idea if we say that the focus of the governance should be the end customer and that is the general public. What is the point of a good government if the subjects of which are not benefited in the long as well short run? In the corporate sector the concept of accountability is deep rooted. Why is it that the governing officer thinks he is invincible and unmovable from the post? On the contrary because of the system of democracy, be it guided or majority or federal, the accountability to the general public or the common man is all the more. People are not only there for paying taxes alone but they also have a right to know what happens to their hard earned money when it goes to the government as a tax payment. If survival and progress of private sector depends on the meeting and exceeding expectations of the customer then by the same token the faith in the public machinery can be reinstated and reinforced by applying the same “customer first” logic. Typically all the managers who are trained or are under going the training of management would agree to the key role played by vision, mission and objectives while achieving the performance. Vision is where do you see yourself after a certain period of time, mission is to make the vision practical and workable and objectives are breaking the mission into small achievable modules. The moment the objectives become specific and measurable these are converted in goals. Management by Objectives theory proposes achievement by achievement through goal by goal. Globalization brought awareness towards this concept and then implemented it very widely. Organizations that have been religiously following this have shown remarkable progress and development. Now let us evaluate the same principle in good governance as well. It is definitely not easy for governments to put up a fight against long running values and beliefs, the culture and the mindsets of the people it is governing. Some times it is even possible that the objectives are not achieved, but then even in corporate we come across many such situations. What is important is the effort towards the achievement. If we have not achieved a specific goal or an objective then it is quite possible that there is a mismanagement happened at some or the other end. At least we know what not to do in future in a given situation and that is a valuable learning in itself in management because all the managers know that there is no better training and learning than “on the job” training. Now the argument of involvement of public money is perfectly valid, but then designing of small and achievable projects can definitely lead the public to a better life and progress. Learning from mistakes should be accepted like the famous scientist Thomas Alva Edison. He was asked by one of his followers, “Why didn’t we try putting the Tungsten wire first in the bulb? We could have known it right at the beginning that Tungsten is capable of illuminating and converting the electric current into light. We didn’t have to try 999 objects?” Upon this Edison replied, “My dear fellow, the knowledge that 999 objects don’t carry electric current is valuable enough”. Management often recommends the theory of performance by rewards and punishment. Good performance should be supported by incentives. Incentives offer the challenge and the satisfaction of achievement to the employee. According to Thomas Jefferson, “that government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part”. If this is true then technology furthers the cause of democracy. Information transcends through boundaries, nations, time zones through internet and connectivity. Today the contribution of connectivity and technology in bringing the people of the world together and making the world a global village is immense. The same tool can be effectively used in the establishment of good government and democracy. We often think that managers are a different caste altogether in today’s world. The reality is however daringly different. Just as the argument can go on for the premise, manager are born or made, similarly the argument can go on if corporate policy and implementation is away from the governance and methods of governance. Good government would always want the people to grow, prosper, develop and coexist peacefully. The type of government is not an issue here. The issue is about the orientation of the government programs. The scientific approach like management science can definitely assist the approach and the action of the government. The management approach can have a lot of limitations as well, one such to quote is that finally an organization is an artificial creation of entity and hence it become easy to build it as per the framework desired. While implementing the policies and the programs in the government we can always travel towards the bigger picture of welfare and community and social well being. The infusion of management into governance can give us a better approach, high degree of professionalism and what more, leaders who are great managers with a good vision, and who can translate this vision into reality to make this society a better place to stay. References: 1. http://labour.nic.in/lcomm2/2nlc-pdfs/Chap3.pdf 2. Foreign Aid and Industrial Development in Pakistan: Irving Brecher McGill University, Montréal S. A. Abbas 3. Social Issues of India: http://blog.friendsofindia.net/2007/09/social-issues-of-india.html Rest of the references are included in the write-up as and when quoted. Read More