Abusing State resources for election purposes

Editorial-August 24, 2013

Readers would not have been surprised about reports of ruling party candidates at forthcoming elections flagrantly abusing state-owned vehicles for campaigning. This is a long established practice with incumbents of political office regarding the property of the various institutions they serve (we use that misnomer tongue-in-cheek for lack of a suitable alternative) as theirs to use as they wish. So when elections come round, they commandeer vehicles belonging to such organizations to drive them to meetings with supporters sporting their party colours in attendance. Sometimes they are deployed for pasting posters and displaying other propaganda material. Various election monitoring organizations dutifully document such abuses, write to the Elections Department and issue press releases that are duly published. While a few are incensed by such gross abuse of state property, most merely shrug their shoulders adopting an attitude of karta kiyannada – whom to tell?

It is not only state-owned vehicles that are misused. Very often campaigners use circuit bungalows belonging to various government departments and agencies as political headquarters and lodging places. There was a recent newspaper picture of a government building used as an election office. State employees are made to do political work within and outside official hours and most are only too willing to serve as lackeys in return for patronage they receive from their political bosses. When India’s Elections Commission was headed by a strong no-nonsense personality, ministers who used military aircraft to fly in for political rallies were made to pay for these services. However, the effort of that official to be elected President of India post-retirement proved an abject failure.

In the early post-Independence period, the lines between state and private property were by and large clear. There were rules governing elections and these were strictly enforced. Public servants had their own political views but did not wear them on their shirt sleeves. They were generally impartial and took their roles as custodians of state property seriously. Ministers of yesteryear did not use their official vehicles for election campaigning. In fact, many of them used their private vehicles, driven by chauffeurs paid out of their own pockets, to come to work. When they had to use their cars for official traveling as was often required, they claimed the permitted mileage rates strictly according to entitlement. The official car that is now ubiquitous was a rarity in those days. Standards all round, and not only with regard to the use of state property for political purposes, have deteriorated beyond recognition. There are no Gamini Jayasuriyas in politics today.

Sad but true, the reality is that most politicians today regard state property of which they are merely custodians or trustees as theirs to use at will to perpetuate their tenure. Proceeds of rampant corruption are often utilized to ensure re-election. With the size of both public expenditure and of government growing, the latter to an extent where a small country like ours has a cabinet of around 100 – the actual number is hard to keep track of – the deterioration of standards has grown exponentially. Persons holding public office have fleets of official vehicles at their beck and call. They are provided personal staff paid by the public purse that is freely utilized for political duties. Many of them live in palatial official bungalows with even their electrical bills paid from some ministry vote or other. There is absolutely no effort to differentiate between what is official and private where expenditure is concerned and there are all too many sycophants around the various functionaries ever willing to pass the tab on to the taxpayer. Four years after the war ended we see ordinary road users waved to a side by motorcycle outriders and security escorts clearing the way for their excellencies swanking in plush tax-payer paid vehicles to rush to god knows where. Thankfully the convoys are no longer what they were when the terrorist threat existed. But they still remain visible.

We run a report in this issue of our newspaper written by an Indian who is now a citizen of Switzerland who was inspired by evening television bulletin to write about how the Swiss president left on an official visit to China. He arrived at the airport in an unescorted private vehicle, fetched his own baggage trolley onto which he loaded his bags, pushed it to the check-in counter of a commercial flight and checked himself in just like any normal passenger. The writer who was previously an official in the Indian Administrative Service, seeing such an unostentatious departure, had told his wife that they now live in a true democracy. What prevails in India and most other countries in our region is very similar to what prevails here and the former IAS official had said as much.

Regrettably there is no effort whatsoever on the part of the political leadership to enforce better standards on themselves and those over whom they wield authority, be they politicians or bureaucrats. With the ladle in their hands, unlimited gravy is spooned on already piled plates. Public opinion, unfortunately, is muted on the extravagant expenditure of tax rupees to pay for lavish political lifestyles encouraged by bureaucrats who themselves are not averse to picking crumbs off the table. The Elections Commissioner has threatened not to gazette the names of winners at the forthcoming provincial elections if they had not declared their assets and liabilities as required by law. Whether he will have the gumption to carry out this threat remains to be seen. We know that many sitting legislators are guilty of this offence but continue in office without let or hindrance.