Publisher : Harper Collins.
Pages : 197.
Price : Rs 499/-
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra strongly believes corruption vitiates and disrupts the rule of law and destroys the very foundations of the administrative and legal apparatus. It is adversely affecting internal security. It has become imperative to depoliticise the Civil Servises. Against the continuing failures of the executive and the inability of a splintered Parliament to provide the much needed direction, the judiciary has tried to fill the yawning gaps in the governance of the country.
While the recent phenomenon of ‘judicial activitism’ generated considerable satisfaction among the public at large, it would be unwise to expect one of the instruments of the Constitution, which has a well defined role, to take over the responsibilities of the executive and Parliament and seek to remedy the failures of both.
A seasoned administrator having served as Secretary, Defence Production, Defence Secretary and Home Secretary, his book — SAFEGUARDING India : Essays on Governance and Security — suggests the need to spend the next few years in honestly and assiduously restoring the essentials of governance. He regrets that the last several decades have been spent in negating the Constitution, abrogating the rule of law and systematically subverting the application of well laid out rules of government business and systems of functioning. All that is required is to recognise highly competent and resourceful functionaries and ensure requisite security of tenures.
“All those who cannot perform or are dishonest must be ruthlessly weeded out under whatever new legal framework which may be required to do this.” Posing the question is India under threat, the author insists that the time has come to view all internal and external security issues together and design counter measures which take into account activities on all fronts, irrespective of whether they fall within the purview of the states or various ministries and organisations at the centre.
Such a crucial task cannot be handled by the Home ministry. As the Purulia incident demonstrated, the home ministry cannot be relied upon even for effective coordination.
Political parties at all levels have been exploiting the illiterate, backward and vulnerable segments of society for short term electoral gains. It can hardly be suggested that the existing interplay of political parties in the states and the Centre is leading towards greater stability and social cohesion. The author warns “India is surcharged with latent tensions which can be readily exploited to spark off confrontations, conflicts and violence.” Such a scenario provides an excellent playground for adverse external powers and their agencies to sabotage, subvert and destabilise the governance of this country.
National Security can no longer be safeguarded by seeking refuge in the existing constitutional arrangements and division of responsibilities between the Centre and the states. Nor can these grave and complex problems be solved by the Home ministry alone as its capability and resourcefulness have been progressively diluted over the years. There is speedy movement in the world coupled with high techology and rapid information. The country’s security systems have to be correspondingly competent and combative. No time can be lost in leisurely academic debates about what is required to be done.
If the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country have to be safeguarded, the necessary structures and systems must be established within a time frame and held accountable for ensuring the security of our nation on all fronts. The author points out that since the country’s independence the state police organisations continue to function under a colonial statute, the Police Act of 1861. This legislation is altogether incompatible with the requirements of policing within a democratic framework.
The serious constraint is compounded by the continued neglect and, worse still, the systematic erosion of discipline and professionalism, which is the result of sustained politicisation of the state police forces and interference in their day-to-day functioning. Even since Pakistan’s initial adventure in fomenting militancy in Punjab, the Centre has, for obvious reasons been engaged in tackling emerging disorders by deploying the armed forces — the Central police forces and, as required, the army and other defence forces in the affected areas.
The ultimate responsibility in dealing with an internal security problem cannot be ‘handed over’ to any of the armed forces of the Union, under any circumstances. Nor can state governments abdicate the constitutional responsibility to run the administration. The lack of accountability which has permeated government functioning has, among other things, contributed to the growth of threatening linkages between unprincipled politicians, dishonest public servants and criminal and mafia elements. What is urgently required is an appropriate legal framework and a well planned strategy which must be executed in effective coordination between the Centre and the states.
Most importantly a holistic view needs to be taken on all security concerns and a comprehensively strategy should be planned and executed in coordination with the Centre and the states, to effectively safeguard national security. The command of the Constitution must be scrupulously obeyed by the executive, legislature and the judiciary. Any threat to Constitutional values poses a threat to the very foundations of the polity and society and, by consequence to national security.
Apart from formulating a National Security Policy, the Central government needs to take time bound steps to establish appropriate institutions/agencies for effective security management all over the country. The Central and the state governments must forge necessary agreements and take every necessary step in ensuring there is not the slightest chink in the enforcement of national security. The prospect of public services curing themselves from within is bleak. The CBI and CVC are the two principal agencies responsible for checking and dealing with corruption involving public servants. Unfortunately, their effectiveness and deterrence has long since been diluted.
It is a matter of concern that the Centre has not effectively implemented the envisaged role of the National Security Commission nor has it finalised the Model Police Act of which a draft was prepared nearly a decade ago, by a committee chaired by an Attorney General. A telling book by Vohra making it nightmarish to even visualise the gaping holes in the country’s internal security environment. An urgent warning and one only hopes the Narendra Modi government wakes up to the realities of the situation and rectifies matters expeditiously.
