04-24-2004, 09:19 PM
<b>Exporting Election Expertise</b>
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodna...ame=seema&sid=1
By: SEEMA SIROHI, Outlook
It is show time in India. The great Indian elections are being staged, and, over
the next three weeks, the bureaucratic machinery will roll from state to state
in one of the most complex logistical events to be mounted anywhere in the
world. Given the size of the country and the electorate, this road show could be
a chapter in the Guinness Book of World Records. Since India does this well, it
is time to market this expertise. Indians should and could be worldwide election
consultants, the official hand holders, the last word on how to do it right.
They could begin in Afghanistan where the government is struggling to hold
elections in September and move beyond. Why not?
If security can be outsourced, so can elections. In Iraq, the US government
depends o hundreds of private security contractors to fill the gap. The
companies scout around the world for retired army officers to subcontract the
work, luring them with high pay. Conducting elections is a much less hazardous
enterprise. True, the establishment in Delhi will sniff at the idea, but then
they sniff at everything. Think about it -- in these days of discontent over
outsourcing of jobs to India, the country must develop alternate plans and
expand its niche in the market of ideas. And whatâs wrong with this feel-good
and extremely politically correct venture?
Indian election officers are experts with a half century of experience in
implementing this tried and sacred measure of democracy. They can outsource
their knowledge from Kabul to the Kremlin or wherever there is a deficit of
democratic expertise. The neighbourhood itself has plenty of opportunities, to
say nothing of lands further away. As Americans head towards their presidential
election, India could send "election observers" to Florida to help out. An
Indian company is already gearing up to sell electronic voting machines to US
state governments. It is called the fellowship of democracy.
And it is no rocket science. The Indian foreign office and the Election
Commission could easily begin by developing a concrete plan, a power point
presentation, a logistics chart and a table of consulting fees. They could
involve the United Nations. Badger their diplomats whose mandate it is to
empower the voiceless. Pitch India as the ultimate expert on staging elections.
A rapid deployment force of democracy. A one-stop shop of expertise to be set up
quickly in distant corners of the world.
This merchandise could be a deft instrument of soft power and India would gain a
voice outside the Security Council. It could develop an alternate soap box and
use it to leverage some clout within. The reigning P-5 or permanent members
canât complain -- how can democracies block a democracy from spreading
democracy? Britain, US, Russia and France shouldnât object. If China does, well,
-- it has zero credibility on the subject.
Indian diplomats and strategists say they want to be global players. They want
to be consulted and taken seriously but they havenât spelt out what measures
would bestow the big power status. A seat in the UN Security Council? Too
complicated and not likely in the foreseeable future. Besides, India hasnât got
anywhere using the fairness argument -- essentially that it is unfair to keep
India out of the Security Council because of its size, weight and voice. But
there is no appetite among those who already sit at the high table to add new
guests.
But why should membership in the Security Council be the most coveted badge of
great power status? National influence can be exercised by other means. India
must speak out on world issues, even take action and undergo an attitudinal
change. Many Americans donât understand what it is that India means when it says
it wants to be a world power.Leon Fuerth, national security advisor to former
vice president Al Gore, puzzled over this last week at a conference and asked
with a hint of disdain: "Is being a world power defined as the equivalent of
wearing long pants?" The topic was India and China as the rising powers of Asia.
The United States has always taken China seriously but rarely India, despite the
expendable rhetoric on being fellow democracies.
India wants great power status, yet, it is strangely reticent in taking on a
leadership role. Even when it is thrust upon it. During the Clinton
Administration the Americans wanted India to be one of the leaders of the
"Community of Democracies," a concept developed by Madeleine Albright, the
former secretary of state, to link and nurture emerging democracies. The
Clintonites wanted New Delhi to be front and centre but there was no enthusiasm.
Instead, there were questions and even mistrust that the Americans might be
luring India into some nefarious plot. The mercurial Albright, whose Czech
ancestry gave her a special feel for the Iron Curtain and its devastating
weight, was disappointed to see India satisfied with so little. There are other
examples of missed opportunities on the world stage.
If the government of India feels constrained in marketing the mechanics of
elections complete with voting machines and strategy sessions, it could always
outsource the work to the Bangalore Boys. They can convert government-think into
real-think for starters.
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodna...ame=seema&sid=1
By: SEEMA SIROHI, Outlook
It is show time in India. The great Indian elections are being staged, and, over
the next three weeks, the bureaucratic machinery will roll from state to state
in one of the most complex logistical events to be mounted anywhere in the
world. Given the size of the country and the electorate, this road show could be
a chapter in the Guinness Book of World Records. Since India does this well, it
is time to market this expertise. Indians should and could be worldwide election
consultants, the official hand holders, the last word on how to do it right.
They could begin in Afghanistan where the government is struggling to hold
elections in September and move beyond. Why not?
If security can be outsourced, so can elections. In Iraq, the US government
depends o hundreds of private security contractors to fill the gap. The
companies scout around the world for retired army officers to subcontract the
work, luring them with high pay. Conducting elections is a much less hazardous
enterprise. True, the establishment in Delhi will sniff at the idea, but then
they sniff at everything. Think about it -- in these days of discontent over
outsourcing of jobs to India, the country must develop alternate plans and
expand its niche in the market of ideas. And whatâs wrong with this feel-good
and extremely politically correct venture?
Indian election officers are experts with a half century of experience in
implementing this tried and sacred measure of democracy. They can outsource
their knowledge from Kabul to the Kremlin or wherever there is a deficit of
democratic expertise. The neighbourhood itself has plenty of opportunities, to
say nothing of lands further away. As Americans head towards their presidential
election, India could send "election observers" to Florida to help out. An
Indian company is already gearing up to sell electronic voting machines to US
state governments. It is called the fellowship of democracy.
And it is no rocket science. The Indian foreign office and the Election
Commission could easily begin by developing a concrete plan, a power point
presentation, a logistics chart and a table of consulting fees. They could
involve the United Nations. Badger their diplomats whose mandate it is to
empower the voiceless. Pitch India as the ultimate expert on staging elections.
A rapid deployment force of democracy. A one-stop shop of expertise to be set up
quickly in distant corners of the world.
This merchandise could be a deft instrument of soft power and India would gain a
voice outside the Security Council. It could develop an alternate soap box and
use it to leverage some clout within. The reigning P-5 or permanent members
canât complain -- how can democracies block a democracy from spreading
democracy? Britain, US, Russia and France shouldnât object. If China does, well,
-- it has zero credibility on the subject.
Indian diplomats and strategists say they want to be global players. They want
to be consulted and taken seriously but they havenât spelt out what measures
would bestow the big power status. A seat in the UN Security Council? Too
complicated and not likely in the foreseeable future. Besides, India hasnât got
anywhere using the fairness argument -- essentially that it is unfair to keep
India out of the Security Council because of its size, weight and voice. But
there is no appetite among those who already sit at the high table to add new
guests.
But why should membership in the Security Council be the most coveted badge of
great power status? National influence can be exercised by other means. India
must speak out on world issues, even take action and undergo an attitudinal
change. Many Americans donât understand what it is that India means when it says
it wants to be a world power.Leon Fuerth, national security advisor to former
vice president Al Gore, puzzled over this last week at a conference and asked
with a hint of disdain: "Is being a world power defined as the equivalent of
wearing long pants?" The topic was India and China as the rising powers of Asia.
The United States has always taken China seriously but rarely India, despite the
expendable rhetoric on being fellow democracies.
India wants great power status, yet, it is strangely reticent in taking on a
leadership role. Even when it is thrust upon it. During the Clinton
Administration the Americans wanted India to be one of the leaders of the
"Community of Democracies," a concept developed by Madeleine Albright, the
former secretary of state, to link and nurture emerging democracies. The
Clintonites wanted New Delhi to be front and centre but there was no enthusiasm.
Instead, there were questions and even mistrust that the Americans might be
luring India into some nefarious plot. The mercurial Albright, whose Czech
ancestry gave her a special feel for the Iron Curtain and its devastating
weight, was disappointed to see India satisfied with so little. There are other
examples of missed opportunities on the world stage.
If the government of India feels constrained in marketing the mechanics of
elections complete with voting machines and strategy sessions, it could always
outsource the work to the Bangalore Boys. They can convert government-think into
real-think for starters.