Scientific Polity is the real solution, not Politics of Touts

Scientific Polity is the real solution, not Politics of Touts 

The Curse of Professional and Family Politics

Some people often question what is the direct contribution of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, Arabind Ghosh or Tagore to the war of Independence? Some leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose had taken a different path from the Congress movement. In fact, certain wise leaders, in one form or other, had become aware of a bitter reality of the freedom movement, especially the greedy privileged tendency of the  aging ministers of Congress in nine states during 1938-39 (expressing concern about which Subhas Chandra Bose in capacity of Congress President had written a letter to M K Gandhi). It was a bitter fact that royal families, feudal landlords and moneymen had captured the Congress movement of freedom using lawyers as a tool. The result had to be in terms of national division, anarchy and inefficiency. So, after this freedom, not only the world's largest constitution was formed, but also the most complicated and the largest number of laws were framed in India. We made big laws to control what was corrected by managerial-administrative policies from Japan to Europe. We forgot that too much legalility ensures just minimal compliance but does not bring efficiency, creativity and effectiveness,.   

After independence, the emergence of professional and family politics has proved to be the rebirth of  monarchy.

Lessons from the Japanese Miracle

After surrender of Japan during the second war, most of the top leaders and commanders were hanged to death except the Emperor Hirohito (& his family) as American government considered him as a good marine biologist who had discovered some species of hydra. Before that Japanese army was enjoying all powers marginalizing Hirohito as powerless monarch. The army commander Tojo was himself the Prime Minister then and all members of the Japanese cabinet used to be appointed on recommendations of the army. The attack on Perl Harbour was also a miscalculated over-enthusiastic move of the Japanese army without consent of the emperor. After surrender, Japan was put under General McArthur Program whose natural direction could be to convert Japan into a virtual state of America with no military of its own. This move was similar to Macaulay’s program in India.

But Hirohito was wise and smart. He created JUSE (Japanese Union of Scientists & Engineers)—an organization with membership limited to institutions, not individuals with major role to transform Japan. JUSE worked under the most important Japanese Ministry of Industry, Culture, Youth and Sports—an interesting and unique concept encompassing the core energy of the nation & society in one ministry. It’s task has been to select leaders and experts with proven capability, integrity and character from the society for the national life. In this way an automatic check on integrity and capability of scientists & engineers in industry. Then the constitutional provision of recall of tainted leaders in governance has been another check. This real power to scientists & engineers enabled Japan to achieve the level of development within 30 years which was attained by Europe and America in almost 200 years. Germany also did something similar to that.

After surrender in 1945, Japan converted its aggressive Japanese nationalism into constructive concept of national life. This   concept of national life transformed a war-torn country into a symbol of best quality and prosperity in a very short span. The same path was later followed initially by North Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hongkong; and later by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. China has mixed communist orthodoxy with technological revolution leading to speedy advancement limited to mainly physical realm. Even USA learnt a lot from this experience.

Japan gave importance to its talent & expertise in every walk of life leading to rapid advancement whereas we Indians have reared a habit of giving more importance to mediocre middlemen (of God or power or business) of system leading to weak and hollow national system. Professional and family politicians have also proved to be lousy middlemen whose hollow understanding leads to failure of even well-intentioned plans and makes the system a victim of inefficiency. Such politicians have been propagating the image of scientists as cynical and paranoid in the society. But today, in the age of technological revolution, these politicians are completely irrelevant and are the burden of the system. The revolution of scientific politics is now the right path.

We also need to convert aggressive and violent nationalism into constructive national life so as to ensure fruitful result. DST needs to be broadened as a constitutional authority named Bharatiya Union of Science & Technology (BUST) with a major task of selecting leaders for national & state life, governance and economy. These selected talents will be utilized in two ways. Those who win the political elections, will go to legislature & governance whereas the remaining lot will be utilized in the public sector economy and administration, thus giving respect, opportunity, mobility and value to the real talent. This whole election process has to be state funded.

BUST may consist of a board of 20 scientists/researchers as members—four nominated by the Supreme Court, four by the Central Government, four from technical and research institutions, two from medical research institutions, two from universities, two from NGOs and two from industry. The chairman may be nominated by the President of India.     

The Indian Blunders of Professional Polity—Revisiting the Wisdom of Kautilya

India has not been unaware of miracles of the Asian tigers as mentioned in part 2. Some efforts were made in India also. During the Prime Ministership of Rajiv Gandhi, a team of young scientists & technocrats was formed mainly under the leadership of Department of Science & Technology (DST) and the concerned cabinet committee to steer the nation to the new age technology. But this program utterly failed as no proper system was provided to ensure the integrity and unbiasedness of the participants in the program as well as to eliminate the interference of tout politicians.

The result was such a loot in the name of scientific youth revolution by cunning politicians & their cronies that the country became bankrupt within 5-6 years—in 1991, the nation had to borrow heavily from IMF by mortgaging gold of the Reserve Bank. But it was wisdom of  PM P V Narsimha Rao that he ushered in economic liberalization through an economic scientist Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister. Later, the national wisdom also made a good experiment by honouring Dr APJ Abdul Kalam as the President, though for one term only.

But this has proved just a drop in the ocean. Without stopping professional/tout/family politicians and adopting Scientific Polity Revolution as a whole sole measure instead, this historic opportunity for national well-being cannot be fructified. Kautilya named his work ‘Arthshastra’, not ‘Rajnitishastra’ as he knew that economics is a good balancer between technology and politics. It is now time as not to turn our eyes from this reality.

The worldwide debate in earlier times about capitalism and communism has lost its relevance and lustre after rise of Asian Tigers. In fact, both the systems are more or less equally exploitative though their methods are different. In capitalism there are many capitalists who manage to get the state under their money influence, hence the state loses the will to control them though it has capacity to do so. But in communism the state itself becomes capitalist—state capitalism, hence who will control it. Now the real discussion is in terms of professional politics of touts vs Scientific Polity.

Scientific Polity refers to a system in which the whole national life including economy and industry will be led and run by scientists, not by professional & tout politicians. Scientist includes any researcher or equivalent activist contributing to natural sciences, social sciences, economy, technology, music, art, literature, sports or so. But political use of the artists, actors, sportspersons is not good. Better they be in their own area of work. If the BUST feels their need, they can be brought in limited advisory role. 

No excuse for Removal of Caste Identity, attack directly

India has a great influence on Japan-a lot of positive and some negative. Even in Japan, there was a social structure highly infected with feudal, four-tiered and slavery cum untouchablity system—daimyo and samurai at the top, which ended in a single stroke of 1866-69 during Meiji Restoration, without waiting for a messiah or incarnation. Some influential feudal lords protested, and the then modernised strong army crushed them. The pressure of the US was also rooted in it (Commodore Matthew Perry's U.S. Naval fleet in particular). Japan has always relied on action (karma) and abilities.

In India also, there is no need to wait for the emergence of any great saviour to end caste identity, casteism, caste domination and caste confrontation. Law and technology are the precise solutions. Technology does not consider caste and community distinctions. But it is professional politics that has been nourishing the roots of casteism for its caste vote-based power gains. Both the pro and the opponent leaders of caste reservation have been nurturing the caste identity in one way or the other.

The law and the Constitution can be modified in one shot that 

a) The list of titles/aliases indicative of caste should be released by the government. Use of these titles in the name (in Hindu or Islam or any religion) to be prohibited and punishable for at least the next ten years. If required, the documents with titles/aliases indicative of caste can be replaced with new documents without such titles within five years. Save the original records in a safe public depository. At least, the records of the last 20 years can be changed.

b) Also make all types of reservations suspended for the next ten years. Change in social progress should be reviewed after this period.

c) Ban caste associations/organizations, even if they are made in the name of community reform. Their responsible leaders officials must also to be suppressed.

For all this, the Constitution has to be changed also. Replace the caste reservation by caste-identity eradication system in the Constitution. 

Doing so would break the backbone of the caste system and the politics of vote based on it. Rest will be fast cured by scientific polity and technological revolution.             

Conformance & Creativity : Speed & Discipline

An insightful dictum is:

‘Without discipline speed is dangerous, without speed discipline is frustrating.’

For balanced, smooth and directive development any society needs two vital elements--discipline and speed. Discipline comes from conformance to standards whereas speed emerges from creativity. Creativity promotes novel and refreshing insights and ideas leading to improved technology, prosperity and quality in life and society. Creativity demands autonomy—freedom from strictness and rigidity even at the cost of discipline.

When conditions deteriorate too much, people start feeling as why not establish military rule to restore and maintain discipline. But military and communist dictatorships for long time in various parts of the world have nowhere led to adequate progress. It has been seen in Japan and elsewhere that a system led by scientists and technocrats is highly creative. Then, the scientific polities of South Korea, Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore, etc. have often been confused by unscrupulous world leaders and intellectuals with military dictatorships.      

A conforming society may be following norms, standards or rules and even traditions/rituals/customs of the concerned group or technology irrespective of whether the following is in neutral or destructive direction. But it lacks positive direction.

India needs Scientific Polity Revolution

The professional polity of touts has been a curse for India. It is at the roots of the vicious circle of all the problems of the nation. The promises of leaders of political parties are mostly just tall talks as part of their befooling tactics. A leader at the top may be quite honest, untainted or laborious or watchman like gentility but that does not percolate down so easily to the middle and lower ranks. Though good initiatives for development since independence were taken by governments but creeping  and seeping inefficiency created by this professional polity of touts has always spoiled the things.

But India does not need absolute military dictatorship though many times people are in a mood to support it when the conditions deteriorate and the system fails. Military dictatorship for long time maintains fearful discipline among the common masses and also at the lower ranks of army but it destroys creativity, initiative and speed in the system. But protective and promotional role of military power for two to three years under the joint direction of the higher courts and the BUST/DST/CSIR/DRDO/scientific-technical community is worth support to replace professional polity of touts by a Scientific Polity.

Rather than out of the two extremes of chaotic and corruptive professional polity and frustrating military dictatorship, Scientific Polity has emerged all over the world as a balanced and progressive path. There is need for one shot awareness and change. Scientific Polity is a better option than exhorting historical glory or repeating history to conceal ones policy inefficiencies. Ban low quality politicians & politics. Bringing in and giving importance to merit and talent has been a no risk game everywhere.

The model adopted by Japan since 1947 mainly through JUSE need not be blindly copied. At that time technological revolution was in infant stage. But now technological revolution is in full swing. In the light of it and worldwide experiences Japanese model needs to be implemented in much more formalized and foolproof manner as indicated in Part 1. If we easily accept the Japanese technology and quality in other fields, then why not so in politics!

BUST--this body of scientists & technocrats may suffer from overenthusiasm, egotism & arrogance of technology and may ignore the subtle human, social and moral aspects of advancement. To manage this issue an honorary association representing non-religious and non-communal social, environmental, legal & educational institutions at various regional and functional levels should work as pressure groups in coordination with courts. These institutions may be formalized further as sadvipra boards (boards of moralist experts). Such bodies should take moral activism based on scientific spirituality and practical wisdom as their basic principles.

Constitutional & Legal Reforms for Scientific Polity

The Scientific Polity Revolution as prescribed so far needs the following constitutional-cum-legal reforms:

1) Remove tout/professional/dynastic politicians from national or state life by making entry of only selected scientists or researchers as leaders in national, government and industrial life a compulsion. These scientists or researchers will be selected by a constitutional body as leaders for national life from those scientists or researchers whose capability, contribution and experience is established and are not tainted for corruption or low character.

2) The legal suggestions for elimination of caste identity as mentioned earlier should be implemented.

3) Install a constitutional provision for recall of any tainted leader against whom prima facie charges are set.

Constitutional reforms are not usually dependent on democracy. Rather democracy ensues constitutional reforms. Don't forget the Constitution in India came first in 1949-50 while democracy came in 1951-52.                                                                                             

How to bell the cat for Scientific Polity Revolution: Is the Revolution with Military Support the Best Way?

Now the crucial issue is: how to implement this program of extracting the nation from the clutches of tout professional/nepotist politicians and establish Scientific Polity Revolution. This task is apparently complicated and in reality simple. To me, there are three options available:

I) This program can be implemented by the present central government having enough majority. But, can it implement with proper sincerity and honesty when most of the elected leaders are professional and nepotist politicians. It will require very high political will and sense of sacrifice by the government.

II) Second wayout is: As a citizen we can make open appeal to the President of India to go for it through a national government seeking support of all the sections of governance. But again the issue of very high political will to override resistance of professional and nepotist politicians arises here also.

III) Third way is: The Higher Courts with support of the scientific community and moralist institutions (as indicated earlier) get protective and promotional support of the armed forces for 2-3 years for such program and constitutional/legal changes. Though armed forces are not basically for action against their own citizens, but tout professional/nepotist politicians, whether elected or not, are the real enemies of the nation and democracy, as mainly they are responsible for the slow and faulty pace of progress, the disparities in distribution, degeneration in values and the crisis-pronged inefficiency of this country. Hence, there is no need to hesitate to use armed forces against them and their cronies if they put any direct or hidden resistance to this program. It is in the interest of the nation that these tout professional/nepotist politicians surrender all their powers to the scientific polity, willingly or unwillingly.

Regarding the first two measures a basic question is: Whether the tout politicians will allow the reforms to work effectively as per the negative experiences so far, particularly during 1985-1991 as mentioned earlier? If the answer to this question is negative, then the third way is the only effective measure.  

It is upto a government with good majority to develop sufficient political will to use this historic opportunity on its own or wait for militarised solutions. Otherwise, a remark by the Ex-DGP of UP, Shri Vikram Singh on a news channel on 01^st December, 2019 is not worthless: The nation now wants blood.

These measures are relevant not only for India but also for any democracy anywhere in the world plagued by tout professional/nepotist politicians.

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