AAP, Me and IT

Asoke K. Laha
President & MD,
Interra IT

Call it a freak historical incident or any episode that befits your imagination, it has happened. It is about the Aaam Admi Party (AAP) that I am talking about, which shot into fame through the electoral process in Delhi and is widely believed, across all sections of the public opinion now, to play a crucial role in the national politics. Is this tantamount to the Indian democracy snapping its bond from the past? Or is it a freak historical accident that may not hold out prospects for the future? 

One thing is clear that the entry in the political space by   AAP and its success within a few months of its formation cannot be wished away as an illusionary phenomenon.  Many believe that it is going to stay and can be a game changer, whether one likes it or not. Legitimately you may ask me why? Because, this movement (I would not like to call this as a party but movement) is not built alone on emotive issues nor on the righteousness of an individual or group of individuals. It is built on a movement and also on the expressed desire of the people, who want to have a change irrespective of the avocations or professions that one is into. It represents a collective will of the people. 

Many would ask why a person like me, whose credentials are that of an IT entrepreneur, is grappling with the governance issue. I have my own explanation for this indulgence. First, I sincerely believe that the new wave of political change is mostly triggered by information technology and that too intervention of technology. The precursor of all these changes I believe is the Right to Information Act. It is not alone that news spread these days more than the speed of light, but with the use of technology people can decipher the pros and cons and omissions and commissions of any policy or scheme. Of course, any official information, which used to be marked confidential and kept away from the people have become accessible barring a few ones. That has changed the political game and will continue to do so. 

The reason that AAP is getting more support is again is closely linked up with the information technology. The word transparency conveys the meaning that everything should be in the public domain for scrutiny. It negates the opaqueness in the system that helps things to be kept shrouded in secrecy. Hoisting things in the public domain is aided by technology. Opaqueness is synonymous with corruption and begets rent seeking, the euphemism for bribe. AAP has given a clarion call that it wants the system to be cleansed of corruption and the governance structure accountable to citizens.

Of late, many highly accomplished professionals, who have made a mark in the corporate world, are joining the party. Many of them are highly educated and are from ivy schools and institutions. They can definitely make a mark in planning, execution and implementation of the projects and welfare measures.

Let me put a word of caution. No change can be brought about in quick succession. Progress or development is a slow process and importantly painstaking. Youngsters often become restless. That begets confusion and disarray. The spirit that made people to converge to fight for change will soon get dissipated in the process. We have to exercise patience and a type of tolerance to hear out others views before embarking on the changes. Sometimes, we have to have a peep into the history. In our own soil, such things have happened. It took Mahatma Gandhi several painstaking years to trigger the bloodless movement for national freedom. There will be ups and downs in such movements. 

I was pleasantly surprised that US President Obama in his speech at the memorial service of the late Nelson Mandela invoked names of many iconic figures who fought for the downtrodden. The first name he quoted was of Mahatma Gandhi, which unfortunately, had gone unnoticed by many in India. There was lack of media reporting on that for whatever reasons they could be. It only suggests that India is reckoned as a country which has set a trend by taking up bloodless revolutions for finding lasting solutions to complex and murky problems. AAP has recreated that in the 21st century, in the midst of ongoing bloody revolutions in many parts of the world for bringing out changes. Those changes, as history records, are not sustainable. Bloodless revolution is the biggest legacy of India, which we should build on. It is an important case study for societal change in a peaceful framework, which I am sure many would closely watch in the coming days.

As we have embraced another year-2014-many challenges nudge us. India has to be free from poverty and destitution. We have to provide shelter to millions. Quality education should be made universal. Healthcare has to become a fundamental right of everyone like the right to work and earn a decent living. Governance has to become sensitive to the citizens charter and should be subordinated to the common good of the people. This needs a total change in our mind set. There are many, who are sceptic about the change. It should be our commitment to prove them wrong. It should not remain as a wishful thinking. But an action oriented program. That will ensure that our future generations will live better, think better and act better. Let it be our resolution for the New Year.