SHOULD INDIA WAGE A WAR?
Siva Sivasubramanian

India's leadership is fearful of economic consequences and is worried sick about the politicking of opposition parties and the attendant political fall out.

India suffers from several malaises.  Its subjects have very low self-esteem, from the Prime Minister to the common man.  They are never listened to nor accorded their due respect.  The problems for these malaises are not external.  They are essentially internal.  The country does not respect their leaders.  The institution of politics has systematically cultivated a mentality of anti-government rebellion in the minds of the people.  The press and opposition politicians thrive on government bashing for their ratings and reelection.  In effect, the two estates of the democracy have reduced the government to impotence through the veil of performing their duties.  A government was elected to govern and lead the nation.  The Prime Minister is the leader empowered to take crucial decisions and lead the country forward.  Reining him from actions through internal bickering is as good as treason.  I am not against constructive criticisms or concerned actions but I am singularly against the theatrics and histrionics used as a coinage power by press and politicians.  Political parties have forgotten the national interest in all their activities.  In Tamil Nadu, the two leaders fight as if the state is their ancestral property and controlling it is a right bestowed on them by the havens.  Have the two leaders ever sat down to discuss what is good for the people they rule / ruled?  In the center, Sonia’s snubbing of Prime Ministers is international news.  Sheepishly servile Gujral longing for a glance from Sonia was an amusing sight.  When the elected leader of India makes a statement, every man and his dog make contradicting comments in the international press.  Be it an aggrieved family member of the Kandhahar hijack victim or a sophisticated politician, when they open their mouth, they berate the leaders, their efficiency and question their integrity.  So when your own fraternity castigates you how could the world respect you?

The next malaise with the Indians is their appearance and ability to communicate.  About a year ago, the then acting Indian Ambassador at USA, appeared in an interview to counter allegations of Pakistan.  She appeared in a crumpled sari, with her eye shadows completely smudged, looked as if she was rudely awakened from sleep.  For all the questions her response was a stuttering, “We are peace loving country, not like Pakistan” in a heavy accent with her head bobbing up and down at an angle to her body.  The whole interview that lasted for a minute or so.  Its intended impact was a dignified and a pointed response by the world’s largest democracy, against a scurrilous allegation leveled by its archenemy Pakistan.  But what came out was a weak, dumb, sleepy incoherent response that was a disgrace to any country, let alone to the country that supplies the world the best of its brainpower.  On the other hand, the sharp looking Pakistani Ambassador clad in crisp suits expresses his opinion with confidence and poise.  And one can imagine which would have a better audience appeal and evoked positive respect.

Our political leaders fare no better either.  The tired looking Prime Minister Vajpayee, clad in crumpled Indian garbs speaks with half open eyes in a flowing Hindi to the western audience losing them right away.  The Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh excels his boss by draping himself in more crumpled clothing and sporting a bone tired look.  He speaks in a labored manner and expresses his opinions with out any conviction.  Thus the two top leaders of India make a negative impact with the western audience.  These gentlemen could be orators par excellence but their styles of verbal pyrotechnics have no place in a scenario of no nonsense factual communication.  The non-English speaking Middle Eastern leaders such as Iraqi Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz and Saudi Foreign Minister prince Saud al Faisal express themselves and their arguments very forcefully in halted English; they may struggle for words but not for thoughts or conviction.  This wins them better audience control and eventually a better respect for their countries.  The only Indian leader in recent times to have carried the western audience with her was Indira Gandhi.  She looked fresh and crisp always, had legendary control over the language and at every time she opened her mouth she expressed herself clearly and forcefully.  She as a leader conducted herself in any forum as a person in total control and command, thus winning respect for the country.  Indian leaders and officials must learn to present themselves sharp and learn to communicate effectively.  Oratorical skills in ones native language does not always equate to effective communication in electronic media.

Our Indian fourth estate has its own share of follies.  They amplify every bad news; they do not see sensibility of restraint.  Post September 11, the volunteers at ground zero stole the valuables from the crumpled shops.  Immediately the authorities banned the volunteers from the scene.  The police acted high-handedly on several Indians and Middle Eastern gentlemen.  They stripped a sardarji off his turban at an airport in full view of the public and handcuffed another Indian, a Wall Street executive at a Broadway theater.  But these aberrations were not reported or reported ever so very mildly like how Yudishtra informed Drona that they killed Aswadhama (the elephant).  These news items are reflective of the national prestige and pride.  With limited resources and infinite interferences our relief workers worked miracles in Gujarat.  The press instead of highlighting these factors went about discussing how the relief efforts were mangled and how the bureaucracy bungled etc.  When you have a child who is not up to scratch one encourages the child to success not beat it down until it improves.  It will never and the parents are to blame.  The press definitely has some blood on its hands.  I am not advocating for press censorship but want the press to be responsible and encourage goodness and stop drowning the masses in despondency.  Repeated eulogizing of lawlessness and treachery will induce those who are lawless and treacherous in spirit into lawless and treacherous in action.

So when a country is chips down like India, with leaders lacking luster, press howling of weakness all over, political machinery at its opportunistic best and the officials at their lowest morale, having a war is calling for a disaster.  Even if India goes to a war, what will it do?  Will it bomb the camps in Pakistan?  Will those camps present themselves with bright signs for our army to shell them?  No way.  These camps may have moved by now and would have been reconfigured beyond our recognition.  What about the terrorists hiding within India both the Indians and the non-Indians?  After a few days of bombing, what next?  Will we bomb Pakistan out of existence?  Will we recapture POK? What will be our collateral damage?  How will our resident anti-Indians react?  What will be the collective outburst of the Muslim nations?  What will our hostile neighbors Bangladesh and China do?  What will we achieve of such a war besides satisfying our ego of bombing a few places at Pakistan at an atrocious cost to us?  One does not have good answers for them.  India is not America with deep pockets and a strangulating control on the countries of the world.  Nor is India an Israel with collective national fervor to fight for its integrity at any cost.

Terrorism is not an external problem.  It is very much an internal issue.  Terrorists do not walk into India with a truckload of weapons and unleash an act of terror.  They are aided and abetted by the locals.  Over years, ISI and LTTE have penetrated India in almost all the states.  Their penetration and support in different parts of India are directly proportional to mass conversions to Islam, the mushrooming Madrasas and degree of opulence of hitherto nondescript mosques and radical outfits.  The infiltrators brainwash Islamic fundamentalists and radical loonies and turn them into extension counters for terrorism.  This treason is not induced by simple greed; it is fueled by complete absence of patriotism by the political parties and the gloom and doom predictions spread across by our press.

Therefore, India must rebuild itself to fight terrorism from within.  We need to rebuild our intelligence to locate and liquidate terrorists.  We need to fill the breaches we have allowed on our country in the last two decades.  Since Punjab and LTTE crisis, we left the door open for terrorists to infiltrate at will and buy support from our population for a few rupees.  Now waging a war with Pakistan is not an answer.  Introspection and rebuilding is.  India must set up a special police force in the lines of Mossad and Gestapo (I am politically wrong here) under RAW led by super cops like Gill and Rubireo to counter terrorism.  RAW should grow in stature and competence to that of CIA and ISI.  In handling terrorism, select suspension of rights should be tolerated.  Islamic activities should be closely scrutinized in the same way Sikh religious activities were during Punjab crisis.  A strong and vigilant India is a natural deterrent to terrorist misadventures.  Terrorism will starve without internal logistic support.  Still we will have terrorist attacks and we will handle them with disdain they deserve.

On the other flank, India must systematically cultivate international respect through constructive journalism and improved communication of its leaders and officials.  The leaders and officials must be taught to dress crisp, communicate clearly and present a demeanor that announces of being in control.

Methodically the political system must work to elevate itself to place the national interest above their partisan interests and learn to respect the elected leader and provide him a free reign to govern and guide the country.  In the wake of September 11 crisis, when Al Gore was asked for his opinions, he said, “Bush is my commander in chief.  I want every American to follow his instructions at this time of crisis”.  He did not play politics.  Hilary Clinton did not yell at the way the mayor Rudolf Guiliani conducted the restoration operations, he cornered all the lime light, did not allow any other leader even the Governor of New York to share the spot.  They respected the elected leader and honored his right to govern and lead.  Nowhere in the civilized world pandemonium breaks out in parliament that disrupts the business of governance.  The political machinery must consciously reinvent themselves to work towards empowering the elected leader to lead.

The press on its part should become less sensational.  Press is the most powerful tool in our fight against terrorism.  It was press and it’s writing that overthrew the British 55 years ago.  Now they can stoke patriotism and nationalistic feelings once again, spur the masses to be more accountable to themselves and induce expansion of good values all around instead of sowing seeds of despondency.

In about ten years or so, we would have countered terrorism from within.  During this time any war will be to defend our boundaries rather than chasing a faceless enemy.  Every Indian wants his country to be heard, respected and regarded.  And we can do it.

What will we achieve of such a war besides satisfying our ego of bombing a few places at Pakistan at an atrocious cost to us?