Columnists
Vox Populi:
Hail to the Chief!
by I.J. SINGH
India's masses have spoken.
Many of the 1.1 billion Indians are uneducated. But you really don't need a college degree to know what is good for you.
Quality speaks.
News services tell us that many people voted, not for the political party he represents, but for the man Manmohan Singh, who will continue to govern India, the largest democracy in the world, for the next five years.
I don't think he will remain Prime Minister for all of those five years, even though the elections say that he could, but more of that later.
People were not voting for him because he is a Sikh.
A man who is one of a people forming less than two percent of the population is not going to win because he is a Sikh. And I don't celebrate every Sikh who achieves high office - I offer you the names of Giani Zail Singh, Buta Singh, Baldev Singh, and many, many more whose names are deservedly lost to history.
I celebrate Sardar Manmohan Singh for the same reasons that he is celebrated in India, and everywhere around the globe, as well: He is competent and he has integrity. Many of our best political leaders have only one, but rarely both of these qualities.
Nehru was the prime minister of India when I came to the United States and I have seen all of the Indian prime ministers, presidents and sundry leaders come and go. I can tell you that only two prime ministers of India have earned international respect.
Nehru was the first to do so. He was respected for his intellect, even admired, but he was not trusted by America's power elite. Why? Because of his cozy relationship with the U.S.S.R. Remember his coalition with Nasser, Tito, Nkrumah, Chou En Lai and others of the same ilk?
Manmohan Singh is the second modern Indian leader to have not only won respect but also the trust of the international community, including the United States. For instance, I doubt that any other Indian leader could have managed to work out a nuclear treaty with America.
True that he shares the limelight with Sonia Gandhi, the head of the political party. But this is wise, for it also deflects criticism and leaves him to do what he can do best.
There is method in this synergy: Manmohan on his own can't pull the political levers, while Sonia Gandhi, alone, lacks the credibility and the ability to run a successful government.
I know there were many in between these two - Morarji Desai, Vajpayee, Charan Singh, ChadraShekhar, V.P. Singh, Indira and Rajeev Gandhi, and perhaps some that I have missed listing here. They were decidedly not in the same class.
Some opine that Manmohan Singh is not a politician, but I assure you that he is politically astute. A politically naïve soul cannot survive, much less thrive, in academia or in bureaucracies as vast and complicated as the World Bank or the Reserve Bank of India. And Manmohan Singh has done all that with aplomb.
So do not underestimate him.
Just see how the likes of Jagdish Tytler were sidelined and effectively silenced. (Jagdish Tytler had been implicated by witnesses in the 1984 killings of Sikhs in Delhi.) He could not be successfully tried because as everyone - including Manmohan Singh - knows, the Indian judiciary is weak; it is not strong enough, nor is it independent enough.
So, he nominated Tytler to ministerial portfolio dealing with Indians living abroad, where they could easily mount an effective protest. And they did - loudly. Then the offer of the office had to be withdrawn.
Now this year, once again, Tytler's claims could not be easily ignored, since he was a party stalwart from Rajiv Gandhi's days. So he was offered a ticket for the election. A choice that was not acceptable to Sikhs. A shoe thrown at the nation's Home Minister by a journalist created enough of a storm to sideline Tytler again, perhaps forever.
Politicians thought such indirect actions showed how weak a man is Manmohan Singh. Is he really that, or is he politically more meticulous?
There is no virtue in telegraphing your punches.
Just look at this country.
President Obama knows that in torturing detainees, the Bush administration had violated international agreements, the Geneva Convention, as well as long-held American values. So what is one to do? A new administration can change policies, but does not normally investigate and expose criminal wrongdoing by the outgoing administration. That would look like a vendetta; it would divide the country.
How then to handle the mess, silence criticism of a changed policy, and keep Republicans off his heels?
Best is to let citizens see what the Bush government had done in the name of America, while insisting that prosecutions are not the way to go. This should inflame enough people and raise enough questions so that matters can only be resolved through courts or an appropriate commission. Obama can still stay above the fray. And sideline Republicans, Cheney and others whose self-serving fervor wants to keep the record of misdeeds closed.
Obama's election has changed many things in this society and not just international and economic policy.
Days after the inauguration, many more Blacks came into the spotlight as talk show hosts, anchors, even comedians and talking heads on television than I have ever seen. Didn't they exist before? When Obama went to Notre Dame University, he was greeted by a group of Black students. This country and its universities have had Black students forever, but hardly ever in such prominent roles before.
This says that now it is increasingly alright to be Black in America.
Now look at Manmohan Singh. A perfect Sikh he is not, but then, not many of us are or can ever hope to become one. There are things he has done, like his convoluted silence on 1984, on which I disagree vehemently. But his eminence draws more positive attention to Sikhs everywhere.
It made possible the elevation of General J.J. Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Not that they didn't deserve the honor on their own. They did. But Manmohan Singh provided the coattails. There is power in numbers. As they say in New York, "Everyone needs a rabbi."
When the common voter identifies Manmohan Singh as the reason for his vote, that tells me that his coattails are long and strong.
I see that even Bollywood seems to have recovered its balance some, if not entirely. Many more movies made recently seem to show Sikhs in positive images.
How long will this affirmative phenomenon last?
Not more than a couple of years. Manmohan Singh is already in his late seventies. Rahul Gandhi (Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi's son) is being groomed for the position. He would likely join the cabinet that will soon be sworn in. In two or three years, Manmohan Singh will likely step down, and Rahul will become the new prime minister. He can then lead his political party in the next election and claim to be the voice of experience.
If this happens, it would be a grave injustice to both Manmohan Singh the man, and to the country.
Vox populi sometimes is vox dei.
May 18, 2009
Conversation about this article
1: Pritam Singh Grewal (Canada), May 19, 2009, 10:20 AM.
An informative and carefully reasoned article.
2: Manjit Singh Kesar (Manchester, England), May 19, 2009, 5:27 PM.
I agree with you ... nothing but good can come out of Manmohan Singh continuing to be Prime Minister of India: for India and for Sikhs worldwide.
3: Bishan Singh (San Diego, California, U.S.A.), May 19, 2009, 5:32 PM.
It has always been the mandate of Sikhs to help others who are needy ... even when they are not deserving, because of their own wrongdoings. Once again, Sikhs have liberated India ... and brought it straight from the 19th century to trhe 21st. Manmohan Singh has done it all. We should be proud of the fact that our community has once again come to the rescue of the subcontinent! True, the beggars will never learn. But then, that is why they are beggars, aren't they!
4: Malkiat Singh (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.), May 19, 2009, 6:44 PM.
History has a strange way of correcting things. The anarchy of the French Revolution created Napoleon. The terror of the two Ghallugharas in 18th century Punjab gave rise to Ranjit Singh and his great kingdom. And these last few decades of misery in both the East and the West have given birth to Manmohan Singh and Barack Obama, respectively. Only a few years ago, weren't we lamenting that there was not a single leader anywhere in sight? I don't mean to suggest that this marks the end of Kalyug. But, there is hope ...
5: Raj (Canada), May 19, 2009, 10:58 PM.
I think it's a moral duty of all in the Sikh media to promote Dr. Singh as "Father of Modern India". This helps Sikhs, not only in India but abroad, to break the false stereotype that has been created of us. He has performed his role with flying colors. Now, it's up to the media to publicize and emphasize this: "Dr. Manmohan Singh - Father of Modern India".
6: Harinder (Bangalore, India), May 20, 2009, 6:04 AM.
Is it possible to be a P.M. in Canada, U.K. or President in U.S.A. without fighting an election?
7: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), May 20, 2009, 8:20 AM.
In response to Harinder, no, normally not. But under some circumstances it is possible. In recent history, Jerry Ford, who was Vice-President, became President when Richard Nixon resigned. But Ford had been appointed to the office of Vice-President (not elected) when Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned to avoid impeachment. And President Ford then appointed, without election, Nelson Rockefeller as his Vice-President. Thus at that time, for about two years, we had both President and Vice-President who were appointees and never elected to the office. Of course, when appointed to their respective offices, Ford and Rockefeller had to be confirmed by the Congress.
8: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), May 20, 2009, 12:08 PM.
Congratulation to Dr. Manmohan Singh ji, of course, and to I.J. Singh for such a beautiful article. I am still surprised when some Sikh 'leaders' declare that Dr. Manmohan Singh is not a real Sikh. I ask them to please ask themselves first as to where they themselves stand. For 20 years, not one of the Indian PMs or Presidents or leaders of any political parties of India apologized to the Sikhs for the crimes committed against them in 1984. Except Manmohan Singh ... as India's PM. During his duration of PM, compensation to 1984 Sikhs families was finally given. I hope Manmohan Singh will ask the Indian Parliament to apologize to Sikhs as a Nation. I salute him and wish him well.
9: Parm Chahal (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), May 20, 2009, 10:50 PM.
Great article. However, I beg to differ with your assumption re: Manmohan Singh seeing out the term. Everyone said when he was Prime Minister during the last term the same thing, but you know that he lasted and actually did even better this time. Everyone was saying Rahul will be cabinet minister. As long as Manmohan is fit, I think he will see out the majority of the term. This will be his last term. Rahul will be made cabinet minister eventually, then Deputy PM or Home Minster, but not so fast. Sonia and Rahul do have some foreign ideals which allows them to think a little different from the current stock of Indian politicians, albeit the goal will be the same but the path a little slower.
10: Ravinder Singh Taneja (Westerville, Ohio, U.S.A.), May 21, 2009, 4:51 AM.
Manmohan Singh is not a "perfect" Sikh, as you put it, but what exactly is a "perfect" Sikh?. Or is there one?
11: Dupinder Kaur Sidhu (Carteret, New Jersey, U.S.A.), May 21, 2009, 8:57 AM.
Beautiful article. All Sikhs should take pride in having a Sikh rule a billion people. It is amazing to a see a leader in Sikhi saroop on the world scene!
12: Jai Singh (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), May 21, 2009, 6:49 PM.
"Far from a perfect Sikh" is right. I respect this man for all of his achievements, and look up to him in terms of professional development, but Manmohan Singh is more of a politician than anything else.
13: Karan Singh (U.K.), May 22, 2009, 8:49 AM.
While I admit there are many positives for Sikhs that Manmohan Singh is P.M., but on the flip side there are many negatives. Namely, that with a Sikh P.M., it makes it much harder for Sikhs to try to highlight the heinous genocide committed against them without having it slapped in your face that well, India does have a Sikh P.M. That is a sad fact.
14: Jagdish Kaur (U.S.A.), May 24, 2009, 9:14 AM.
As we celebrate Dr. Manmohan Singh as the P.M. of India, help me with this thought of mine: a turbanned Sikh governing the masses of India, vox populi. Admiringly, as a Sikh, I take pride in his acheivements! But has he really boosted "Sikhi" in Punjab and the rest of the world?
15: Sarjit Singh Khalsa (London, England), June 11, 2009, 7:32 AM.
Most of us can't see further than our noses. After 1947, the Indian goverment broke up all our Sikh Regiments. It attacked our Darbar Sahib, killed countless Sikhs ...
16: Harvinder Singh (London, U.K.), August 06, 2009, 4:35 AM.
How has it benefitted us from his becominmg Prime Minister of India?
17: Meena (Delhi, India), August 23, 2009, 2:04 AM.
A whole generation of Sikh youth has been killed and 'disappeared' in the Punjab during the last three decades and Manmohan Singh tells the Sikhs we should move on? Integrity? Give me a break! He has helped India ... yes, helped India to hide its crimes. He is a puppet ... President Obama has had the courage to question the Bush administration's decisions on Guantanamo Bay. What has Manmohan Singh done? Yes, there will be movies on the 'glorious' deeds of Sikhs - I believe one on the government sanctioned mass-murderer K.P.S. Gill is on its way! (The sarcasm is fully intended)!