The Media, Bihar, And Manmohan

Given that we Indians now have good reason to doubt the objectivity of opinions expressed by our media bigwigs, should the widespread euphoria over the results of the Bihar elections be treated with caution? I will make the case that it should.

There is also a lead editorial in the Indian Express arguing in a most convoluted way that Chacha Manmohan, whose government is now riddled with corruption scandals, is our only hope for the future. I will rebut this, too. But first, Bihar:

Opinions in the newspapers and television suggest that Bihar has finally "arrived," and that these elections prove "development" is the top issue for its caste-ridden electorate. But how is this development to be achieved? Is development something that occurs because of politicians, bureaucrats and governments - as we have been attempting for 60 years? Or is development entirely dependent on markets?

Peter Bauer, the great development economist who dissented with the mainstream throughout his long career, put it well when he wrote:

Poverty indicates just one thing - the absence of economic achievement.

He then went on to add:

Economic achievements are made in markets.

I have never heard the re-elected chief minister of Bihar utter the word "market" - ever. His election campaign promised sadak, shiksha aur suraksha (roads, education and security). The realisation that roads matter is belated - but welcome, nevertheless. The idea that State education is beneficial is wrong: this "miseducation" needs to be abolished. Further, under this chief minister, the government of Bihar has been giving away free bicycles to schoolkids. Since this government is heavily in the red, as I just wrote, such giveaways will reduce their ability to build roads. And as for security, which emphasises the role of the State Police, I would much prefer a stress on Property - especially because there are no land records in Bihar. With Property comes Liberty - and Markets. It is these ideas that are missing from the agenda today - nationwide.

Thus, in my opinion, this euphoria is misplaced. Bihar is a huge state, with a vast, poor population comprising numberless dilapidated cities and towns - run by an apathetic, mistrained administration who have their heads buried in "rural development," "panchayati raj" and, of course, the NREGA "work" that comes from Delhi. We must be realistic about what we can expect from our socialist politicians - and from the governments they run.

Let us now turn to Chacha Manmohan S Gandhi - the man on the top of the heap. Assume, for a moment, that he is indeed Mr. Super Clean. What are all his great ideas for India's "development"? There is the NREGA with its "right to work," there is the "right to food," the "right to free and compulsory education," the biometric ID card, nuclear power sans liabilities. Because of all these schemes we are suffering high inflation. Further, a huge amount of public borrowing was announced in the last Budget. Notice, Chacha never utters the words "right to Property."

Therefore, we must not overlook his political ideology - that he is a central planner, a central banker, a socialist, a welfare statist, and a Keynesian. Media euphoria greeted his arrival at the top, too. And every single one of his ideas, listed above, has been approved in glowing terms by the media.

In this context, this lead editorial in the Indian Express deserves to be carefully scrutinised for its objectivity. The editors are of the view that wee the sheeple must bear with Chacha and allow him to continue, because the "current public mood of rage against the political class as a collective" is also an "opportunity for Dr Singh to push through... [a] re-imagining of Indian governance." The editors fear that if Chacha goes then far worse things can happen - like further centralisation, regulation and licensing.

Methinks they are trying to scare us - about something that simply cannot happen. And, about Chacha, they are actually expecting us to believe that he can change his spots.

In reality, Chacha has brought about the demise of the CONgress. They were routed in Bihar. The nation needs to be woken up to this new political reality - which is precisely what this editorial is not doing.

And as for the future, let us bury centralism - and let each region think for itself. In this new scenario, it is the coastal regions that must take the lead, for they are in the best position to take advantage of globalisation. I have an earlier post on the enormous opportunities before our twin coasts.