Institutions
are expected to regulate the power and estate distribution of society.
Alternatively, when government policies tend to be extractive, giving rise to
disproportionate economic power to the entitled few, it is only a matter of
time before cracks permeate the system. More often than not, we are the product
of the environment we live in. A country is well run when, from top to bottom,
citizens internalise a set of rules that are indiscriminately and consistently
enforced. In short, our civic sense is a
critical determinant in whether we succeed in building a nation that is
simultaneously high performing, greener and healthier.
Today many citizens are realising that the brand of "democracy", "miracle" and "development" we have been celebrating so fondly has neither been inclusive nor structural. Our "democracy" has been a full-fledged electocracy (meaning governments can be more caring than reckless, and vice versa, for five years practically as per their whims) with growing disconnect between governments and people's aspiration; our "miracle" has failed to nurture talent and creativity, instead it has actively bred social ills and brain drain; "our development" has been a de facto obsession with infrastructural muscle-flexing, with hardly any commitment to efficiency, cost structure, compliance, aesthetics, eco-friendliness etc. Consent manufactured around the extractive model is slowly being debunked. The well-being of citizens and their ability to deliver with a competitive edge having badly gone missing in political discourses.
The parliament lies at the heart of a functioning democracy. Its fundamental role is to implement laws and policies that preserve and improve the welfare of all citizens. Opposition parties, media outlets and civil society are expected to keep governments on their toes. The impartiality of the judiciary and the police being non-negotiable. No institutions can be trustworthy without a "zero tolerance to BS" signal sent by a (still elusive) savvy prime minister to everyone heading them in order to instill accountability, transparency, stability and equal opportunities nationwide. Trust as much as cynicism between governments and citizens are mutually reinforcing.
Vigilant watchdogs to resolutely
crack down on systemic corruption will deter economic clientelism, defuse
market concentration, balance our national accounts, sanitise the rupee and
reduce inequalities. A skewed system invariably inflates costs and adds a premium on
prices, stifling our overall competitiveness. Providing incentives for wealth
creation by innovative and motivated citizens and foreigners is a key driver.
Mauritius
is sending a distress call, no revolutionary, no ideology is being urged. The
system is begging for few quick fixes and hundreds of incremental measures to
be implemented in synchronicity to bond all stakeholders. Delusion just does
not last. There is a thin line between sociopathic rule and psychopathic rule.
Who can hear the roar for a metamorphosis?