Dr. Manmohan Singh, is one of the most brilliant leaders in
the world and is well regarded for his academic work and for his
quiet,down-to-earth personality….both traits which are quite rare among
politicians. He has been Prime Minister since 2004, having just started his 2nd
five-year term in this position in 2009, but he was a busy boy long before
that. An economist by training, Singh
previously held many influential posts in India, including: the Governor of the
Reserve Bank of India (1982-85), the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission
of India (1985-87) and most importantly the Finance Minister of India
(1991-96). His stint as Finance Minister
should be further explained:
For most of its modern history since independence in 1947,
India has followed a government-heavy-handed approach to regulating and
controlling the economy…you know, its called socialism. Now, it was never
full-on communism like the Chinese model, but the Indian state did produce a
massive, bloated bureaucracy in order to outright control some sectors of the
economy, protect other sectors from competition, and in general regulate the
hell out of everything else. All this was done to redistribute some of the
resources of the state via services like education, infrastructure, and employment
in general. After decades of stagnation and inefficiency, in 1991 India put
into play a crucial reform package which restructured the entire
government/economy relationship…resulting in tons of privatization, slashing of
bureaucratic red tape, and promotion of entrepreneurship. All this set India on
a path for sustained economic growth and true integration into the global
economy, for the first time ever!
In other words, India started the conversion from a heavy
socialist state to one based more on capitalist principles of free trade and
less governmental control. This move resulted in decreased regulation and
inefficiencies, an increased tax base, increased job creation, and increased
foreign investments. Wow! Who was the genius that thought all that up? The main
brain behind this plan in the early 1990’s was our main man Dr. Manmohan
Singh…hey, wait a minute! I know that dude! He is currently the Prime Minister,
isn’t he? You know this!
And Prime Minister Singh continued these same successful
economic reforms in first term, largely focusing on reducing government fiscal
deficit, providing debt relief to poor farmers and advancing pro-industry
economic and tax policies. The result: he has presided over a period where the
Indian economy has swelled by an average annual 8?9% economic growth rate for a
decade. That is huge! Singh has been a big force behind the country’s
successful economic conversion, and people in India know this…and now so do
you! With economic power comes global attention and importance, which India is
continuing to gain year after year….
But Singh is a playa’ outside India too. As leader of India,
Singh oversees the absolute largest multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic,
multi-religious full-fledged democracy on earth! A model for the entire planet!
And India is the 2nd most populous country on the planet with 1.3 billion
citizens (and it is soon to take the pop top slot from China), so being in
charge of 20% of humanity is kind of an important position in its own right.
India also is a large contributor of troops to the United Nations, and increasingly
has a voice in how those troops are used. In fact, look for Dr. Singh to push
very hard for India to be given a position on the UN Permanent Security
Council…a spot that I am predicting he will actually soon get.
Add to that the fact that India is a declared nuclear power,
has an advanced space program, has the largest and most advanced military in
the region, and is even acquiring an aircraft carrier! These guys got game! You
should always know who is in charge of India, and for now that is Singh! His
disposition is for peaceful resolution of regional and global problems (much
like Gandhi), so he is a hugely stabilizing force in a otherwise chaotic area
(i.e. problems in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Burma, etc). Singh has also committed
his country in joining the US-led global War on Terror. Yep. That’s right.
Singh and Uncle Sam on the same team.
You Americans should really get to know this guy better
too…because he is increasingly one of your best-est buddies on the planet! Say
what? You heard me. Under Singh, the US/India relationship has been blossoming
like never before! It really started when former US President Bush helped
broker a deal with Singh which will be providing fuel and technology to India
in order to help build their nuclear energy industry. With the opening of the
Indian economy, we are now seeing all kinds of business, technological,
political, and even military ties quickly forming between these two giants.
More importantly, this starts the solidification of a new
era of US/India foreign policy, which serves to pull Prime Minister Singh and
all of India distinctly into the ‘Team West’ camp on a variety of global
issues. Namely, India is now firmly on-board the ‘Team West’ train in being a
democracy, being a capitalist economy, being a big advocate of human rights and
individual liberties, being a member of the ‘War on Terrorism’.
And India will certainly benefit by this new stronger
alliance as well. Look for current President Obama and all others after him, to
increase visitation, aid, and military intelligence with Singh. But Singh ain’t no lap-dog: India will be
maintaining its independent leadership role in the region, and the world.
That’s why its important to watch this guy and see what he is up to all the
time. His opinion, his voice, and his country all increasingly affect how
events are unfolding in today’s world.
Cheers!
Yogesh Babu
(www.fb.com/yogesh87)
