By the people, for the politicians?

It was a sign in a car park at Delhi airport that alerted me to the existence of VVIPs in India. The car park was designated especially for them. I couldn’t help wondering, does India really have so many VIPs that another more exclusive category is needed? As it turns out, yes. India has the largest number of VIPs in the world -- almost 580,000 of them! Populous China, in comparison, has less than 450.

Who could they be, and what makes them so important? Much to my dismay, I learned that most are politicians. Those people who, in a democracy, are supposedly elected by the people to serve the people. Yet, in India, they’re pampered with all kinds of perks to serve their own egos. What I really can’t come to terms with, though, is how they’re allowed to blatantly flout rules.

Last week in Mumbai, a political party chief held an official event in a prominent city park. The event took place without police permission, and without the party chief wearing a face mask. “I don’t wear a mask at all,” he retorted when questioned about it. Never mind that the common man is harassed and fined for not complying with the mask mandate. Consequences don’t apply to politicians.

A couple of days later, a leader from the same party complained about people not wearing masks or social distancing at nightspots in an opposing party’s constituency. “Why should action not be taken?” he demanded. How ironic that the rules suddenly matter! Jam-packed political rallies, VIP weddings with hundreds of guests, and other functions all go on despite restrictions that only seem relevant for businesses and individuals.

Meanwhile, in Australia, where I’m from, an irate local homeowner showed how democracy is done differently when he interrupted the Prime Minister, who was holding a press conference right in front of his house, and ordered everyone to get off his freshly reseeded grass. “Sure, let’s just move back,” the Prime Minister agreed amicably, before giving the homeowner the thumbs up and reassuring him that it was “all good”, thereby proving he wasn’t above the lawn...I mean, above the law!

The Chief Health Officer of the Victoria state government didn’t get preferential treatment either, when he visited a craft brewery without a booking during Covid capacity restrictions. The already-full brewery refused to seat him but took a photo and shared it on social media along with an amusing note, “Sorry, you couldn’t get on the beers with us...we hope to see you again once restrictions ease.”

Politicians caught breaking the law in Australia are punished like any ordinary person. A New South Wales state minister, spotted at his holiday home during lockdown, was fined $1,000 and forced to resign. Imagine that! (He put up a fight though, and was reinstated to his position once the fine was dismissed in court). In Melbourne, a state member of parliament was fined $1,652 for attending an anti-lockdown protest. A Canberra politician was also fined $1,000 for breaching state border restrictions. Even a former Australian Prime Minister narrowly escaped being fined after locals saw him outside his zone of residence during lockdown and reported him to the police.

Indians are notorious for disobeying rules. Honestly, I don’t blame them. It starts from the top. A county’s leaders need to be responsible and set the right example for the public. If they don’t, they should be held accountable. How can India possibly develop as a democracy otherwise? Calls have been made to end the VIP culture in India for years but not surprisingly, little has happened. Why would it, when according to V Raghunathan in his book Games Indians Play, one’s “sense of self-worth is massaged only by having the ‘authority’ to break rules”? The blow to politicians’ egos might be too much to bear if they have to start behaving like everyone else.