OPINIONCOMMENT

Published:December17,201500:10IST|Updated:December17,201504:51IST
December17,2015

Publicpolicy,privategain
PulapreBalakrishnan

Photo:S.R.Raghunathan
"ThedistributivismpractisedbythepoliticalpartiesofTamilNaduiswithclearstrategicintentandhasdefiniteeconomicconsequences.
PictureshowsachildbeingfedatanAmmaCanteeninChennai.
AstyleofpoliticsinTamilNaduthatemphasisesthepatronclientrelationshipandpromotesfreebiecultureistoblameforthereduced
publicspendingonmeritgoodsandpublicgoods
ThenationheavedasighofreliefasthewatersrecededinChennaibutgrievesatthedemoralisationonthefacesofherresidentsbeamedinto
homesacrossthecountry.ItrealisesthatwemustnowreflectdeeplyonhowIndiandemocracycanbemadetorestoretousasenseof
confidenceinthefuture.Onthisissue,whilesomethingsareclear,noteverythingthatmattersis.InTamilNadu,naturalforcesmayhave
succeededwherethedemocraticprocessbyitselfhasnotsofar.ThefloodinginChennaiislikelytosetbackthepoliticalfortunesofChief
MinisterJayalalithaa,whohasmanagedtostayaheadofthelawofthelandwithdifficulty.Butityetremainstobeseenwhetheritwillserve
asagamechangertoapoliticsthathasbeenshapedbythetwoDravidaKazhagamsthathaveruledtheStateforclosetohalfacentury.What
isatstakeisnothinglessthanthewellbeingofitspeople.Whileitneedsbeacknowledgedthattherainsthisyearhavebeenunprecedented,
thereisabodyofopinionbasedonevidencethatatleastapartofthefloodingcouldhavebeenavoidedhadgreaterinitiativebeen
shownbythegovernmentandthenecessaryinfrastructurebeeninplace.Itispossibletoseethatitisthelogicofgovernancethatensures
whetherthesepotentiallyamelioratingfactorsarepresentinanypolity.Alsoasgovernanceisrelatedtopolitics,itispoliticsandnot
resourcesthatwilldeterminethedegreeofwellbeingthatcanbeexperiencedbyapeople.Ithardlyneedstobementionedthatintermsof
humancapital,entrepreneurialtalentandnaturalresources,TamilNaduissecondtonone.Therefore,forthedevastationcausedbythe
flooding,itspoliticalclassmustbeheldaccountable.
Competitivepopulism
NothingreallyseparatesthetwoDravidaKazhagamsintermsoftheirpoliticalideology.Animportantelementofthepublicpolicyofthese
partieshasbeenaformofdistributivism.Itisimportanttobeclearaboutwhatisbeingidentifiedhere.Adistinctionneedstobemade
betweensocialprotectionanddistributivism.WhiletherehavebeenimportantsocialinterventionsintheStatesuchasthemiddaymeal
schemeforschoolchildreninitiatedbyM.G.Ramachandranonethathasservedasatorchbeareracrossthecountrytherationaleof
governanceadoptedoflatehasbeentodistributeprivategoods.UnderthecurrentChiefMinisterthishasbeentakentothenextlevel,with
thedistributionextendingtoconsumerdurablessuchasfans,televisionsetsandmixerblenders.
ThedistributivismpractisedbythepoliticalpartiesofTamilNaduiswithclearstrategicintentandhasdefiniteeconomicconsequences.Itis
apartofapoliticalprojecttolullthepopulaceintoquietudeandenmeshtheelectorateinapatronclientrelationship.Theobjectiveistostrip
thepopulaceofanyconsciousnessofcitizenship,withwhichcomesanawarenessofthepoliticsofgovernance.Thegiveawayisthe
tendentioususeinthediscourseofthepoliticalpartiesoftheexpressionmakkalforthemassofthepeople.Literallymeaningchildren,it
signifiesthatthegovernmentisthemaibaaporthebenefactor.Theslightestcriticismofthegovernmentspoliciesisdealtwithaheavy
hand.
TheKovantemplate
ArecentinstanceofthisistheuseofthedespicablecolonialseditionlawagainstthefolksingerS.Kovan,whohadobjectedtothe
liquorpolicyoftheState.ThelyricsofthesongMooduTASMACMooduorCloseTASMAC!anditsvisualsmustbestudiedbyanyone
interestedincontemporaryIndia.Theyindicttheregimeforencouragingalcoholism,whichunleashesviolenceagainstwomenandinduces
substancedependenceamongyoungmen.Butwhatclearlygottheregimewastheallegationthatindividualsclosetoitsleadershipwere
directbeneficiariesofthesaleofliquorthroughaStatemonopoly,fortheyownedthesourceofsupply.Mr.Kovanhadhadthecourageto
actuallynamethecompanyandconcludethatifthepresentarrangementforthesaleofliquorweretobediscontinued,itwouldaffectthe
futureoftherulingdispensation.WhilenotallformsofdistributivisminTamilNaduareasourceofprivateenrichmenttoitsrulers,thecase
oftheprovisionofliquorrobsthepolicyofdistributionofitsdemocraticcredentials.Italsopointstothewaferthindividebetweenpublic
policyandprivategainofthepoliticalclass.WithboththeDravidaKazhagamsengagedincompetitivepopulism,andthepossibleprivate
enrichmentitcangiveriseto,selfcorrectioncannotbeexpectedofthesituation.Onlysomethingakintothepopularanticorruption

movementgerminatedwithincivilsocietyleadingtotheriseoftheAamAadmiPartyinDelhicanmountaseriouschallengetothisstateof
affairs.
Misplacedpriorities
TheeconomicfalloutofthedistributivismistheretobeseeneverywhereintheStatebutnowheremorethaninChennai.Asmoniesare
fungible,theemptyingofthetreasuryonprivategoodsleadsinevitablytoreducedpublicspendingonmeritgoodsandpublicgoods.In
publiceconomics,thetypicalallusiontomeritgoodsistoeducationandhealth.Thegovernmentisexpectedtospendonthesegoodsasthe
privatesector,itisbelieved,willverylikelyproducetoolittleoftheminrelationtoneed.WemustturntoMr.Kovanssongonceagainto
appreciatetheironythatinTamilNadutoday,itispossibletobuyanidliforonerupeebutonewouldhavetopaylakhsforadecent
education.Thisgoestothecruxofthematter.Essentialpublicservicesthatonlythegovernmentcanprovidehavenotexpandedforseveral
reasons,buttheyareallrelatedtotheobjectivesofthepoliticalparties.Thesecomprisethecalculationofpoliticalpartiesthattheystandto
gainmorefromdistributingprivategoodstoalland,asinthecaseoftheprovisionofliquor,thatStatepowercanbeleveragedtoyield
financialgainstothosewhocontroltheparty.Thefreedistributionofelectricitytofarmersisanotherpolicythathashadmajoreconomic
consequences.
RecognisingthelogicofgovernanceoftheDravidaKazhagams,itisnottoodifficulttomakesenseofthetragiceventsinChennai.
Distributivismhasconstrictedthespaceforpublicgoodsprovision.Whilethesegoodsarelikelytobeprovidedonlybythegovernment,inthe
Westminstermodelthatwehavechosenforourselves,politicalpartiesthatareelectedtogovernhavelittleincentivetodoso.Precisely
becauseapublicgoodisconsumedjointly,itsprovisiondoesnothavethecachetofagiftprecludingthemunificencethatitbestowsuponthe
provider.Roads,bridges,sewersanddrainsareourquintessentialpublicgoods.ThefloodsrevealedawoefullackofthelatterinChennai.
Nothingcouldhavebeenmoredemoralisingforthepoorthantofindwhateverlittleoftheirpossessionswasleftafterthewaterswithdrew
wassmearedwithsewage.Lackofurbaninfrastructureandtheviolationofbuildingnormsmaywellhaveactedasaforcemultiplierto
naturesfury.
NothingismoreemblematicofthefailureoftheDravidianpartiesthantheirinabilitytodivertundergroundthesewageflowingintherivers
ofChennai.Thishasdirectlycontributedtothemiseryofhercitizensintherecentfloods.WhileTamilNadumaynotbeverydifferentfrom
therestofIndiainfacingashortageofpublicgoods,nowhereisthecoexistenceofprivatewealthandpublicsqualormorevisible.Itstems
fromtheobjectivesofthepartiesthathaveruledtheStateandthefamiliesthatcontrolthem.ThepeopleoftheStatedeservebetter.
(PulapreBalakrishnanteachesatAshokaUniversity,Sonepat.)
Printableversion|Dec17,20157:36:28PM|http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/oped/chennaifloodsandimpactontamilnadu
electionsjayalalithaaandkarunanidhi/article7996939.ece
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