Low Expectations

Last week's events in the UK have again highlighted the secretive and uncomfortable (for normal folks) ties between the media and the politicians. Having witnessed similar events here in India, we nod knowingly instead of being totally shocked. However what is of great importance here is the contrast in how the involved parties have reacted and the overall manner of the going ons.

You have the prime minister of UK being questioned in parliament within the same week of the first arrests, the world's most powerful media baron being pied in the face, two editorial bosses being arrested, the top cop resigning and an institution of a paper being shut down. The last event was just sad though, typical of the corporate escapism that we see today.

Compare this to what happened in India post the Radiia tapes came out. A Raja resigned after much political calculations and some insignificant number of officials were arrested and put in jail. Anil Ambani visited those officials in jail, in a manner reminiscent of mafia bosses in The Godfather visting jailed mobsters promising them that they will taken care of. The new minister immediately came out with a statement that there were in fact no losses incurred, the PM said well i really dont know what my ministers are upto and the opposition leader was physically restrained from tabeling his report to the parliamentary committee. Of the few editors caught on tape only Vir Sanghvi chose to stop writing, Barkha is still out there fighting for the common man (or is it the congress, i forget).

Even though our constitution and democracy is based on the same system as in the UK, our political sensibilities are from elsewhere. Even though politics works in the same way here as the UK, how we react to events could not be more different. Our inability to get to the core of the matter is so well rehearsed that we dont even get around to prosecution or other trivial matters like delivering justice. There is an efficient machinery in place immediately pressed into action after each scam. Replace minister, form committee, deny deny deny, attack the opposition, send RB to a village to spend a night, and so on.

It is really a comment on us as a people. How we shy away from confrontation, from taking difficult decisions, from even expecting the right thing to be done. Why is it too much to expect Anil Ambani or even Dr. Singh to be questioned like extraordnary criminals? Why cant the keepers of our conscience, the media just admit that they fucked up? And do something about it.

This country really needs to start expecting more.