Governance, The Achilles Heel

The process of globalisation, as distinguished from liberalisation and privatisation, is a natural corollary to human progress. It represents the inescapable need to integrate into the rest of the world, economically and politically. To achieve optimum outcomes in this process of integration, a nation must govern itself well with the full backing of its populace. Globalisation without centring it in its citizens, their interests and their aspirations, is doomed to failure. In the context of globalisation, the need is for ‘human-centric’ governance and development. The suggestions made herein include governance by consensus; by better informed political leadership; demarcation of a national sphere of governance outside the pale of party politics; a more democratic and nonetheless more effective functioning of the Parliament; an institutional arrangement for coordination among the different Constitutional authorities to achieve the national objectives; genuine self-governance at the local level; and guaranteed access to drinking water, sanitation, public health, maternity and child health; and above all, education up to a level that makes every citizen a productive member of the nation.