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TheIndianEXPRESSwww.indianexpress.com

2l SATURDAY l DECEMBER 22 l 2012

The IndianEXPRESSBECAUSE THETRUTH INVOLVESUS ALL

TWENTY years after IndialauncheditsLookEastpolicy,and 10 yearsafter itbegan a

high-levelengagementwiththeAs-sociation of Southeast Asian Na-tions(ASEAN),therelationshiphastravelledfar.Havingstayedoutsidetheregionalgroupingforlong,theel-evationofNewDelhistieswiththeASEANto astrategicpartnershipisaremarkableachievement.India isonly the fourth country afterChina, Japan and South Korea toenter a strategic partnership withtheASEAN.Thebottomline,how-ever,hasalwaysbeen,andwillcon-tinuetobe,economicandtradeco-operation.Almost threeyears ago,India implemented its first FreeTrade Agreement (FTA) in goodswith the ASEAN.The ASEAN-In-dia Commemorative Summit thisweekinDelhisawthe finalisationofnegotiations for the FTA on serv-ices and investment, which, onceratifiedandimplemented,willfacil-itate closer economic integrationofIndiaandthebloc.

Withacombinedmarketofnearly1.8 billion people and a combinedGDPof$3.8trillion,theASEAN-In-dia Free Trade Area (FTA) and theambitiousRegionalComprehensiveEconomic Partnership (RCEP) which would also include China,

Japan, Korea, Au stralia and N ewZealand will redefine the globaleconomic architecture. As it hap-pens,the bilateraltradevolume be-tween India and the ASEAN sur-passed the $70 bn target for 2012

with$80bnin2011.Thenewtargetof$100 bn by 2015 looks eminentlyachievable.The servicesandinvest-

mentsFTAwillnotonlypropelAsiainto a robust manufacturing, serv-icesandinvestmentclub,itwillalsobenefit Indias services sector im-mensely,whichaccountsfor almost60per centof theGDP.This FTAwillalsoprotectinvestmentstopreventaGMR-Male situation. Having saidthat, however, Indias challengeshavejustgotbigger,astheincreaseintariff-freelines,forexample,willde-mandmorecomprehensivereformsfromIndia.

Thestrategicpartnershipbolstersthe political and security engage-ment,withparticularfocusonmar-itime security, freedom of naviga-tionandthesafetyofthesealanesofcommunication,as wellas interna-tional terrorism. The ASEAN haslong wanted India to play a largerrole in the region. The question iswhether Delhi has the appetite tomove beyondits diplomaticsupportforthe ASEANand passivepartici-pation in bilateral defence agree-ments.Thisisnotaboutcontainingor balancing the rise of China, butabout Indias own transition to alarger role. Once projects like theIndia-Myanmar-ThailandTrilateralHighwayor theMekong-IndiaEco-nomic Corridor are completed,SoutheastAsiaandSouthAsiawillbe better able to fully embrace thegeopoliticaland geo-economicsig-nificance the new century hasthrustuponEastAsia.

WEST BENGAL has seena series of incidents ofcampus violence in the

lastyear-and-a-half,givingthelietoChief Minister Mamata Banerjeeselectionpromiseto depoliticiseedu-cation. That was shrugged off sto-ically by the people of the state,which boasts of a long tradition ofstudentrestivenessdatingallthewaybacktotheNaxalitemovement.Butthisweek,eventheywerestartledbyan outbreak of gheraos in whichschool students barricaded theirteachers. The contagion spread vi-rally to fourschoolsin Kolkataandnearbytowns.Atissuewerepre-tests,whichschoolsruntoqualifystudentsto take the Class X and XII exams.Large numbers of students whofailedbarricadedtheirteachers,de-mandingtobepassed.

Worst hit was a girls school in

Kolkata, whose students gheraoed

their teachers for 22 hours, rightthroughthenight.Theirprotestwason the lines of the labour unrest ofthe1970s,whentheofficesofexecu-tives were equipped with beds andwell-stocked refrigerators to with-standprolongedsieges.Theprotestsspreadvirallytothreemoreschools,politicalgroups includingthe TMCbecameinvolvedandthe WestBen-galCouncilofHigherEducationhadtoannounceare-test.

The incident has reaffirmed thepublics suspicion that poribortonactually means more of the same.The TMC had promised to end theera of bandhs, strikes and lockoutsthathadcrippledBengalunderLeftrule.But ifeven schoolchildrenarelaunching gheraos, the politics ofprotestclearlyremainsmainstream,and it is not surprising that Baner-

jee is findingit almost impossibleto

lureinvestorsto Kolkata.

Poriborton?Now an outbreak of gheraos byschoolchildren in West Bengal

WORDLYWISE

CherisKramarae

Feminism is the radical notion thatwomen are human beings.

Eastern windStrategicpartnershipandFTAonservicesmarkprogress

inASEAN-Indiaties. Thechallenges begin now

CANthegovernmentcompelbusinesstobevirtuous?TheCompanies Bill, recently

passed in the Lok Sabha, has out-lined exactly what it expects fromlarge corporations. No less than 2percentoftheirprofitsaretobeusedforsociallyresponsibleaction.Com-paniesofacertaingirth,whichhavea turnover of over Rs 1,000 crore,

valueover Rs 500crore and averagenet profit of Rs 5 crore in the lastthree years, have to set up internalcommittees to choose and overseesociallyresponsibleprojects,and ifthey fail to spend the earmarkedmoneyinanyyear,offeraconvincingexplanation. Obviously, this cutsinto the companys right to use itsprofit in its own interest, as well as

shareholders dividends. Ratherthan seeking to encourage corpo-rate social responsibility (CSR),which is implicitly understood bycompanies now, the bill wants toenforceit.

Thisisnottosaythatcompaniesdonothaveanethicalobligationtosoci-ety. The idea of CS R has been at-tackedfromleftandright.Somebe-lievethatitrevealsa lackof trustincapitalismandconfusionabouthowitworks.They arguethatno special

efforts are needed, that seeminglyself-interested companies in com-petitivemarkets endup serving thecommon good. Others, profoundlydistrustfulofbusiness,thinkofCSRas an elaborate scam to make rapa-cious companies look benevolentandsociallyresponsible.Thesepolesofopinionapart,CSRissimplyapartofthe waybusinesswillinglyworks,includinginIndia.Manylargecom-panies talk grandly of a triple bot-tom line people, planet andprofitthatincludessocialanden-

vironmentalconcernsas partoftheirmission. Given that the costs theyoften impose on the environmentandcommunityareoftenhardtocal-culate, thesegestures ofcompensa-tionarecertainlysignificant.

The problem is in mandating aspecific percentage to be spent onan approved set of projects,whetherskilldevelopment,educa-tion, financial inclusion, or some-thingelse.Ethicalbusinessismorethanphilanthropy.It isabouthow ittreats workers, serves consumers,plays by the rules of a competitivemarketplace, andhow accountableitis.Externalisingthatsenseofso-cial responsibility may not be thebestway forward.

How to be goodCorporate social responsibility should be

encouraged, not enforced

Makeno mistake BSPleaderMayawatimustbehailedfortakingafirmstandonreservationinpromotionforSCsandSTsingovernmentjobs(SPisolatedasRajyaSabha

clearsquotaBill,IE, De-cember18).It ispossiblethatherstrongpositionhelpedtheRajyaSabhatopassthe billquickly. Aquotafor Muslims,asSamajwadiParty chiefMulayamSinghYadavde-mands,isunlikelytohaveapoliticaleffect.If Yadav isseriousabouttheuplift-mentofMuslims,heshouldempowerthempoliticallyinhisparty.Howmanytick-etsdidtheSPgiveMuslimsinits recentlydeclaredlistofprobablesforthe2014LokSabhaelections?

S.FaizanMusannaLucknow

Third timeluckyGUJARATvotedfor whatseemstobe corruption-freeand efficientgovernance(Im yourman:Hat-trickModitoIndia,IE, December21).GujaratChief MinisterNarendraModiseemstoaimat developmentandhasattemptedto makeGujaratan industry-friendlystatewithcontinu-ouspowersupply.

LokeshNagpalLudhiana

LazylawDOESNT itstrikelegislatorsthatIndiascrimerateis alarminglyhigh(SheilaseeksdraftlawtoturnDelhigan-

grapeoutrageintoaction,IE,December21)? Onepossiblereasonfor thisisthelazy legalprocess.Thelargelytoothlesslawdoesnt seemto instilenoughfearin themindsofpotentialcriminals.

PriyashreePalPanchkula

Educationfirst THISrefers toCrimeandControl (IE,December 20).Theproblemdoes notlieonlywiththe fiveaccusedofthe gang-rapeinDelhi.Itlieswithallofuswhohavecontributedto creat-inga deplorablesocietywherewomenare treatedasmereobjectsof enter-

tainment.Weseemto in-dulgeinorignoreeve-teasing,and allowsomeevents toescalateintocaseslikethis.Letsteachourselvesandmore impor-tantly,our childrento re-spectwomen ofall agesandclasses.

VarunSinglaDelhi

Testtrust APROPOSGamechanger?(IE, December20),ViratKohliisstilltooyoungandrawtobeen-trustedwiththetaxingjobofcaptain.Thoughheisdefinitelycaptain material,itisstillearlydaysforhim.Heneedsto concentrateonhisbattingforthesakeofthe Indianmiddleorder,whichhasbeenbadlyhitbythe retirementof RahulDravidand V.V.S. Laxman.Acaptainhastoearntheunswervingrespectof hisside;therearequitea fewseniorson theIndiansidewhomaybetrickycus-tomersfortheyoungstertohandle.In spiteofhis lat-estperformancewiththebat,M.S.Dhonishouldcontinueas captainforsomemoretime.UnderDhoni,the futurecaptainmustbe nurtured.Moham-madKaifwasoncetalkedaboutas afuturecaptain,buthenolongerseemstobeintherunningforthisnationalrole.The transi-

tiontoanewcaptainmustbesmoothand planned,notsudden.

GanapathiBhatAkola

Lettersto the

EDITOR

Letterof the

WEEKTHErecent revelationsthatWalmartpaidlobby-ists in the US to lobby

American policymakerstoinfluencepolicyregardingaccessto the Indian retail market havecaused great indignation amongourpoliticalleaders.Statementsofaffronttonationaldignitybythele-gal lobbying practices of preda-

torymultinationalfirmsinanothercountryhavebeenexpressedbyrul-ing and opposition party leadersalike. While affront is indeed war-ranted,isthistherighttarget?Wal-martsactivitiesintheUS,howeverdistasteful or inimical to some In-dian interests, were legally con-ductedandfullydisclosedunderthe1995US LobbyingDisclosureAct.The rather more pertinent ques-tions who, when and, how didtheirIndianpartner,Bharti,lobbyinIndia; did other interests with dif-ferentpointsof viewgain accesstothisprocessarecuriouslyabsentfromtheheatedrhetoricofourpo-litical leaders. Indeed, the entirequestion of how corporate Indialobbies for influence and at whatcostto itselfandto society,is notaquestionthatour politicalcrusadersseemkeentodiscuss.Whatthisin-cident does tell us very clearly isthat despite the Mundhras, theJains and the Radias, we still relyon random chance and the legalrulesand capacitiesof othercoun-tries to learn what is happening inour own and that indeed is a na-tionalaffront.Theimportantques-tion this incident surely raises is,

why has the reality of lobby ing byspecial interests not been legallyrecognised and regulated in Indiain an effort to introduce at leastsome transparency and accounta-bilitytotheprocess?

Lobbying in the corridors ofpower,whether local,national orinternational,ishowpolicyisdelib-erated, designed, passed, imple-mented and adjudicated in coun-tries around the world, includingIndia.Businessgroupsuseavariety

oftacticsto gainaccessand influ-enceto electedandappointedoffi-cialsinpositionstoinfluenceanyofthese stages. In addition to con-tributing money to political cam-paigns, groups in other countriesshare their technical expertise,providedataand information,tes-tifyinfrontofcommittees,informandeducatethe publicand politi-

calelite throughstudies,presscon-ferences and workshops and mo-bilisetheirmemberstotakepartinralliesand communicatewiththeirrepresentatives. Lobbying holdsboth the promise of democraticparticipation and better policy,andthethreatofcorruptionandastatecaptured byspecial interests.Experience from other countriesshows that the policymaking cul-turethatpoliticalinstitutionscre-ate significantly influences theextenttowhich thesepossibilitiesarerealised.

A wealthofstudiesshow thatde-spite the prolific financial contri-butionsUSlobbiesmaketoelectedofficialsandparties,moneyisnotaguarantorofpolicyinfluencethere.Ratherthereputationsthatgroupsdevelop as providers of crediblehigh-quality intelligence on poli-

cies is a significant source of lob-bying influence. This lesson hasbeenlearnedbyinterestorganisa-tionsincomparableemergingmar-ketssuchasChinaandBrazil.Busi-ness, trade, professional andlabourorganisationsinthesecoun-triesinvestinthetechnicalcapacityoftheirorganisationsand,asacon-sequence,areabletodeveloprep-utationsforservingascrediblerep-resentatives of their members,trustworthy mediators by policy-makersand,educatorsofthepub-

lic and the political elites on themeritsofpolicies.Thisallowsthemto leverage resources other thanmoney theirexpertiseandrepu-tations to influence policy.However, with some notable ex-ceptions such as the CII andFICCI, Indian associations relyheavilyonprovidinglegalandille-galdonationsof moneytoelected

policymakersfor influence.A recentstudy (Yadav2011) re-vealsthe strikingcontrast with an-otheremergingmarketstrugglingwithmanysimilar politicaland eco-nomicchallengesBrazil.Of158business, trade and professionalorganisedinterestgroupssurveyedin Brazil, about 73 per cent citedtheir technical ability on sectoralissuesand48percenttheirexpert-ise on national policy issues as asourceofstrongordecisivelobby-ing influence with elected policy-makers. Incontrast,of179 Indiangroups,only30percentcitedtheirtechnicalabilityon sectoralissuesand23 percenton national policyissues as a source of policy influ-ence. In specific policy situations,54percent,amajorityofBraziliangroups, report using technical in-formation rather than money to

lobby policymakers while only 22per cent of Indian groups couldmakethisclaim.

Instead, 37 per cent of Indiangroupsreportthedirectexchangeofmoneyforpolicyfavoursinthesesituations while less than 10 percent of Brazilian groups reportedthe same. Technical informationwasthe singlemost popularmeansofinfluenceinBrazilwhilefinancialdonationstopartiesandpoliticianswere the most popular me ans ofgaining influence in India. These

numberspaintadamagingpictureofthepolicymakingenvironmentinIndia and unfortunately explainwhy India has yet to dev elop therudiments of a regulatory frame-workfor lobbying.

Ask yourself d o yo u kn owhowyourMPvotedonthelastsig-nificant economic bill?What wasyour partys position and how did

your partyvote? The sad reality intheIndiancontextisthatthemorepertinent question is, did yourparty or your MP bother to showupatalltovoteonbillsthatwouldreshape important policies suchas insurance or intellectual prop-erty rights or pensions in India?Political posturing is surely a uni-versal parliamentary practice, but

when was the la st tim e you wit-nessed Indian party leaders andMPs engaging in a serious policydebate on the plenary floor? Im-portant bills in recent years havebeenpassedinminutes,withlittledebateandoftenwithoutthereq-uisitequorumofMPspresent.Asin the Walmart case, membersseemmoreinterestedinstormingthe well of their parliamentarychamber prior to storming out inyet another meaningl ess protestrather than in engaging in a seri-ous,educateddebate onthe rele-vant issue in this case, regula-tionoflobbyingpracticesinIndia.

Since neither party leaders norMPsseeanygaintotheircareersbydevelopingpolicyreputationswithvoters or their peers, there is littleincentiveforbusinesslobbiestoin-vest in and use policy expertise tobuildproductiverelationshipswithpolicymakers. The result is thatwhile 32 per cent of Brazi liangroupsinthe2006surveyreportedsuffering at least a significant im-pact from the sale of parliamen-tary votes to special interests, al-most60 percentof Indiangroupsreported significant impact. Thisgets us back to our original ques-tion why the process of lobby-ing remains unregulated in India,despitetheobviouscoststo corpo-rateIndiaintermsofdomesticandglobalreputation,not to mentionthelargercosttosociety,andwhywe must infer what Walmart orBharti may or may not have donerather than having access to con-creteinformationthatsuch regula-tion would disclose. None of theparties to these transactions have

anyinterestin acknowledging thedomestic origins of these incen-tivesandpractices.

Yadav teaches political scienceatPennState University,andhas

writtenthebook PoliticalParties,BusinessGroups,and Corruption

inDevelopingCountriesexpress@expressindia.com

Policy influence rests onexpertise and credibility,

rather than money

VINEETAYADAV

Howcorporate Indialobbies forinfluence andat whatcost toitselfand tosociety, isnot a questionthatourpoliticalcrusadersseem keento discuss. Whyhas the

realityof lobbyingby specialinterests notbeen legallyrecognisedandregulated in India?

THE publication of the Pollard review, which examined theaxing of Newsnights expose on Jimmy Savile, was greeted as

a news eventof unparallelled importance.The sched-ules were virtually cleared so that the corporations fearlessinquisitors might turn their gaze upon their cowering col-leagues. Yetwhile thestorm ofself-criticismwas intense,it

was also brief...What is missing is, first, the humility to accept the scale of the

BBCsmanagerialinadequacies;and, second,any sense thatitis re-sponsible notto itsownstaff,butto theviewers not justforthe

qualityof itsjournalism,butfor everypennyof theirmoneythat it spends... The Savile affair might have shaken theBBCtoitscore,butso far, thereare depressingly fewsignsthattherightlessonsare being learnt.

Froma leaderin TheTelegraph,London

Not sorry enough?The BBC must take responsibility for the Jimmy Savile affair with greater humility

PRINTLINE

When lobbying is legal

ONEisleftnumbedafterreadingthefactsandfig-uresonviolenceagainst

women. Yetit iseasy to glossover

thestatisticsandmoveontoread-ingaboutwhatelseiswrongwiththecountrycorruption,ineffi-ciencyandothersuchmalaises.Whatisnoteasytoforget,espe-ciallyforwomenthemselves(and

yes,th ereis a gender differencehere),arethegraphicdetailsof

various formso fv iolence perpe-tratedagainstthem.Delhihasseenextremeexamplesofsuchvi-olenceagainstfemaleinfants,chil-drenandolderwomen,leavingnodemographicuntouched.Under-standingthedepravityoftheper-petratorsmayneedindividualpsy-chologicalattention,butitwoulddonothingtoreversetheharmdonetothevictims.

Descriptionsofthelatestgang-rapeinDelhi,whichhasleftayounggirlfightingforherlife,suggestthatforawomanwho steps out of the house, everymaleis a possiblepredator.Delhisstatisticsshowthat thismaynotbefarfromthetruth.Shemaytryherbesttoavoidtheunwelcomegaze,toforgetthemuttered sexualobscenitiesandfendoff physicaladvanceswithnotmuchmoreathercommandthanadirtylookifsheisnottosimplyresignherselfto enduringtheirbehaviour.

IsIndia,andatthismoment,

Delhi,adifficultplaceforawoman? Itis hard toanswer in thenegative.Aswomentakeonnewrolesand greaterresponsibilities,

theyneedtobeoutinpublicspacemore,notless.Yetpublicspacesarethreateningandun-friendly.Iftheyreducetheiruseofthisspace,theyconcedevictorytotheperpetratorswhogetfur-theremboldened,especiallygiventhelackofanyrealpunish-ment.If,ontheotherhand,theydecidenottobackdownandin-sistonexercisingtheirrighttobeinpublicspaceascitizens,theyruntheriskofbeingraped.They

facetheunenviablechoicebe-tweenmissingoutonlifeandlabouropportunitiesandfacingphysicalandemotionalviolence.

Theirdifficultiesarefurtherex-acerbatedbyarecent,extremesurgeofblamingthevictim.Womensclothes,attitudes,theirveryparticipation invarious occu-pationsandwalksoflife(letusnotforgotthetwoBhanwariDevis,onewhowasgang-rapedaftershetriedtostopachildmarriageandtheotherwhowasdriventosui-cidebyunscrupulouspoliticians)areseentobeatfaultfortheirfateatthehandsoflewdmen.

Area llw omenw hoa reat-

tackedactingprovocatively?Theanswer,clearly,isno,andonedoesnotevenneedtowastetimeelaborating.Shoulditbeconsid-

eredthatwomenareaskingforitiftheyareseentobebehavingprovocatively?The answer,again,isanemphaticno.

LetusnotforgetthatnorthIn-diahasanabysmalsexratio,andamalesurplusinsocietieshasbeenassociatedwithhigherlevelsofsexualviolenceagainstwomen.TheNCRregionisfullofyoungmenwhowillremainunmarriedduetotheshortageofwomen.Unfortunately,thesearealso

menatthebottomofthepyramidwho donot have adequateeduca-tion,jobsormeansoflivelihood.Inapatriarchalsocietyinwhichthemaleisexpectedtobethebreadwinner,theylackself-es-teem.Suchmenareoftenlikelytoexercisepowerandviolenceovertheweakorthosewhomtheyseeaschallengingpowernorms.Pa-triarchytrapsbothmenandwomen in itstentacles. Until andunlessthefluxthatrigidgenderrolesareundergoingbeginstobeacknowledgedandaccepted,weareinforaveryroughperiod.

Wheredowelookforanswerstotheescalationinanti-female

violence and, at another level,againstyoungcouples?Isthegreatersexualisationofsocietyduetochangingnormsandthe

mediasdepictionofnewchoicesinpersonallivestobeblamed?Itisafactthatmanyyoungcouplesarebeginningtoexperimentwithpre-maritalrelationshipsandsexualitymorefrequentlyandopenlythanbefore.Theseyoungpeopleareoftenthetargetsofvi-olence,whetherbykhappan-chayats,parents,otherrelativesoryoungmenwhotakeituponthemselvestoexercisemoralpolicing.Older,traditionalmalesarguethatearlymarriageshouldbepromoted,andcellphonesandotherallegedlytrouble-caus-inginnovationsthatleadtoloveaffairsandelopementsshouldbebanned.Myviewisthatneitherthemedianortechnologyistobeblamedforthecurrentstateofaf-fairs.Whatweneedtodoistofindwaysoftransitioningfromthetypeofrigidgenderrelationswhich promote a view ofw omenasmeresexualobjects.Weneedtoworktowardsreducingtheim-portanceofvirginityandmar-riageinwomenslives.Creativepubliccampaignsongenderrela-tionsandgendereducationinschoolsandcollegesmightbehelpfulinthisregard.

ThewriterteachesatIIT Delhiexpress@expressindia.com

Untiland unlesstheflux that rigid genderroles areundergoing begins to be acknowledgedand accepted,

weare in fora veryrough period.

RAVINDER

KAUR We need to make public spaces less threatening and unfriendly for women

A world of hostility