Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Measuring Success

Vasu Reddy

For more than a billion plus people it is very difficult to measure the success or in fact failure of any program. There is so many of us with a multitude of different requirements, any plan that is put out to the public will have its fair share of yes and no from everyone. The politics of India are also similar to any other large democracy, where everyone in opposition will question the ruling party irrespective of its decisions, and the public will have the usual multitude of opinions on every issue. The reach of the government initiatives are typically enjoyed by a select group that is targeted by the benefits of the specific program, and the context of each such program can be decried by others who are not entitled to the benefits of the specific program, thereby allowing the critics to pound on the vote bank politics that are typically raised, and that typically ignore the importance of each government initiative to help the needy sections of the population.

India's politics are not much different from other large democracies, and perhaps the few differences might be their leaning to a particular political party to get elected, and also their backgrounds. This space will never be enough for speaking of politicians backgrounds, and the writer doesn’t have the expertise to explore the politicians backgrounds.

The measure of success of the government to respond to the citizens needs and also respond to the unplanned and unexpected events that occur during the government's time in office; will clearly place each successive government in position to get reelected. The definitive style of leadership and the public review of one individual that leads the country is also a measure to get reelected. As long as the politicians continue to meet the public's demands and project themselves as working in public interest, they get back into the office. India doesn’t have term limits and we have politicians for life, and many of our prime ministers passed away in the office. Each of them leaving a legacy of work that gets debated constantly by the current crop of politicians and also the media. As each of them were bestowed the highest elected office of India, they are all leaders of exceptional abilities and intelligence. Just being the prime minister of India at any time and for any duration will require not just leadership, but also the ability to at least convince a majority of the country's elected politicians and electorate that the individual is in fact has the wherewithal to lead our diverse nation on one path.

Our new government is only into to its second quarter in power and the theories of their accomplishments are already being floated by the countrymen and also leaders of opposition. It is in fact very difficult to measure the accomplishments of a government in three or four months, rather the direction the in place government is taking that will need attention. For starters Modi himself continues to follow the same regime that he canvassed prior to getting elected, and continues to drive his team of ministers and staff to work longer and smarter. Always a good sign when the leader is working long and hard to demonstrate that he is serious about moving things along. His team of ministers seem to follow the same path as he is in pushing things along. When the ministers are pushing hard to move things along, it is going to be difficult for the bureaucrats to not follow. The top down flow of work habits will also be reflected across the government and for starters the country seem to appreciate the work habits of the leader and his push to have everyone follow him. The initiatives are way too many and way too diverse to measure in matter of months, but many of them seem popular and well received, and their success will only be measured in successive quarters to come. The countrymen embracing the suggested changes and programs will also help in moving the country forward. We have a leader who is hard working and hard charging and the results are expected to be positive.


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