The Greasy Pole of Power Politics & The Slippery Slope of Reform

Book Review


The Politics Of Change, A Ringside View by NK Singh
Published by Penguin Viking/ The Express Group, 2007
254 pages,Rs.395/-

The Greasy Pole Of Power Politics & The Slippery Slope of Reform

NK Singh’s new book The Politics of Change is a selection of 63 of some 125 articles contracted for by the Indian Express Group, appearing from June 2004 onwards. The first one in the series, in a column entitled Ringside View, which also forms the subtitle to this book, was penned shortly after Singh retired from the IAS to become Deputy Chairman of the Bihar State Planning Board.

The articles in this book are grouped into sections such as Globalising India, India and China, Multilateral Relations, Infrastructure, Energy, Reforms, Political Dynamics, Managing the Economy and States Of The Union. But such compilations, particularly on matters of sonorous economic policy, do end up frustrating the interested reader owing to the necessary brevity of the newspaper format, carried over, unnecessarily, into a book.

It would perhaps have been more rewarding, also less dated, and more representative of the writer’s abilities, if the topics and sub-topics had been explored at greater depth in an integrated continuous narrative. This particularly, as in the India of today, as Singh points out himself, yesterday is clearly no indicator for our tomorrows. So much so, that the economic perspectives of 2004 and 2005 seem insufficiently robust and confident, as if haunted by the years of moribund socialism that preceded them.

In all the articles, too short to be called essays, Singh bears witness to a plethora of conferences, some symposia and a sheaf of studies and reports, both national and international. And throughout, he makes consistent, if mild reformist noises, averring repeatedly that government policy must change towards greater openness, transparency and hold a brief for competition. This careful balancing act is designed to nudge our political masters towards a more modern and confident polity, rather than criticise, beyond, that is, a flutter or two of frustration at the slow pace of progress. This positivist stance is understandable in its desire to commend the glass as half full, but makes one wonder whether senior bureaucrats, with a stake in continuance and keen on being palatable, are able to do justice to their independent thoughts, particularly when they are aired in the public domain.

While none should quarrel with Singh’s reasonable and forward looking views, though Mr. Prakash Karat & Company will disagree, with even this measured tread; it is Shekhar Gupta of Indian Express, in his foreword to the book, who credits Singh with the quiet and extremely successful privatisation of ICICI Bank. It is this not widely known revelation which rescues “NK’s” reputation as a doer. It also allows the reader to veer away from the suspicion that here is yet another semi-retired bureaucrat/soldier/diplomat/politician who’s turned armchair theorist - now that he is substantially beyond harm.

Singh on his part, gamely hints both in style and substance throughout the book at salutary contributions that he has made throughout the agonisingly slow reforms process initiated in the nineties, from each of his various positions of bureaucratic power in the Ministries of Commerce and Finance, in the PMO and the Planning Commission at the Centre.

He also candidly acknowledges that there is much yet to be done and warns that the work that lies ahead has the potential to choke off the growth we have been enjoying of late, unless infrastructure and other bottlenecks are speedily removed.

But in the end, it is clear as a subtext in all the articles, that bureaucrats are able to implement only what the politicians let them. The bureaucrat, however exalted, cannot force the pace of change, for better or worse. He also cannot do very much about the adoption of particular policy directions over others.

But then it is the politician that faces the electorate and enjoys power only as long as he wins his election! So, it is he who decides what to do, in his elected-representative- laced superior wisdom, or lack of it!

So, to fulfil his policy making ambitions, now that NK Singh’s file pushing days are
nearly over, it might be noted that his relative youth marks him out as a good prospect for the
political arena. But if NK Singh does join active politics, there may well have to be changes made, in tone and tenor, like Yashwant Sinha and Mani Shankar Aiyar, civil servicemen both, who took the plunge before him.

We will then have to contrast the dulcet silk and Saville Row semantics of NK Singh’s current pronouncements with the media reported thunder and lightning of the impending state election in Gujarat - to illustrate this point. But then, it may be more appropriate to liken NK’s political profile and chances, should he want to take them, to our current reformist Prime Minister, who is not doing half badly as a former academic and Wold Banker turned politician. All NK needs is a political mentor or two like Prime Minister Singh and Bob’s your uncle.

(850 words)
By Gautam Mukherjee
Sunday, 9th December 2007

Also published in the BOOKS section of The Sunday Pioneer on December 23rd,2007

This and all other essays on GHATOTKACHSERIES are copyright 2005-2007 by Gautam Mukherjee. All rights reserved.