I have shown over this series of posts which begin here that the Honourable East India Company’s Raj in India, conducted by its “covenanted civil servants” trained in classical liberal political economy at their own college in Haileybury was precisely what ushered in a New Civilisation into this vast subcontinent – a civilisation that saw the rise of many Great Cities on our twin coasts, in which private capital accumulation proceeded apace for all, including the poorest.
Since “Locke was their prophet” – and it is Locke who
wrote, “Where there is no Property there is no Justice” (in 1691) – the entire
effort of the Company’s Raj was to preserve and protect Private Property: in
cities and towns, and in agriculture as well.
Simultaneously, unowned lands were homesteaded on a
massive scale, thereby creating new properties – as in the case of all the
“hill stations.” Tea, coffee and other “plantation crops” were also established
by homesteading; and the “production” of these new cash crops added
to overall demand and, hence, prosperity – both in England as well as India.
Also noteworthy is the fact that all the Princely States
were left well alone – friendly treatises were signed, and “political officers”
sent to train these native rulers according to the same classical liberal
principles. The aim was peace – and peaceful trade: not “conquest” by the force
of arms.
During this entire period very little “written law” was
enacted. There was Justice – but no “criminal justice system.” And there was
Property, of course.
Certain advances were made in the field of education –
with the introduction of Western Knowledge, in the sciences, in medicine and
engineering, in law and political economy, and all this was accompanied by the
English language itself, which was the means by which western literature,
poetry and so much more could be appreciated by natives. The New Civilisation
thus saw spectacular “social reform movements” being initiated by the New Elite
– people like Raja Ram Mohun Roy, widely acknowledged way back then as “the
maker of modern India.”
The “Sepoy Mutiny” was not a “public rebellion” – but it
provided an excuse for Parliament to take over India, with
disastrous results that were felt almost immediately. In less that 50 years of
Crown-in-Parliament Raj Curzon had to perforce flee with his capital to
land-locked Delhi!
Since Crown-in-Parliament simultaneously shut down the
Honourable Company’s Haileybury College, the Indian Civil Service (ICS) that
replaced the Honourable East India Company Service (HEICS) was trained as well
as recruited differently – and this was even more disastrous. More and more
written laws and enactments were imposed upon Indian society and more and more
bureaucracies established. Finally, the Government of India resorted to central
banking and fiat paper money with the Reserve Bank of India Act of 1934. The
very next year the Government of India Act of 1935 “democratised” all the
provinces – and a very socialist as well as Gandhian CONgress began its evil,
anti-social as well as anti-civilisation activities, what with enough RBI funds
coming to all their provincial governments to indulge in “education” as well as
“rural development.”
In all of these, the ICS was complicit – as they were with
the “religious majoritarianism” used as a “democratic principle” for the
Partition. No Lockean would have ever agreed – knowing full well that Property
is an Individual Right. Similarly, they were complicit in all of Nehru’s “commanding
heights of the economy,” central planning, deficit financing, steel plants, big
dams and everything else.
I gave the example of Mr. Dharma Vira, ICS, who headed the
National Police Commission in the mid-1970s. The fact that their 12-volume report
was not allowed to be tabled in Parliament is usually interpreted to mean that
at least he “did his best” while the evil politicians as usual thwarted the
“good and honest bureaucrat.” I disagree. Nothing stopped Dharma Vira from
penning a book – or even some newspaper articles – on the vital importance of
his commission’s report, and the disastrous consequences that were sure to
follow if Parliament was not forced to table it and debate its recommendations:
forced by PUBLIC OPINION, that is. These would have remained “historic
documents” – and he would also have lived up to his splendid name.
Dharma Vira was Governor of an already much ruined
socialist West Bengal in the mid-1960s – so he must have retired decades before
he chaired the National Police Commission. He must have been recruited in the
1920s – and therefore complicit in all that happened subsequently. Of course,
ICS training under Crown-in-Parliament in an increasingly socialist Britain
where legislative interventionism as well as trade unionism were rife was
nothing but MISEDUCATION – and he would never have looked back at the centuries
during which India managed perfectly well without any police and without any
“criminal justice system” at all.
Let us now, in the light of the above, look at the vast
socialist bureaucracy of the Indian State today – and ask ourselves the
question:
Is there ONE SINGLE FUNCTION they perform well?
NONE!
The IAS Academy today, in the words of its Director, who
holds the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, is KNOWLEDGE-PROOF!
Self-confessed TAMAS.
And as for the Indian Police Service – they are nothing
but a “mercenary political force,” protecting their VVIP budgetary sources
while tyrannising the people.
Even road traffic safety does not exist anywhere
in India – and neither does the required “expertise” – while the IPS and their
ministers harp endlessly on “security threats” posed by “terrorists.” There are
over 200 battalions of “para-military forces” in the central State’s employ –
and “public order” cannot be obtained. In all these para-military forces,
reports indicate there is “high attrition and suicide” among the lower ranks,
who are “mercenaries.” The IPS-on-top are just Budget-Maximisers.
Let us turn to the Indian Revenue Service – and all the
expropriative as well as unjust taxes now being levied on anything and
everything. How does “regressive” indirect taxation make up the bulk of all
revenue? What does a Capital Gains Tax on physical gold mean – as inflation
rages? What about other indirect taxes on gold – including customs duties,
which have just been raised!
What about the Indian Forest Service? Why is there “armed
rebellion” among all forest dwellers today – while they collect vast Budgets in
order to “protect tigers”!
Or the Indian Foreign Service? I read a small report this
morning on the “need to manage India’s trade deficit with China.” There was
another yesterday on the Indian “diplomat” stationed in China asserting he will
be “targeting” $100 billion worth of trade. How can anyone do any such thing
when all market conditions are “uncertain”? What is this “diplomacy” worth
anyway – when we are virtually at WAR with every neighbouring country.
Today, our Armed Forces must also be considered
“bureaucracies” – and the 30-year old War at the frozen heights of Siachen must
therefore be viewed as BUDGET-MAXIMISATION as well. The Armed Forces Special
Powers Acts in Manipur and Kashmir – more appropriately termed “martial law” –
must similarly be viewed as an extremely evil form of TURF-MAXIMISATION.
Meanwhile, as the “mercenary soldiers” of the Indian Army
battle the elements all year round and the Pakis far less often on frozen
wastelands at a HUGE COST, the petty POLICE constabulary in every city and town
throughout India are viewed by the smallest traders – street hawkers and
vendors – as PREDATORY.
No “crime” is ever investigated and prosecuted properly –
hence CONVICTION in a court of law for any “criminal offence” is a rarity.
Of course, there are hundreds of “lucrative illegal
rackets” going on – the “organised crime” that inevitably results from
legislative interventions in matters such as gambling, the sex trade, and
“highs” like ganja-charas, opium, alcohol etc. The Parliament and their
“empowered police” are PROTECTING us from these extremely “harmful” things!
Indeed! Just as the Gujarat Police are "protecting" Gujaratis from alcohol - read my post while there.
And all this while 250,000 Indians die on our unsafe roads
and streets every single year – and many times more are seriously injured.
What is the MEANING of “security of life, liberty and
property”? Is it the same as "national security"? Or even "national defence"? THINK!
And what about all our PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS – their
so-called “engineers” who are a MONOPOLY in road-construction and maintenance?
And what about their socialist bureaucrat-judges with their monopolistic courts system? Does that work?
CRY JUSTICE!
There is SO MUCH TAMAS in each and every arm of the
socialist Indian State’s vast bureaucracy that it is truly ASTONISHING public
opinion has assigned to this absolutely tamasic entity the task of “education.”
And even agreed to pay a new tax for this. At least I dissented – long, long
ago.
Now, these “natives” are BARRING FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES from
opening here!
Of course, they stopped the English language from
spreading many decades ago.
From then on, natives have been teaching natives in the
vernacular! What “knowledge” is there to be found in all our vernacular
languages, I wonder.
We’ve surely come a long way, indeed!
And its been nothing but tamas, tamas, and more tamas
all along that way.
