The anatomy of politics

Opinion-2

I had several hours of conversation during my time of two years, at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram with Dr. Sushila Nayar, the founder Director of the institute and a former  Minister of Health in the Government of india. She was also the head of the department of the Community Medicine at the institute, where I was a faculty. It was 1976, when the late Jaya Prakash Narayan movement led to a new dispensation of political leadership, after Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s turbulent term as the Prime Minister of India. Dr. Nayar was still active in politics although was no more a central cabinet  minister. Let me try recollecting her views on politics, which was a succinct description of the lofty ideals, her generation of freedom fighters lived by. She summarised five foundational values of politics:

1. Call to public life. Any one who chooses to make a career in politics ought to be willing to live his or her life publicly, before the watchful eyes of others. People value only those who have impeccable integrity and service as their motivation. It is an opportunity to influence and lead people  through example and ideology. A politician has a formative influence in the evolution of the social fabric of a community, where fairness, equality and freedom are the benchmarks for societal stability.

2. People skills. Every politician needs relational skills, confrontational skills,conciliatory skills, organizational skills, planning skills, strategic thinking skills, etc. The democratic process is for bringing together pluralistic ideas and heterogeneous means to bring welfare to people. A politician facilitates team work and pursuit of welfare programs, which will benefit the majority. He or she in politics, to represent the aspirations of people.

3. Intuitive Leadership. Mahatma Gandhi was an ideal politician according to Dr. Nayar. She was his personal physician since he returned to India from South Africa. Mahatma Gandhi knew what people needed, evolved an innovative resistance movement; created a mass appeal and enthused them to leave their personal ambitions for a collective dream of independent India. He discerned his means through periods of silence, prayer, fasting and consultations. He lived with an inner call to transcend circumstances justly, non-violently and firmly. A politician therefore needs to lead people by his character, capacity and charisma.

4. Altruistic Instinct. Every politician is expected to be self-giving. He or she can benefit only as much as others have benefitted. There is an obligation to people to promote their interests and well being when one seeks electoral support to represent people in a democratic forum such as the Panchayat, assembly or parliament.  This calls for willingness and openness to set aside personal interests and biases for the common good of people.

5. Education in governance. A politician is called upon to make decisions. Most decisions can be swayed either way by how one perceives the evidences. The logic of thinking, choosing the options and weighing the best option with is merits and demerits require a mind set. It is a skill for which a person needs informal and formal preparation.

I found this summary, which Dr. Nayar shared with me, most educative and has remained with me since then. Whether these are the qualities of a politician in today’s world is altogether another issue. I am glad that even in politics there are foundational values and noble standards! 

Sometimes, it is by recalling and remembering, we promote good practices and restrain legitimization of  practices of convenience an compromise.


M.C.Mathew