RE: Version 2000.2

["Tiwari, Umesh K" <UKTiwari@pcgb.com>]

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A response to your point "chairmen of various boards and cooperative
organizations , getting posted in almost the same way .."

is that, there is a major difference between what happens in allocating
chairmen of boards today and what is proposed here. The key difference is
that "ALMOST" and not exactly the same method that is adopted now. 

The reason this approach is most likely to work is the fact that even though
the executive will have the authority to nominate a secretary (you
definitely want your elected executive to assemble his team to run the
administration right?), it is the legislative assembly or the lok sabha,
which would be entrusted with the responsibility to screen the candidate and
interview him/her in full public view and then vote up or down such a
nomination. Once the record of a nominee has been publicly scrutinized and
he/she has been approved to be fit to serve in the public office and has
been found to be competent for the job, then I think we should not have any
problems with the process. Is it a perfect approach, perhaps not, but
certainly better then all other approaches that have been tried so far.
Obviously bad bunch of people with bad intentions can find ways to fool the
public, but then that's why you have limited terms of the elected office,
multiple parties participating in the elections and voters given the rights
to choose the best people to be their executive. What is inherent in a
democracy is the responsibility of citizens to participate in making sure
their system succeeds. 

I have myself watched numerous confirmation hearings of various nominees for
the administrative positions for the Whitehouse here in the United States,
and have seen nominees succeed as well as fail during the long and very
public confirmation process of the congress. I have also seen history that
was made when a Wall Street professional Bob Ruben (Robert Ruben) was picked
up to become treasury secretary of the Clinton administration, definitely a
very smart move that made the US economy shine as never before and after
serving for the office with complete dedication for about six years, Bob
volunteered to retire again and went back to where he came from, the private
industry. We now know that Bob could never have steered the economy so well
had he not been through the experience of being part of a very successful
business enterprise himself. 

Simply because there has been corruption in every sphere of life in India is
no reason to doubt every proposal. Lay down the rules, and let the process
work in full view of public, and believe me, people of India are as smart as
any, and they will know when things are right or wrong. 

Umesh
*	From: "Krishna C Tripathi" <krishna.tripathi@itaas.com
<mailto:krishna.tripathi@itaas.com>> 
*	Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:14:24 -0800 (PST) 
*	Reply-To: debate@indiapolicy.org <mailto:debate@indiapolicy.org> 
*	Sender: owner-india_policy@cinenet.net
<mailto:owner-india_policy@cinenet.net> 

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Please help make the Manifesto better, or accept it, and propagate it!
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This approach looks nice in absolute but looking at the state of our
democracy right now , It appears to me that this will result in an extension
of the posts for politicians backdoor entry on various important posts.
Don't we already have the chairmen of various boards and cooperative
organizations , getting posted in almost the same way ? and aren't these
provisions being abused by politicians ? Unless there is some way to ensure
that elected executive does it's duty well this could be a disaster. Today
the civil servants might be corrupt but they are not goonda at least. I feel
this provision will make way for the criminals to enter even on civil
servant posts because of their "entrepreneurial" skills and become a way to
reward those who help politicians to come to power.
Krishna


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