Is the Aam Aadmi Party a revolution? French or American?

[Nara]

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... merit meritocracy and all such stuff.

The way the so called "merit" is viewed is interesting in many ways. What is merit anyhow? Is it making x number of marks in an examination? GW Bush boasted gentleman's C from his Yale years and his average was higher than John Kerry, our present Secretary of State. The greatest iconoclast Tamil Nadu, or even all of India, has ever seen, i.e., EVR, was a 3rd standard dropout as many haters love to point out, completely oblivious of the fact that that makes his brilliance even more admirable. So, what is this merit anyhow? Those who insist it is equal to scoring more marks in an examination have it all wrong.

Somehow medical services is often cited to drive home the importance of merit. But how many of us ask our doctor what his/her grade was in their medical school? We implicitly trust them because they have passed the minimum threshold set by the medical academics. Further, medicine is one field in which any and sundry can dabble and if he/she can manage it, can even be quite successful. Say you are suffering from a malady, even as serious as cancer, and 90% of people you meet will offer you a remedy. The most egregious example of this is the homeopathic quacks unabashedly advertising themselves as doctors with the active help and word-of-mouth advertising of many mavens of meritocracy. This is another one of those most incredulous things we come across, how can such a stupidity as homeopathy strike such resonance with people who probably consider themselves to be quite meritorious.

The only rational argument for the so called meritocracy is, only merit offers an objective measure for future success. But the problem is there is no thermometer like instrument that can measure merit clearly discriminating those with merit from those without. Given this limitation, the only practical thing we can resort to is set minimum standards that one has to meet. Under such a system, if there are more people meeting the minimum standards than the available resources, then, within this pool of eligible candidates who meet the threshold standards, preference must be given to those who have been oppressed for generations. That is our reservation system. The self-serving naysayers not withstanding, the system is a runaway success, it has lifted millions upon millions of people out of generational oppression.

 

[krish44]

The way the so called "merit" is viewed is interesting in many ways. What is merit anyhow? Is it making x number of marks in an examination? GW Bush boasted gentleman's C from his Yale years and his average was higher than John Kerry, our present Secretary of State. The greatest iconoclast Tamil Nadu, or even all of India, has ever seen, i.e., EVR, was a 3rd standard dropout as many haters love to point out, completely oblivious of the fact that that makes his brilliance even more admirable. So, what is this merit anyhow? Those who insist it is equal to scoring more marks in an examination have it all wrong.

Somehow medical services is often cited to drive home the importance of merit. But how many of us ask our doctor what his/her grade was in their medical school? We implicitly trust them because they have passed the minimum threshold set by the medical academics. Further, medicine is one field in which any and sundry can dabble and if he/she can manage it, can even be quite successful. Say you are suffering from a malady, even as serious as cancer, and 90% of people you meet will offer you a remedy. The most egregious example of this is the homeopathic quacks unabashedly advertising themselves as doctors with the active help and word-of-mouth advertising of many mavens of meritocracy. This is another one of those most incredulous things we come across, how can such a stupidity as homeopathy strike such resonance with people who probably consider themselves to be quite meritorious.

The only rational argument for the so called meritocracy is, only merit offers an objective measure for future success. But the problem is there is no thermometer like instrument that can measure merit clearly discriminating those with merit from those without. Given this limitation, the only practical thing we can resort to is set minimum standards that one has to meet. Under such a system, if there are more people meeting the minimum standards than the available resources, then, within this pool of eligible candidates who meet the threshold standards, preference must be given to those who have been oppressed for generations. That is our reservation system. The self-serving naysayers not withstanding, the system is a runaway success, it has lifted millions upon millions of people out of generational oppression.

I do not agree that if more eligible people are available meeting the minimum standards any preference should be given to one because his forefathers were oppressed over the centuries. it is as bad as rewarding a brahmin for his caste. if more are eligible why not lotteries or random number selection.Like communism in russia ,caste based reservations will also collapse It may do so due to inter caste rivalries and infighting . see vanniars and dalits or recent hatred for telugus. .

 

[Nara]

I do not agree that if more eligible people are available meeting the minimum standards any preference should be given to one because his forefathers were oppressed over the centuries. .

Well, we have to agree to disagree, I am glad your disagreement was with the remedy I prefer and not the analysis of the underlying basic argument.

 

[Jaykay767]

Sir,
You reek of prejudice, I do not know what century you are in obviously it isnot 21st century. In country like USA, UK, Australia, Canada, there ispredominance of so called "White" doctors. But majority of themtogether with their PIO colleagues are not racist. They are doing their jobs. Ido not know where have you been hiding for last 50 years, Indians can match anybody given the right motivation.

Sir, Let me clarify this. Like the many White doctors, neither am I a racist or caste-ist !!!.Just because I am against reservation does NOT make me prejudiced or racist !.

if it helps to clarify, pl keep Brahmins out completely & do a merit based selection among the Dalits/etc.. for all posts !!.

The very reason the west/Japan/Korea etc.. are doing so well is because they are built on meritocracy !!. It is perform or perish !!.

Sir, Nobody wants to go to Govt hospitals in india today, this is just the fact because all the doctors are reservation based !!!. Horrible stories of patients dying come out every day in every city, every town in India. Most of the people dying are from the poor/Dalit communities.

Do you know every day, millions die only from open manholes that are not closed by incompetent govt workers ??????

Unfortunately, you are not seeing this disaster& hence assuming reservation is a great leveller !!.

Yes, it is agreat leveller, where anyone who goes out is not sure of coming back – LOL !!!

 

[Jaykay767]

http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-why-reservations-are-such-a-disaster-1265190

The way tohell, we are told, is paved with good intentions. It appears that some suchfolly has been committed with regard to reservations policy .

It isunfortunate that in this country there were not enough people to voice honestcriticism against the idea both at the time it was launched and in later years.Long before the term 'political correctness' was coined, India's chatteringclasses seem to have observed a conspiratorial silence about a key issue in thelife of the country.

Unfortunately,growth has never been considered a factor in social progress in politicaldebates in this country. The reason is that political leaders took uponthemselves the role of enlightened reformers who wanted to share theirprivileges with the deprived masses in a gesture of generosity, and they wantedto appear as knights in shining armour. It is a case of rhetoric more thananything else.

 

[sadasivam.sridharan]

Arvind Kejriwal's comittment to his poll promises is commendable which the people of this country have never experienced in the post independent era .AK being a person from Indian Revenue Service, one only hopes that he has thoroughly checked the financial implications in sustaining the measures he has initiated.

 

[krish44]

Thanks sir for being forthright. The analysis was excellent

 

[G V KRISHNAN]

Whether AAP is a party with difference is to stay or disintegrate , only time will tell. However the established parties which was in control of few people without due representation of the society and which did not think and act in interest of country has to take a call ontheir working , otherwise they are doomed.

 

[Jaykay767]

It is foolish to compare facility in one country with another, that too to showIndia in bad light.

So according to you, world health org, various UN Organizations, Red Cross, all media outlets – CNN, CBS, NBC etc.. are all foolish because they routinely survey & publish comparative studies between the different countries.

Oh, don't forget Obama, who recently said, the education in USA has fallen down drastically compared to other countries !!

Reality can be bitter – there is nothing to show India in bad light here. Millions have died due to reservations – just go to any number of villages where people have died due to lack of healthcare OR died due to mediocre Govt Doctors !!!

No point in living in Utopia !!

 

[vgane]

Subsidy of 20kl for the poor with 10 percent rise for others is good economics. Laying of pipes or installation of taps may not be hurt. BJP is realising who their real enemies are -AAP not congress

Dear Krish,

A slight correction..It is good politics, but bad economics

 

[Jaykay767]

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/why-scst-promotions-put-india-on-the-road-to-disaster-443209.html

The moststriking warning of what lies in store came long ago, from Nehru. Addressingthe Constitutent Assembly, Nehru had said that he and the others were opposedto reservations, particularly on caste and religions considerations, but had“reluctantly” agreed to “carry on with some measure of reservation” for theScheduled Castes, given the history of discrimination that they faced and theexpectation that the reservation would be limited to just 10 years.

It was a themehe would return to over the years, with a sense of growing alarm anddespondency. In June 1961, in a letter to Chief Ministers, Nehru wrote: “Itis true that we are tied up with certain rules and conventions about helpingthe Scheduled Castes and Tribes. They deserve help, but even so I dislike anykind of reservation… I react strongly against anything which leads toinefficiency and second-rate standards.”

The notionthat reservations were being extended even to promotions caused Nehru immenseanguish. “It has amazed me to learn that even promotions are based on communalor caste considerations. This way lies not only folly, but disaster,” hewarned, with amazing prescience.

 

[sangom]

http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-why-reservations-are-such-a-disaster-1265190

The way tohell, we are told, is paved with good intentions. It appears that some suchfolly has been committed with regard to reservations policy .

It isunfortunate that in this country there were not enough people to voice honestcriticism against the idea both at the time it was launched and in later years.Long before the term 'political correctness' was coined, India's chatteringclasses seem to have observed a conspiratorial silence about a key issue in thelife of the country.

Unfortunately,growth has never been considered a factor in social progress in politicaldebates in this country. The reason is that political leaders took uponthemselves the role of enlightened reformers who wanted to share theirprivileges with the deprived masses in a gesture of generosity, and they wantedto appear as knights in shining armour. It is a case of rhetoric more thananything else.

Dear Shri Jaykay767,

May be the way to hell is paved with very good intentions, but, for a country like India with its very large population, the caste system which tended to even segregate families/households by assigning sub-sub-sub...caste names and inter se rankings etc., the reservation system was the best that a democratic set-up could think of.

Now, I do not know how old you are and how much familiar you are with the old world set-up. English doctors (i.e., allopathy doctors were few and usually not available in the rural or semi-urban centres. What the vast majority of the population then had recourse to (and still the 70 million or so BPL people still have) were country or native physicians (நாட்டுவைத்தியர்கள்). These people normally got their licence not based on any merit but due to parentage/lineage; a நாட்டுவைத்தியர்'s son or nephew became an accepted நாட்டுவைத்தியர் on the demise of the former. Whether this successor proved to be meritorious or its exact opposite was left to chance. People were dependent on him and accepted the results of treatment (even if it was death) stoically.

The present conditions in India are much, much better from the pov of the poorer sections and such people have no objection whatever to go to a doctor or hospital at times of emergency without bothering whether the doctor's father cleaned latrines or temple sanctums. People like myself, though non-commmunists essentiallly, believe in Mao Zedong's principle, viz., "It does not matter whether the cat is white or black or brown, but it should catch rats efficiently."

Meritocracy in its unadulterated form will necessitate an unimpeachable authority which (who) will decide whether a person is merited or not and this can lead to complete dictatorship and the very opposite of meritocracy. The present system may be reviewed but not because it does not promote merit.

 

[Jaykay767]

Dear Sangom,

I can totally understand the social/caste issues faced by the NBs even though I was not born nor brought up in TN!! Yes, the issues faced by them was terrible in many situations. So social justice is/was an important issue that has/had to be addressed.

However having said that, reservation was/is completely the wrong way to go. Pl understand, the mediocre Govt docs are killing the very poor/castes that you are so honorably fighting for !!! Our Roads have become massive killers & again the poor who cannot afford safer vehicles are the biggest casualities here. Govt buildings are the first that go down along with thep oor.

I can go on & on in each & every area !!

Pl understand, we have the same cause, but different ways to address the issues !!. In every other country, the people + aristocracy + meritorious worked together to pull the nation to the heights they have reached – whether it is USA/Europe, Australia,Japan, Korea etc..

None of these countries got into this messy upper caste vs lower caste fighting bleeding them internally!!!!

Imagine, if we had a complete meritorious society in all areas of the Govt & then you had social schemes targeted for the poor interms of food, healthcare, shelter, etc.. ??

Imagine if you / Nara who have been fighting the cause of these poor were in power – would you not have done yeoman service?????????????????????????????

Ultimately, it is all about the most competent/meritorious people in right Jobs who make the BIGGEST difference!!


Cheers,

 

[Jaykay767]

In the current Govt, none of the social schemes are reaching the poor due to highly incompetent bureaucracy !!!!. so all the 1000s of crores are looted by the bureaucracy & middle men !!. Even the hard working farmers do NOT get the minimum price set by the govt, they are forced to sell at very very low prices to the middle men. If they don't sell to these middle men, there are NO buyers !!. These middle men are the ones not allowing Wal Mart, because if Walmart comes, they will directly buy from farmers & they will pay more to the farmers !!!!

 

[Jaykay767]

So the poor/lower caste people are completely gridlocked/boxed in by the Killer Govt on all sides !! that's why I have the highest regard for the Genius Statesmen Narasimha Rao who unshackled the Urban India with his far reaching reforms, removing the license raj, permit raj etc... that's why we need to move towards Zero Govt, & move everything to private sector !!. then the competence OR incompetence OR Corruption of the Govt will NOT matter !!

 

[Iyyarooraan]

Perhaps taking cue from Delhi, Maharashtra or ACB in Maharashtra has launched an offensive action against corrupt persons in a sort of sting operation. There has been no policy announcement by the government or by the Head of the govt meaning law has suddenly come alive and is taking its course! The irony is that MM newspaper here reported this on its front page hitting two mangoes with one stone - to show that newspapers are with aam aadmi and at the same time warn the habitual offenders to beware. It is not uncommon that habitual offenders were forewarned of possible anti-corruption actions. It is like fence eating the yields! Many a friend who have been abroad on business mostly have told me the difference in corruption here and there. In a nut shell, there the corruption is with a bit of honesty but here it is total dishonesty.

 

[biswa]

More importantly AAP's manifesto is a total time pass !!. AK's looks like Obama who can be a great orator, campaigner, but not a good CEO - so lets see how this turns out in the next few months/year. !!

Why does Obama need to be a CEO? You seem to be a Bush supporter who does not know the difference between President and CEO.

 

[krish44]

Perhaps taking cue from Delhi, Maharashtra or ACB in Maharashtra has launched an offensive action against corrupt persons in a sort of sting operation. There has been no policy announcement by the government or by the Head of the govt meaning law has suddenly come alive and is taking its course! The irony is that MM newspaper here reported this on its front page hitting two mangoes with one stone - to show that newspapers are with aam aadmi and at the same time warn the habitual offenders to beware. It is not uncommon that habitual offenders were forewarned of possible anti-corruption actions. It is like fence eating the yields! Many a friend who have been abroad on business mostly have told me the difference in corruption here and there. In a nut shell, there the corruption is with a bit of honesty but here it is total dishonesty.

They are also taking action on adarsh scam after prodding from rahul

 

[Nara]

[h=1]“The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.”[/h]― Voltaire

 

[krish44]

“The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.”

― Voltaire

in delhi people are complaining about non availibility of the poor for domestic work since the next generation with more literacy has taken to other professions

 

[vgane]

It is only Bangladeshis and other Bihari migrants who are available for menial jobs in NCR...Most of the Bangladeshis get away by saying that they are from West Bengal..They also carry a ration card..What a mockery!

 

[tbs]

It is only Bangladeshis and other Bihari migrants who are available for menial jobs in NCR...Most of the Bangladeshis get away by saying that they are from West Bengal..They also carry a ration card..What a mockery!

hi

there is huge slum colony near our apts in delhi....full of bangali women...............all are employed in apts maid job....once i had bitter

experiences...........a group of bangali maids chating abt their home owners...they were just sitting and talking....i asked them..

any one can help for cleaning my apt...they all rejected....they said ...they are busy....they dont want extra money....this is delhi...

 

[vgane]

hi

there is huge slum colony near our apts in delhi....full of bangali women...............all are employed in apts maid job....once i had bitter

experiences...........a group of bangali maids chating abt their home owners...they were just sitting and talking....i asked them..

any one can help for cleaning my apt...they all rejected....they said ...they are busy....they dont want extra money....this is delhi...

Should be winter..They would definitely prefer to sit under the sun

Coming to men workers, my driver used to clean 20+ cars in the morning..He gets up at 5 AM and in the winter chill does all this...From 9 AM he gets on to driving...Even cooks do this for part time income...They all earn Rs 15k-20K per month

 

[Iyyarooraan]

They are also taking action on adarsh scam after prodding from rahul

The ruling clique is 24 x 7 active and it has all arms and ammunitions in its armoury. When to fire and which to fire is in the realms of politics. This case is another example of that.

 

[krish44]

Should be winter..They would definitely prefer to sit under the sun

Coming to men workers, my driver used to clean 20+ cars in the morning..He gets up at 5 AM and in the winter chill does all this...From 9 AM he gets on to driving...Even cooks do this for part time income...They all earn Rs 15k-20K per month

The going rates for car washing Rs 200-250 per car
drivers -rs 300 a day or 9-10k amonth
domestic maid rs 500 per job item charged separately for cleaning house,cleaning utensils,,washing clothes around rs 1500 per house. average they work in 3-4 houses
maids and drivers get a months bonus at festival time diwali mostly
they have social security in terms of senior citizen/widows pension,child education allowance.
They do not have medicare facilities. similarly no job security. However , most feel free to take as many leave as they desire as due to scarcity they can always find alternate work place.
one of my maids has a bank balance of couple of lakhs though she cannot read or write. she has an unauthorised flat of ground plus one . she lives in one and has rented out the other. she also collect widows pension of rs 1500 from delhi govt. not a bad lifestyle really