As the 2011 winter session of parliament in India has stumbled from one disruption to the next, it is hard not to get an impression that the major opposition parties don't want to see the country prosper when they are not in power.
After successfully stopping the opening up of FDI in retail, they are doing their best to stymie many other initiatives. Objections were raised against Aadhar recently.Folks with a slightly long memory would know that the idea of issuing unique Id's was a brainchild of the NDA government under Prime Minister Vajpayee. This seems to have become a pattern, with several bills stuck in the parliament. The Goods and services tax (GST) reform, pension reform bill and the list goes on.
Embarrassing the ruling coalition seems to have become the prime motive. It doesn't matter even if it is at the cost of national interest. One can always find a plausible objection to any new reform attempt. If the government moves to resolve those shortcomings, field a new set of reasons for the obstruction.
As an example, initial opposition to FDI in retail was based on concerns it would harm the interests of small traders. And here is a new take:
In India, elected officials need to remember they represent a country still living in abject poverty. Even if we were to make the most optimal policy choices today, many more decades will pass before the hundreds of millions attain reasonable living standards.This is not a game being played to win at any expense.
After successfully stopping the opening up of FDI in retail, they are doing their best to stymie many other initiatives. Objections were raised against Aadhar recently.Folks with a slightly long memory would know that the idea of issuing unique Id's was a brainchild of the NDA government under Prime Minister Vajpayee. This seems to have become a pattern, with several bills stuck in the parliament. The Goods and services tax (GST) reform, pension reform bill and the list goes on.
Embarrassing the ruling coalition seems to have become the prime motive. It doesn't matter even if it is at the cost of national interest. One can always find a plausible objection to any new reform attempt. If the government moves to resolve those shortcomings, field a new set of reasons for the obstruction.
As an example, initial opposition to FDI in retail was based on concerns it would harm the interests of small traders. And here is a new take:
“India’s manufacturing sector, at best, is modest. International investors will source internationally and most merchandise sold, in the first instance, would be sourced from the low-cost economies of the world. It will be ill-advised to open the sector till such time we can implement effective reforms to reduce the cost of our own manufacturing by introducing steps such as affordable interest rates, better infrastructure, better trade facilitation, low cost of power, etc.” he said. There was no point in opening up retail when all that stores sell will be cheap Chinese products.Sadly, the phenomenon is not unique to India. People who follow politics in the US are very familiar with this public spectacle.The calculation seems to be that it is a risk free strategy. Stop anything that helps the economy and then blame the administration for making no progress.
In India, elected officials need to remember they represent a country still living in abject poverty. Even if we were to make the most optimal policy choices today, many more decades will pass before the hundreds of millions attain reasonable living standards.This is not a game being played to win at any expense.
