From: VIJAY OBEROI oberoivijay@hotmail.com
Subject:
To: "CHANDER KAMBOJ" kamboj_cs@yahoo.co.in; TRUNCATED
Date: Saturday, 16 May, 2009, 6:34 PM
Dear All,
For information.
This report was released by the United News of India on May 14. The same has been translated into Hindi and released by UNIVarta also.
· Vijay Oberoi
(Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, Former VCOAS)
..........
Veterans express discontent with political system
By Abhijit C Chandra
Bhopal, May 14 (UNI)
Even as the nation awaits with bated breath the outcome of the 15th general elections, veterans have struck a strident note of discontent with regard to the present political system and the leadership's non-comprehension of the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.
''Perhaps a presidential system will suit us better. It need not be exactly like that of the United States, but we can evolve our own system,'' former Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General (Retd) Vijay Oberoi, PVSM, AVSM, VSM told UNI.
The veteran, who is also President of the War Wounded Foundation, pointed out that the greatest benefit of a presidential system would be that the elected president would be able to choose the best brains in the country to assist him in governance while elected representatives would still be there.
''We have a large number of illiterate persons who do not understand the nuances of elections. We are an emotional people, easily swayed by cosmetics and pay little attention to substance. We are a federal country, but have not given adequate autonomy to the states,'' Lt-Gen Oberoi felt.
The ex-director of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies alleged that the political leadership neither understands nor makes any effort to comprehend the requirements of the military.
''At present, there is no formalised system of having the military in the policy formulation loop. Unless this comes about we will continue to treat security with indifference and the military would continue to get marginalised. The effect on the security of the nation would be catastrophic,'' Lt-Gen Oberoi warned.
In the point-blank manner of an officer, Brigadier (Retd) Prabir Goswami, VSM told UNI, ''not until they (political leaders) spend time at the places of deployment and 'feel' the lifestyle and ethos of the uniformed, apolitical force, would they be able to make sense of it.
“The loss of a soldier's life is not given due importance.'' Wing Commander (Retd) Dinesh Bhardwaj lamented the ''insensitivity of the common man towards servicemen because of games politicians have been playing in tandem with babudom for the past 60 years.''
Lt-Gen Oberoi pointed out that the present political system was adopted as ''our earlier political leadership, being heavily influenced by the British,'' adopted the Westminster Model. ''Britain is a tiny country and in 1947 it did not have the diversity in religion, language, ethnicity, classes and castes as we have,'' he added.
Lt-Gen Oberoi alleged that the Indian political leadership was haunted by a fear that the military might seize power as has happened in certain developing countries that achieved independence soon after India.
''While such a fear could be thought to be reasonable in the first few years of our Independence, there is no logic for its continuance over six decades later and especially when the Indian Armed Forces have proved their dedication and apolitical nature by their deeds,'' he felt.
