The Social Cost of Flattery, Pomposity and Manipulative Politics-Part-II Need for cultivating some sensitivity towards common man

The social cost of this shameless flattery and the influence of manipulative politics and money power is indeed very high and the long term damage caused to higher education is least understood. The existence and operation of Gresham’s Law (bad money drives out good money from circulation) in both real and academic world has serious implications for the long run development of the country.

Simple living and high thinking have taken a backseat and manipulative politics and money power have come into prominence. Members belonging to the Treasury benches vie with one another to shower praises on their leaders in and outside the Assembly to get the short term benefits of pelf and power. Even the level-headed scholar economist-our Central Finance Minister has unconsciously fallen a prey to temptations of flattery when the dedicated his maiden budget to the departed leader under whose regime only the fiscal and budget deficits reached an alarming, menacing proportion, the adverse consequence of which people are now experiencing in the form of payments crisis and two stage devaluation.

Time has now come for the modern rulers to develop some sensitivity to the problems confronted by the common man or man in the street. The common man does not know how to read or write. But he thinks that his children should learn and prosper. He lives in a hut or a pavement. Protected and safe drinking water is a scarce commodity for him. He can hardly afford minimum conveniences of life as he does not have a secure job or any worthwhile mode of production or means of livelihood. A frontal attack on poverty and unemployment can be launched only when our rulers are cured of all pomposity.

They must be made to realize that life at Parliament/Assembly and also outside can be lived without royal escort of a thousand cars, illuminations, statues and outward splendor to which our rulers have been accustomed. It is high time that traffic was not diverted or blocked to facilitate the speedy mobility of VIPS. Their manner of life can be brought almost, to the level of a private gentleman’s without destroying the prestige that goes with leadership. The hero worshipping tendency on the part of the common people in our country especially in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh must go. If no effort is made in this direction, some film star by his or her charisma and the consequent non-sensical popularity will stay claim to adore the political chair of Chief Minister as if it is a musical chair competition. Notwithstanding some salient economic benefits in the form of the establishment of social and economic order, Nehru’s command model failed miserably to tackle poverty and inequality.

The excessive exchange of control regime established under Nehru dynasty, has resulted in a high cost economy and we have already started initiating measures to free the cobwebs of controls and the nexus between politicians and the bureaucrats. It is also high time people realized the social cost of manipulative politics and money power, increasing sycophancy and shameless, rampant flattery. With all the greed, ambition and violence that are so widespread these days on both social and academic life of the community, how can we resolve the tragic problems of poverty, hunger, disease, malnutrition and misgovernment? The only chance to overcome greet and violence lies in the people becoming self confident and assertive by re-organizing their inner strength and learning to work together for the benefit of all and stand on their own legs, without expecting too much relief from the side of the government which for all practical purposes maximizes its own welfare function. They must also come out of the habit of always saying “heartening things” to leaders in all walks of life and cultivate the critical spirit of enquiry.