Today's Financial Times had a column on how China is loosing a virtual propaganda war.Apparently the bloggers ,the columnists and the twitterati are doing takes on the new President Xi Jinping "political strapline" of his Chinese dream.
It quoted a popular columnist Pan Caifu who wrote " I have a dream that one day I will be able to breathe fresh air, drink water and eat vegetables that aren't poisioned" ... " But these are biological necessities and they are also the most basic rights of human, if we have to "dream" about having to these things, then talking about a China Dream is just a joke"
When ever we have a discussion about India and China, invariably the retort is that but we are a democracy or that India has law and China has order.
My dream is that I wish it were true. Yes we have the law on the books, and we do have the highest court which operates diligently. However for the majority of the people, the law of "might is right " prevails. When the police refuse to register the cases, or in some cases are the law breakers themselves,or where it might take a life time of frequent visits to the courts, it is difficult to believe that the justice system works.
We have come a long way economically and regardless of the constant harping, there is economic prosperity and on a daily basis I see examples of trickle down effects ( probably not so much in the rural areas). It is now important that we move to the next level.
While no country is perfect and certainly China is not necessarily my role model, I dream of a India
It quoted a popular columnist Pan Caifu who wrote " I have a dream that one day I will be able to breathe fresh air, drink water and eat vegetables that aren't poisioned" ... " But these are biological necessities and they are also the most basic rights of human, if we have to "dream" about having to these things, then talking about a China Dream is just a joke"
When ever we have a discussion about India and China, invariably the retort is that but we are a democracy or that India has law and China has order.
My dream is that I wish it were true. Yes we have the law on the books, and we do have the highest court which operates diligently. However for the majority of the people, the law of "might is right " prevails. When the police refuse to register the cases, or in some cases are the law breakers themselves,or where it might take a life time of frequent visits to the courts, it is difficult to believe that the justice system works.
We have come a long way economically and regardless of the constant harping, there is economic prosperity and on a daily basis I see examples of trickle down effects ( probably not so much in the rural areas). It is now important that we move to the next level.
While no country is perfect and certainly China is not necessarily my role model, I dream of a India
- where the common citizen is treated on par with the rich and with the politician,
- where he is able to get the numerous necessary regulatory approvals without having to continuously grease palms,
- where he is able to drive on a road which is not pot holed
- where he is not just continously reminded by full page advertisements to pay his taxes, but in turn can have round the clock electricity and water without having to resort to generators or bore wells
- where he does not have to hire his own security guards
- where he is not constantly worried whether his wife, daughter , sister will come home safely
- where there will be enough schools, universities for students who have the ability and desire to get a a good education
When these things happen I will know that my dream has come true. If not, I certainly hope and pray that my children and grand children will see the Indian dream.
