---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Hari Jaisingh <hari.jaisingh@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Mar 31, 2012 at 9:22 AM
Subject: Fwd article
To: Devasahayam MG mgd@airtelmail.in
From: Hari Jaisingh <hari.jaisingh@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Mar 31, 2012 at 9:22 AM
Subject: Fwd article
To: Devasahayam MG mgd@airtelmail.in
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Corruption, and not the General, is the real issue
Hari Jaisingh
General V K Singh has done a great service to the country by,
wittingly or unwittingly, putting the public focus back on two
critical issues of pay-off-bribery in arms procurement, defence
preparedness and modernisation of the armed forces. A meaningful
government of substance should have graciously acknowledged this
instead of raking up technical points of protocol, propriety and
conduct of the army chief - from the age row to the bribery offer to
the letter to the PM through MoD.
Who leaked the letter should be a serious matter of honest
investigation. It is difficult to say the source of leakage, but
whosoever tried to be smart to fix the General and put him in the dock
has apparently miscalculated his moves. The establishment today is
full of such over-smart characters who lack simple commonsense.
Equally disturbing is the suggestion aired in certain quarters that
the General should either be sacked or asked to go on leave. Either
move would have been disastrous while basic issues of honesty,
transparency and accountability in the system of defence operations
are hanging fire.
Whether we like it or not it is a harsh fact in today's scam-ridden
polity that persons of honesty and integrity do not suit the
powers-that-be and vested interests who float on their manipulative
ability to make easy money through massive defence deals and
sub-deals. Who cares if the loser at the other end is the national
exchequer?
Issues arising from General V K Singh's letter and bribe offer claim
cannot be brushed aside by hollow declarations of the defence
minister. I have spoken to a number of armed forces personnel in
recent months who told me candidly about serious gaps in arms and
ammunition of the forces vis a vis alarming expansion of China's
military might. The General's letter to the PM has to be seen as yet
another wake-up call by the General to the civil authorities to
appreciate the ground realities of shortages in special tank
ammunition (APSDS), artillery guns and the army's air defence network.
Army Chief has drawn the attention of the defence minister and the
MoD's key bureaucrats about defence gaps several times during the past
two years. But then, who cares? Obviously, the persons who matter have
conveniently forgotten the lessons from the 1962 disaster at the hands
of China in the north-west frontier.
Why have things come to such a pass? The answers are simple and
straightforward if we address ourselves to the country's security
issue honestly and objectively. As it is, the UPA government continues
to be in a state of drift. It seems to have lost its grip in managing
vital national affairs. Poor leadership caught in the never-ending
saga of scams and corrupt practices have only added to its woes. There
is no point in consoling ourselves by reciting the mantra of "our
honest PM". We do not know what are his problems and compulsions for
this state of helplessness. The people will be solidly behind him if
he moves fast to set the system of governance in order. All that he is
expected to do is to act as Prime Minister of substance. His bechara
image neither helps him nor the country.
Mr Prime Minister, the Army Chief must not be a subject of politics
and witch-hunting for raising the question of his age. Nor should the
entrenched bureaucrats be allowed to play their petty games to fix him
for speaking the truth to their advantage. We have to trust the
General who is entrusted with the onerous task of defending the
national borders.
There can be no shortcuts in defence matters. The country's security
must not be compromised on any count. Unfortunately, we are well aware
of the fact that commissions and kickbacks are part of the
international business scene. Agents and sub-agents operate globally
and create their own islands of influence for kickbacks and
commissions. Many old-timers ask: "In what way is India different from
other countries?" "Have we forgotten Gandhi's insistence on truth"?
"Is austerity in public life derogatory to public office?" There are
no ready answers to such questions.
India has, however, well-defined norms for procurement of weapons.
Generally, a case is presented to the defence ministry by the Service
concerned and the ministry orders an appraisal of the performance cum
cost analysis of various systems available in the world market. An
expert committee at the respective service headquarters then submits a
critical appreciation of various offers received by the ministry.
Thereafter bureaucrats headed by the Defence Minister in consultation
with the Prime Minister decide how, where and which offer is to be
accepted. The deal is finalized directly by the ministry of defence.
What is implied in this procedure is that since Indian defence and
other purchases are mostly on government to government transactions,
there are no middlemen and kickbacks. However, nothing could be
farther from the truth. Political executives and officials involved
both in the seller and buyer countries are influenced by the weapons
manufacturer to facilitate the clinching of a deal that often runs
into hundreds of crores of rupees. Various government outfits are
known to be operating under the cover of some weapons selling agencies
or middlemen operating at various levels.
Take the case of Adnan Khashoggi. He was only 25 years of age when
Lockheed implied him in 1964 as an agent for the sale of Hercules. By
the mid-seventies he represented many multinational arms companies.
His rise was so phenomenal that several kings and presidents were
among his personal friends. He once reportedly said: "If one offers
money to a government to influence it, that is, corruption. But if
someone receives for services rendered afterwards that is a
commission". Such a stance could be taken as an open invitation to
corruption. It could be a dangerous business if bribes are paid to
influence the government and disastrous for a nation if kickbacks are
received by political executives and their nominees. Therein lies the
Indian tragedy.
Kickbacks and other corrupt practices have now become a part of Indian
transactions, so much so that the entire system appears to be corrupt
and hollow. Reversing this corruption-prone trend is not going to be
easy. But the least Dr Manmohan Singh's government could do at this
stage is to ensure a totally honest approach to General V K Singh's
revelations on bribe offer and related matters of defence
preparedness. I know for certain that corruption today is the order of
the day. Still, we have to rise as a nation and put a stop to such
malpractices. We must be honest to ourselves and the nation we all
swear by.
Well, instead of indulging in shadow-boxing against corruption and
black money operators, the PM would do well to take small steps to
tackle the roots of the problem. There is no point in talking big and
doing little. I am of the view that the commissions collected on
account of defence and other business deals must not go into anyone's
pockets. Such big fat commissions must be accounted for and deposited
in the national treasury instead of being pocketed by corrupt
individuals and greedy politico-bureaucratic outfits.
Corruption, and not the General, is the real issue
Hari Jaisingh
General V K Singh has done a great service to the country by,
wittingly or unwittingly, putting the public focus back on two
critical issues of pay-off-bribery in arms procurement, defence
preparedness and modernisation of the armed forces. A meaningful
government of substance should have graciously acknowledged this
instead of raking up technical points of protocol, propriety and
conduct of the army chief - from the age row to the bribery offer to
the letter to the PM through MoD.
Who leaked the letter should be a serious matter of honest
investigation. It is difficult to say the source of leakage, but
whosoever tried to be smart to fix the General and put him in the dock
has apparently miscalculated his moves. The establishment today is
full of such over-smart characters who lack simple commonsense.
Equally disturbing is the suggestion aired in certain quarters that
the General should either be sacked or asked to go on leave. Either
move would have been disastrous while basic issues of honesty,
transparency and accountability in the system of defence operations
are hanging fire.
Whether we like it or not it is a harsh fact in today's scam-ridden
polity that persons of honesty and integrity do not suit the
powers-that-be and vested interests who float on their manipulative
ability to make easy money through massive defence deals and
sub-deals. Who cares if the loser at the other end is the national
exchequer?
Issues arising from General V K Singh's letter and bribe offer claim
cannot be brushed aside by hollow declarations of the defence
minister. I have spoken to a number of armed forces personnel in
recent months who told me candidly about serious gaps in arms and
ammunition of the forces vis a vis alarming expansion of China's
military might. The General's letter to the PM has to be seen as yet
another wake-up call by the General to the civil authorities to
appreciate the ground realities of shortages in special tank
ammunition (APSDS), artillery guns and the army's air defence network.
Army Chief has drawn the attention of the defence minister and the
MoD's key bureaucrats about defence gaps several times during the past
two years. But then, who cares? Obviously, the persons who matter have
conveniently forgotten the lessons from the 1962 disaster at the hands
of China in the north-west frontier.
Why have things come to such a pass? The answers are simple and
straightforward if we address ourselves to the country's security
issue honestly and objectively. As it is, the UPA government continues
to be in a state of drift. It seems to have lost its grip in managing
vital national affairs. Poor leadership caught in the never-ending
saga of scams and corrupt practices have only added to its woes. There
is no point in consoling ourselves by reciting the mantra of "our
honest PM". We do not know what are his problems and compulsions for
this state of helplessness. The people will be solidly behind him if
he moves fast to set the system of governance in order. All that he is
expected to do is to act as Prime Minister of substance. His bechara
image neither helps him nor the country.
Mr Prime Minister, the Army Chief must not be a subject of politics
and witch-hunting for raising the question of his age. Nor should the
entrenched bureaucrats be allowed to play their petty games to fix him
for speaking the truth to their advantage. We have to trust the
General who is entrusted with the onerous task of defending the
national borders.
There can be no shortcuts in defence matters. The country's security
must not be compromised on any count. Unfortunately, we are well aware
of the fact that commissions and kickbacks are part of the
international business scene. Agents and sub-agents operate globally
and create their own islands of influence for kickbacks and
commissions. Many old-timers ask: "In what way is India different from
other countries?" "Have we forgotten Gandhi's insistence on truth"?
"Is austerity in public life derogatory to public office?" There are
no ready answers to such questions.
India has, however, well-defined norms for procurement of weapons.
Generally, a case is presented to the defence ministry by the Service
concerned and the ministry orders an appraisal of the performance cum
cost analysis of various systems available in the world market. An
expert committee at the respective service headquarters then submits a
critical appreciation of various offers received by the ministry.
Thereafter bureaucrats headed by the Defence Minister in consultation
with the Prime Minister decide how, where and which offer is to be
accepted. The deal is finalized directly by the ministry of defence.
What is implied in this procedure is that since Indian defence and
other purchases are mostly on government to government transactions,
there are no middlemen and kickbacks. However, nothing could be
farther from the truth. Political executives and officials involved
both in the seller and buyer countries are influenced by the weapons
manufacturer to facilitate the clinching of a deal that often runs
into hundreds of crores of rupees. Various government outfits are
known to be operating under the cover of some weapons selling agencies
or middlemen operating at various levels.
Take the case of Adnan Khashoggi. He was only 25 years of age when
Lockheed implied him in 1964 as an agent for the sale of Hercules. By
the mid-seventies he represented many multinational arms companies.
His rise was so phenomenal that several kings and presidents were
among his personal friends. He once reportedly said: "If one offers
money to a government to influence it, that is, corruption. But if
someone receives for services rendered afterwards that is a
commission". Such a stance could be taken as an open invitation to
corruption. It could be a dangerous business if bribes are paid to
influence the government and disastrous for a nation if kickbacks are
received by political executives and their nominees. Therein lies the
Indian tragedy.
Kickbacks and other corrupt practices have now become a part of Indian
transactions, so much so that the entire system appears to be corrupt
and hollow. Reversing this corruption-prone trend is not going to be
easy. But the least Dr Manmohan Singh's government could do at this
stage is to ensure a totally honest approach to General V K Singh's
revelations on bribe offer and related matters of defence
preparedness. I know for certain that corruption today is the order of
the day. Still, we have to rise as a nation and put a stop to such
malpractices. We must be honest to ourselves and the nation we all
swear by.
Well, instead of indulging in shadow-boxing against corruption and
black money operators, the PM would do well to take small steps to
tackle the roots of the problem. There is no point in talking big and
doing little. I am of the view that the commissions collected on
account of defence and other business deals must not go into anyone's
pockets. Such big fat commissions must be accounted for and deposited
in the national treasury instead of being pocketed by corrupt
individuals and greedy politico-bureaucratic outfits.
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