By – Amar Yumnam
Character is a very important component in any individual whether in personal functioning or in social interactions. It is on the basis of this that we talk of morality. But morality is not something which just falls from the sky, but has foundations from which it emerges. David Hume wrote so long back: “Let a man’s insensibility be ever so great, he must often be touched with the images of Right and Wrong; and let his prejudices be ever so obstinate, he must observe, that others are susceptible of like impressions. The only way, therefore, of converting an antagonist of this kind, is to leave him to himself.” As Henry Hazlitt emphasises: “Morality is not an end we pursue purely for its own sake. It is a means to ends beyond itself. But because it is an indispensable means we value it also for its own sake.” In contemporary world morality is very truly and strongly considered in assessing how governance is being conducted. This happens to be the area where India is facing a crisis and resultantly the democratic functioning for a welfare state is suffering.
The government today has attached a lower weightage to consumption while measuring the trend of rise in prices. In this process, whether the larger sections of the population – particularly the middle class and the poor –have enhanced their levels of consumption than before or not would make no difference for the government claiming success in performance. Further the federal functioning as per the Constitution would be compromised as and when desired. This would be particularly in States which command no weight as being small in both area and population in the prevailing federal structure of India. Governments may be formed in such States without assigning any portfolio to the Ministers with the costs borne by the people through the taxes paid by them. Is it moral in what type of democracy and federalism?
In a very insulting event involving the Head of the People of a State was put in jail along with his close personnel. The Special Judge has given a very strong judgement questioning the very morality of the federal authority agents and even asking for examining the very moral character of the federal agent.
While the above instances relate to domestic happenings, the head of the people of India went to a foreign country in this juncture of global chaos. The very next day, the very country the Indian peoples’ head visited bombed another country. This is a happening India should criticise in strongest terms. Forget this, the bombing killed school students in large numbers. This has undoubtedly caused pains in the hearts of every person under the sun. But India has not been able even to morally attack and lament this death of school children in large numbers. But globally this country of Mahatma Gandhi is considered as the epitome of peace. Is it moral to destroy this image?
Low let us come to the moral behaviour of the Federal Government with Constitutional institutions. It is painful to go through the very first chapter of the Report of the 16th Finance Commission. First, the Commission was not provided rooms for convenient functioning. Second, when the rooms were provided, there were necessity for repairing. These two inconveniences made the Commission lost eight months to genuinely start the work on the responsibilities. Third, the officers posted to function with the Commission were transferred out very frequently or transferred for temporary engagement with other functions. This is how a Constitutional Body was dealt with. It could amount to wishing to do away with such institutions and deal everything by the ministries conveniently without moral accountability; the Ambedkar Constitution has been an inconvenience. Because of these, the Commission could not adequately look into the question of Equity, and ended with taking Area and Population as yardsticks for distribution of Central Funds. The Chairman of the Commission is an Economist very conversant with the perspective of Geography (rather than area) as yardstick for analysing development and the morality of appreciating this with the accompanying dimensional aspects of population. In a book on inequality published this month by three authors, two from England and another from Denmark conclude their book: “both concerted action and new thinking are needed – radical, but also considered, nuanced and practical.” Is any application of thinking on evolution of Federalism and Democracy being allowed to happen in India?