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Wednesday, April 26, 2006
A sense of destiny?
I'm not a believer in destiny. (I was when I was younger, but you could say I was destined to change my mind.) I am a big believer in democracy, though, while being quite aware that the frailties of men are often reflected in the results it shows up. The need to take comfort from the familiar, for example. Is that why the Gandhi family rules India almost by default?
The Telegraph reports that Rahul Gandhi "is apparently willing to dirty his hands in Uttar Pradesh but his party thinks the country needs him more." The state unit recently got excited at what they perceived as an offer from him to take a more active part in the state's politics, but "the central leadership trod with caution, indicating that it would not like Rahul to be tied up in Uttar Pradesh as it is 'more or less decided' he would lead the Congress in the 2009 general elections."
And who can blame them? Regardless of Gandhi's political acumen or administrative competence or intellectual ability -- and I'm not suggesting that he doesn't possess any of those -- he is an inevitable leader of the country, purely because of the resonance that his family name carries with the masses. (So although I don't believe in destiny, I'm effectively saying he is destined to lead. Such confusion! This predestination isn't supernatural in origin, though, but all too human.)
And will he be a wise leader? One can only hope so. If he ends up like his grandmomma, or that venal uncle of his, I will be most miffed. Like it matters!
The Telegraph reports that Rahul Gandhi "is apparently willing to dirty his hands in Uttar Pradesh but his party thinks the country needs him more." The state unit recently got excited at what they perceived as an offer from him to take a more active part in the state's politics, but "the central leadership trod with caution, indicating that it would not like Rahul to be tied up in Uttar Pradesh as it is 'more or less decided' he would lead the Congress in the 2009 general elections."
And who can blame them? Regardless of Gandhi's political acumen or administrative competence or intellectual ability -- and I'm not suggesting that he doesn't possess any of those -- he is an inevitable leader of the country, purely because of the resonance that his family name carries with the masses. (So although I don't believe in destiny, I'm effectively saying he is destined to lead. Such confusion! This predestination isn't supernatural in origin, though, but all too human.)
And will he be a wise leader? One can only hope so. If he ends up like his grandmomma, or that venal uncle of his, I will be most miffed. Like it matters!
