THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION - International Indian

[ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ]
most outstanding and crippling. We ought to
welcome with open arms a deal that will give
us free access to the Nuclear Suppliers Group
– 45 of them! – from who we will be able to
buy our nuclear fuel requirements. Such an
understanding will give us the long awaited
infrastructure building capacity to meet
our present and future need of power so that
the next generation will not blame us for not
taking required steps to ensure availability of
sufficient power for them. This is why I stood
for immediate materialization of the deal.
TII: You have a calling to be “the salt of
the earth”. Does that not include a clear
civic and professional obligation to submit
yourself to the party (you belonged to)
authority, especially in its hour of need?
HTS: In a democracy, when you have a party
system and have to obey and act according to
the direction of the whip, you really don’t
have a choice. That is true. But in my case
when I felt there was no valid reason to
blindly obey despite my inner conviction, or
to oppose the treasury bench for the sake of
opposition and shout or boo, I just don’t do it
as I don’t want to belittle myself.
TII: The BJP expelled you from the party
as a result of your cross-voting.
HTS: I knew them would, I expected them to.
TII: What if they (the BJP high command)
feel in retrospect that it was a knee-jerk
reaction, and (considering you are one of
the biggest vote-pullers in Karnataka) they
revoke your suspension and call you back
into the party – will you rejoin it?
HTS: No. They are behaving in a childish
manner which is unacceptable. We differ on
basics. When I was inside Parliament I would
pray to God for His presence within me so
that my presence will be meaningful and
respectable. My main desire when I entered
Indian Parliament was to pronounce the name
of Jesus Christ inside the Parliament for a good
reason or cause so that it will be a part of the
Parliament record. Despite belonging to the
BJP, I distributed about 65 CDs on the life of
Jesus Christ (instead of Christmas or New Year
cards) to my colleagues on the eve of Christmas
2006. I had also requested the Prime Minister
of India to extend subsidy to Indian Christians
for going to the Holy Land just like the subsidy
given to Muslims for going to Mecca every
year. My proposal is awaiting a final decision.
I told senior BJP leaders to avoid Christian
bashing and I led a rally on Mahatma Gandhi
Road in Bangalore on 22nd February this year,
to protest against atrocities on Christians in
India. I reminded Mrs Sonia Gandhi when
we met recently that she is our Esther in the
Government of India.
TII: Some people think that in cross-voting
against your own party, you have committed
suicide…
HTS: Everyone is free to think what he or
she chooses. I do not agree with them. Wait
and watch.
TII: After having been in it for the last half a
dozen years, in your opinion what really ails
politics and politicians of India?
HTS: Too many regional parties have resulted
in horse-trading to capture power both at the
State level and at the Centre. The end result
is perpetual instability resulting in selfishness
and personal/family agendas. Politics has
turned into a commercial industry where
many politicians make money by resorting to
malpractice. A parent encourages the offspring
to enter the political arena (rather than pursue
a profession and take up a job in keeping with
the child’s skills) just to hold on to power. You
will find the political arena crowded with these
kind of people whose priority is not the welfare
of people, but selfish ends. Because of this
intent, corruption prospers and the poor continue
to be poor; there is no respect for law or tradition.
In fact, regional parties are the creation of such
power-crazed individuals or else those disgruntled
politicians who were not given tickets by mainline
parties to stand in elections. 3000 years ago Aristotle
said that a democracy consists mostly of illiterate
people and that their standard of leadership or
governance could not be high. That is exactly what
we see in our country today apart from the small
minority of intellectual and educated politicians.
My main concern is corruption and absence
of serious implementation of developmental
programs. Oppositions and coalition partners
are thwarting development just for the fear
that the ruling party might get full credit for
anything well done which might help it to
become victorious in its own steam in the next
election. So you see it is plot within a plot within
a plot in the melting pot.
TII: It’s becoming painfully apparent that
man’s governing institutions almost always
stray from God’s path, often in hideous ways.
Is it impossible of politics and spirituality to
co-exist?
HMT: On the contrary. I would say politics and
spirituality are twins. It is impossible for one to
truly exist without the other. Those who say
they are spiritual should know that they have
a serious responsibility in the public square.
There are political implications to professed
faith and these can often be realized by getting
into politics and acting prudentially.
TII: What are your plans for the future?
HTS: What He wills for me will become my
plan. I will go where He wants me to go, do
what He assigns me. I want to first of all set a
clean and uncompromising example in austerity
and personal lifestyle, and take measures to
ensure that my colleagues do the same. There
has got to be quality, speed and efficiency in
work performance. Punctuality will be strictly
enforced, and there will be an insistence on
projects being completed in time. Corrupt
individuals will be trapped, prosecuted and
dismissed from government jobs. Poor standard
of work will automatically disqualify a contractor
from future projects, in fact he will be blacklisted.
There will be strict quality control and
check in all government operations. Vigilance
commissions will be instituted to contain and
eventually do away with corruption. There will
be strong action against nepotism, favoritism,
partiality and selfish acts. Churches, NGOs
and NRIs will be invited to partner with the
Government in overhauling the nation.
TII: In your view, with so much of instability
and national insecurity, is it a safe time for
NRIs to return to or visit India?
HTS: There is no danger or insecurity to make
NRIs insecure. The police and other security
officials are alert and active everywhere,
and the place is as safe or as dangerous as
any other part of the troubled globe. In fact,
if ever there were a time when the country
needed its NRIs, it is now. Bring in new ideas,
new paradigms and make a clear-headed
contribution to the land of your birth.
Ingrid Albuquerque is the Content Editor and
Website Manager of the Haggai Institute’s international
website; and the Managing Director of Berean
Bay Media House. She has edited many magazines
and is an author of a few best-selling books.
THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN 65