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Nov 12 2013
Divisive politics leaves New Delhi at mercy of small parties
By
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision not to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka has aroused a fierce debate in Indian political realm and drawn the world's attention. Finally Singh confirmed that he would not be present at the summit.
Singh rejected attending the summit due to opposition from several regional political parties in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, who have ties to the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka. This is not the first time the Indian government has to compromise its diplomacy due to objections from local parties.
In March 2012, because of opposition from some parties including those in Tamil Nadu, India began to condemn Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council.
Such incidents have severely damaged India's international image and its relations with neighboring countries.
The fundamental cause for India to repeat such diplomatic behavior lies in its multiparty system.
It is inevitable that India's politics is diversified and localized in such a complicated society with a great number of ethnic groups, languages, religions and castes.
The Congress Party dominated the country's politics for a long time, but it underwent a decline in the 1980s, so certain local parties started to arise and even hold long-term power in their respective regions.
Neither the Congress Party, with its fading influence, nor the Bharatiya Janata Party have been able to win a parliamentary majority for over 20 years, so they have had no alternative but to unite with other national or even regional parties to form coalition governments, which compels the central government to rely too much on local administrations.
In the upcoming general election in 2014, whether the Congress Party will stay in power heavily depends on the regional parties within its coalition. Singh's boycott of the summit in Sri Lanka shows that India's diplomacy has been kidnapped by Tamil Nadu's regional parties.
This is going to be a long-term tendency due to India's opening-up policy. It is not a random mistake in coordination between the central government and local administrations over foreign affairs.
Since New Delhi adopted economic liberalization in 1991, the central government has become weaker in managing political and economic affairs in states that have begun to possess more autonomy in their development process.
Local governments have also been playing an increasingly significant role amid keener competition in acquiring more foreign capital as well as domestic private investment.
Though economic reform is indispensable for its rise, New Delhi has to give full play to the role of local areas and distribute more of its power to achieve economic development in a complex environment, which, however, will facilitate local governments and parties growing more powerful.
Consequently, if India is unable to properly tackle the relationship between the central administration and local parties, the central government will witness serious power decentralization.
Singh's decision has also exposed a new direction of India's foreign policy; promoting values like democracy and human rights protection to its neighboring countries in an open manner.
Singh and former US president George W. Bush established the global strategic partnership in 2005 and reached consensus on the US-India Global Democracy Initiative.
In the same year, New Delhi joined the UN Democracy Fund, turning itself into the second largest contributor after the US.
Nonetheless, India has been restrained in promoting democracy as an ideology in the past few years, and prioritized its own strategic and security interests when deciding whether to support democratic campaigns in other developing countries.
But in dealing with its relationship with Sri Lanka, it has adopted a new approach that may harm its relations with neighbors.
Singh rejected attending the summit due to opposition from several regional political parties in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, who have ties to the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka. This is not the first time the Indian government has to compromise its diplomacy due to objections from local parties.
In March 2012, because of opposition from some parties including those in Tamil Nadu, India began to condemn Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council.
Such incidents have severely damaged India's international image and its relations with neighboring countries.
The fundamental cause for India to repeat such diplomatic behavior lies in its multiparty system.
It is inevitable that India's politics is diversified and localized in such a complicated society with a great number of ethnic groups, languages, religions and castes.
The Congress Party dominated the country's politics for a long time, but it underwent a decline in the 1980s, so certain local parties started to arise and even hold long-term power in their respective regions.
Neither the Congress Party, with its fading influence, nor the Bharatiya Janata Party have been able to win a parliamentary majority for over 20 years, so they have had no alternative but to unite with other national or even regional parties to form coalition governments, which compels the central government to rely too much on local administrations.
In the upcoming general election in 2014, whether the Congress Party will stay in power heavily depends on the regional parties within its coalition. Singh's boycott of the summit in Sri Lanka shows that India's diplomacy has been kidnapped by Tamil Nadu's regional parties.
This is going to be a long-term tendency due to India's opening-up policy. It is not a random mistake in coordination between the central government and local administrations over foreign affairs.
Since New Delhi adopted economic liberalization in 1991, the central government has become weaker in managing political and economic affairs in states that have begun to possess more autonomy in their development process.
Local governments have also been playing an increasingly significant role amid keener competition in acquiring more foreign capital as well as domestic private investment.
Though economic reform is indispensable for its rise, New Delhi has to give full play to the role of local areas and distribute more of its power to achieve economic development in a complex environment, which, however, will facilitate local governments and parties growing more powerful.
Consequently, if India is unable to properly tackle the relationship between the central administration and local parties, the central government will witness serious power decentralization.
Singh's decision has also exposed a new direction of India's foreign policy; promoting values like democracy and human rights protection to its neighboring countries in an open manner.
Singh and former US president George W. Bush established the global strategic partnership in 2005 and reached consensus on the US-India Global Democracy Initiative.
In the same year, New Delhi joined the UN Democracy Fund, turning itself into the second largest contributor after the US.
Nonetheless, India has been restrained in promoting democracy as an ideology in the past few years, and prioritized its own strategic and security interests when deciding whether to support democratic campaigns in other developing countries.
But in dealing with its relationship with Sri Lanka, it has adopted a new approach that may harm its relations with neighbors.
Source of documents：Global Times