Why elites need to listen to the margins

Let’s start with the lament of some intellectuals on these pages suggesting that people who win elections are ignoring them and their views. Could it be that the philosophical discussions these people are having reside in the clouds? In other words, is this intellectualism disconnected from reality?

Philosophy, especially political, belongs to the street in cities and villages where citizens gather and debate issues relevant to the common good leading to a just (not utopian) society.

The correct question is not whether the people who are winning elections are listening to intellectuals but whether, as Sandel said, are the intellectuals listening to the “people”?

There is a backlash against elites in many democratic countries, including India. We need to ask why. Is it because these so-called elites have failed to offer a compelling alternative? Or, is it that their prescriptions have failed and they now want to play the role of a scarecrow running down good alternatives and performers? Maybe, it is also because elites look down on cultural and religious sources of populist appeal.

Politics which is only about economics and ignores equitable sustainable growth and cultural and religious issues will fail over time. The populist backlash is the result of governing elites embracing a flawed conception of politics, economy and governance. Presuming that a version of market-driven finance, trade flow of capital, people and secular politics was the only way forward and ignoring the failure of this to reduce inequality, create employment, or protect the environment.

This was a model that should have been challenged as not meeting the public good, but was not, as it suited the enlightened self-interest of the governing elite.

Over the years, global crises have hurt people at the bottom of the pyramid the most. This could and should have led to a rethink of the model but, instead of an overhaul, we fixed the puncture while leaving the edifice intact. For example, in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008, we had bailout of banks (which bailed out the rich), creating tremendous anger among the Left and the Right, as the poor were left adrift.

As Sandel said, a politics that does not address deep cultural and spiritual sources and the need for a balanced society as forces that move people leads to anger, frustration, resentment and also affects hopes and aspirations.

This is what leads to the success of nationalist right-wing politics which is filling the moral void created by a hollow public discourse that does not address grievances, hopes, identity, and national pride.

During the Independence movement, when Jawaharlal Nehru was a central figure in the 1950s, there was a feeling in countries around the world that to avoid communal conflict and violence, we needed governing principles that were entirely secular.

Secularism is a version of liberalism that insists that citizens leave their moral and spiritual convictions at home when they enter the public space. This was a concept that was never followed from the start or we would not be talking of the Uniform Civil Code 70+ years since Independence. I agree with Sandel that this was a big mistake.

Basically, it is not possible to decide questions of justice, law, rights, duties, and freedoms, and common good without reference to important conceptions and beliefs. People want public life to be about the larger picture of meaning, belonging, national identity. India’s democracy is a source of national pride across all sections of society and continues to be so.

So what happens now?

A lot depends on whether the opposition parties can find the leadership to articulate an alternative governing vision that takes into account the importance of national identity, pride, public expression and have a broad agreement on cultural, social and economic issues.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been able to do so: To address and articulate his vision factoring in national pride, identity, purpose, meaning, social and religious causes, as well as, progress on these issues.

The world acknowledges this is India’s decade because of changes in geo-economics and politics. The secular shift in telecom, technology, mobility, social media and demographics favours India; so do the stars. Let’s catch the wave.

The writer, former CEO and Managing Director of HDFC Bank, is senior advisor to Carlyle’s Asia private equity team