A topic no one likes to know about

My job gives me the opportunity to learn about something that was absolutely foreign territory. How Government works, what it is, who are the people involved etc. I am ashamed to say that though I am 25, I have never voted till date. I have never felt or understood the need to vote, until now.

We all have such a negative low opinion of government in India and the way it works. I agree that many in the sector are befitting of low regard and spite people so handily give out to the government, but how many of us really see and understand that politicians alone does not equal to government. How many of us realise that the people who get things done are often bureaucrats, IAS officers who make the changes.

The government system is ancient beyond words. What we just unthinking took from the British without modifying it to suit our local systems, without considering that it provides a way for people to exploit the already weak. But I guess it worked then and people did not want anything different. People are used to being trodden over. We are good at saying this is life and accepting all as the ulterior design of god who wants us to suffer our karma.

Corruption is rampant and people are so self contained with the way things are. Politicians still promise people free power and we fools knowing full well the folly of trusting the kurta clad actor, still nod our heads and vote him back into power. Fundamentalism is on the rise as is the idea of religion and not religiousness. Maha aarti’s are said to work but not heartfelt prayer (irrespective of the mouth that voices it)

But then how do things still get done. Why do we keep hearing of things improving economically? Its refreshing for me to see the other side of the picture now. I can see the few IAS officers and politicians and officials and academicians and grassroots :- NGO’s, who believe in change and who work with conviction and faith. Despite all negatives there are few who are determined to cleanse the government and even if things change by 10% it would be a big achievement. E-government is one such tool which I now believe will change the way the world works. India in particular. But it has to come from the top. Most will be unwilling but the few who are firmly rooted to their moral fibre should push this down the gullet of the unwilling politicians and bureaucrats. India is in for a major change. Period.

( more on e-government later)