Aversion to Success

The Government must keep its dignity and not play to the gallery over Maruti.

The ongoing battle between the Government of India and Suzuki over the management of Maruti Udyog Limited has witnessed considerable bitterness and many undignified outbursts. It has conveyed a strong impression that the political class and the bureaucracy entertain a pathological antipathy to success. Whether it is Air India or Doordarshan, the performance of the public sector has been marred by politicisation in appointments, red-tapism and plain ineptitude. To this can be added technological obsolescence, pilferages, low productivity and non-profitability. Despite the Government having a 50 per cent stake, Maruti epitomises everything the public sector is not. It has a 82 per cent share of a competitive market, keeps pace with technology, boasts an output 32 per cent above the installed capacity and is consistently profitable. Maruti is a national achievement worth persevering with.

It may gladden jingoistic hearts to believe that Industry Minister Murasoli Maran can tell a 'hated' multinational exactly where to get off, but the reality is not all that simple. A joint venture is ultimately a partnership based on trust and sound commercial principles. It cannot work if disagreements lead to public threats, court battles and manipulations during board meetings. Both sides are guilty of lapses but the Government's responsibility is greater simply because it is the Government. Its actions have far-reaching consequences. So far, Maruti has worked because Suzuki possessed the technology, the capital and the managerial expertise and the Government did not introduce a public sector culture into it. By seeking a more interventionist role, the Government is attempting to turn common sense on its head. The state's role should be confined to creating an environment conducive to business and guarding against unethical practices. Turning Maruti into a political milch cow will do precisely the opposite.

A Pitch for Diplomacy

The Indian team's tour of Pakistan is a triumph for cricket--and for amity.

At a time when it may seem justifiable to charge that the Indian team is playing simply too much cricket, a series which will leave no room for complaint is the one in progress in Pakistan. The triumph of the tour lies in the fact that it is taking place, making Sachin Tendulkar the first Indian to captain a team to Pakistan in eight years. In the intervening period, India and Pakistan have clashed in Singapore, Sharjah, Toronto, Sydney, Bangalore -- everywhere but on a Pakistani ground. There is the argument that it is difficult to sanction cultural exchanges -- and cricket is perhaps the subcontinent's chief cultural commodity -- when the two countries are fighting a virtual war on the Siachen glacier and in Kashmir. This facile contention only perpetuates a vicious circle: political differences hamper cultural interaction and, in turn, the lack of non-governmental exchanges prevents popular sentiment from pushing politicians towards the negotiating table.

Given that the two countries didn't meet on a cricket field from 1961 to 1978, the frequency of matches between India and Pakistan in recent years has been impressive. At one level, this has taken away from the mystique of a great rivalry. It is difficult to keep patriotic fervour high for, say, five matches in seven days. Yet, in this apparent overdose lies the message that cricket is not war. As a tool of diplomacy, it has led ordinary Indians and Pakistanis to see and appreciate each other's cricketers as gifted human beings rather than cold, ruthless figures from an alien land. It is in the reversal of such demonological cults -- and they exist far beyond the cricket pitch -- that India and Pakistan can forge an enduring friendship. The ongoing matches are a small step in this direction; if the Shiv Sena lifts its preposterous ban on Pakistani teams playing in Mumbai, the road to peace will become that much shorter.

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