For years, governance remained closely associated with politicians, their prodigious sons, and even lawyers. There were instances of non-politicians joining the force, but the numbers remained comparatively lesser. But now, a lot of young people, including MBA degree holders, are joining the political force to help take governance to the next level.
“I’m happy Indian government is witnessing change for the good. A lot of young people are joining the government and are being elected too,” Minister of Civil Aviation, Praful Patel, said while addressing a national conference organized by All India Management Association (AIMA) on ‘Promoting Excellence in Governance’ on July 21, 2009.
Addressing the gathering including eminent corporate world leaders, seasoned politicos, faculty and students of top MBA schools in India, the minister said, “Governance, though it is very complex, can be improved if bright young people join the force.” The moment openness and receptiveness comes into governance, it will change the way governments function, Patel added.
Praising AIMA’s efforts to bring people representing the Indian government, corporate leaders as well as participants from different MBA schools under one roof, Patel said, “Over a period of time people have been losing faith in the government. Earlier, serving the government used to be something to pride about. But lately this mindset has changed.” People, particularly the young India passing out from India’s best MBA schools, engineering colleges and leading universities, have been shying away from government services, he lamented.
“This,” he said, “needs to be changed.” Patel emphasized on the fact that the aspiration levels of Indians has gone through tremendous change and said, “Earlier there was no pressure in governance, but now it’s not the same. The pace of government has been put to test.” This change can very well be gauged by looking at this year’s elections which saw participation from a large number of MBA degrees holders, some from top MBA schools of the world.
Eminent among those holding an MBA degree in the present political system are Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia. Pilot holds MBA degrees from IMT Ghaziabad as well as the Wharton School, U.S.A. Jyotiraditya did his MBA from the leading US MBA School, Stanford University and has also worked as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. Although Rahul Gandhi doesn’t hold any MBA degree, he worked with management guru Michael Porter’s Management Consulting Firm, Monitor Group, for three years after graduation. Entrepreneur and businessman, Nandan Nilekani, too, recently joined Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as Chairman, after resigning Infosys Technologies Ltd as co-chairman.
Patel expressed that people think politicians enjoy ultimate freedom, but it’s not so. “I get a lot of brick-backs for my decisions, but I take them up in good spirits and think what should be done to improve. The Indian government is only about 60 years old and still has a long way to go. It certainly has a lot of improvements to make, too, but I feel people who are being governed should take equal responsibility.” Patel emphasized that people like him can only be the drivers for growth and vehicles for change in governance.
Taking the discussion forward, the Chairman of AIMA Centre for Public Governance (CPG) K. Jairaj said, “The CPG has been dormant from some time, but now we would like to take it forward. AIMA, through the CPG, expects to facilitate a cross fertilization of good governance practices across the Public and Private sectors.” The two-day AIMA National Conference on Promoting Excellence in Governance, held in New Delhi, was organized to discuss transparency, accountability and the role of young leaders in better development outcomes.
