Choice before us: Fish or nets to fish

I always admired Chinese pragmatism and the fine blend of India’s idealistic-realism. No nonsense, the Chinese take a way forward based on what’s good for the many and what can work best. Indians, on the other hand give us a blend of spiritual idealism and democratic means of dealing with ground realities; a masala which can not be concocted by any other. All may not seem to be well in both systems, especially when one attempts to judge them using dominantly held western measure-sticks we have acquired recently. Many flaws may be seen and critiques looking at bits of it can without doubt, thrive.

Pragmatic idealism

At the micro level there is systemic chaos of a sort. Yet, at the macro level it all falls into place. We got to give it to them; both nations with over a billion people in each, once thought to be beyond redemption in breaking loose from their poverty traps, have made it so good within a short time-span of a few decades. Most other nations look at them today with embarrassing envy.

The days when they were dazed with opium habits or Karmic outlooks are now long gone. The Confucian ethic is what drives China, while an awkward blend of resonance of the Vedas and Upanishads with a mix of Keynesianism and socialism, drives India.

I remember how John Naisbitt, the bestseller author of ‘Megatrends’ fame was asked in the mid-1990’s at a forum in Singapore, how he would describe the economic miracle in Asia. The ‘Tiger’ economies as they were called. He said “I can do it in one word; paused and affirmatively said ‘Chinese’ “. He further explained that almost all the East and Southeast Asian economies i.e. Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore even Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines were driven by those of Chinese origin, rooted in the same Confucian ethic.

Strong institutions

We now have the other social and economic mega-force of India. In areas of innovative and creative pursuits, Indians are shining within socio-economic webs all around the world, where they have integrated. With a sense of deep patriotism and a nostalgic pull, most also contribute their skills and knowledge to make what today is, modern Mother India.

Our Indian neighbours have successfully retained and blended aspects of their colonial past, giving a new dynamism to democratic institutions with an accompanying tolerance also of deep-rooted nationalistic ideals.

The Indian civil service and other bureaucratic institutions ensure that policies and programs for development are continued unabated even when changes occur in the political domain. Although entirely different in form, it provides the same continuity through the policy and program implementation mechanism of the one-party based structure of governance in China.

Within the past three decades, both countries adopted non-confrontational pragmatic policies, in terms of their relations with each other and focussed on better trade and development of infrastructure needed for their economies to take off. There was little or no fear of dominance by any and Sino-Indian relations entered a new era of pragmatic rationalism.

Lessons to learn

Tomorrow, we in Sri Lanka will begin the process of electing and instituting a new team to work with our Head of State as the country’s new legislature. The hope is that there will be a new dynamism setting in, with a weeding away of the ‘bad and ugly’ of the past.

Road construction work in Uva Province. File photo

Why I chose to make what is an extremely generic overview of developments in China and India, at this critical juncture in our political process, is because I believe there are key lessons we can learn from them. What they have done for themselves with bold but pragmatic strategies, to develop their economies at the centre and in the regions for the well-being of their people, have indeed been remarkable.

Unity of purpose

Lesson number one would be having a stable and strong system of governance and civil administration that will ensure accountability at each level of its operation. Such accountability must also be to ensure continuity of policy and strategy implementation, without deviation until its next review. Sri Lankan voters have already, overwhelmingly mandated the ‘Mahinda Chintanya; Way forward policy and strategic focus’ as our own brand of policy agenda for development.

If like we saw during the past regime; there is to be a tug-a-war between the executive and the legislature (there was confrontation then between the executive and the judiciary as well), that would not auger well for post-conflict Sri Lanka to take on a pragmatic and realistic nation building thrust.

Lesson number two is the focus made on developing infrastructure. The energy grids, info-communication networks, ports, airports, road networks, railways, water-based transport, health facilities, educational and research facilities are among them. Both China and India were until two decades ago visibly backward with their infrastructural facilitation. It was only after that was got right, that a strong take-off for both countries was possible.

A better future

What is at stake this time around for us in Sri Lanka is the promise of a change at the very core of governance. The governing alliance is seeking to change the Constitution to enable a system based on a bottom-up model of representation that is accountable to the electorate.

Development of infrastructure, integration of the races and setting in place a society based on the principles of just treatment of all, meritocracy and strict discipline is promised and is to be taken on, as being on par in effort, with the war waged on terrorism.

The choice before all Sri Lankans hoping for a future better than before, will be to decide if we must take the offers of ‘fish’ and focus on just our short-term needs or take on the more profound option of ‘going for the nets’ for us to be able to catch that ‘fish’ and pave the way, to take off to a brighter future.