Saturday, Jan 18, 2003
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Kerala
By Girish Menont
No Government in the past has made an attempt of this scale to mobilise investments to turn the State around from a pre-dominantly remittance-consumption-welfare economy to the long overdue investment-employment mode. The very fact that the GIM has snuffed politics as the focal point of debate during the last seven days is itself a reflection of the high expectation the meet has generated. Even the campaign launched by the LDF today to focus on the wrong policies of the UDF Government paled in the pre-GIM fever, though it did highlight the dilemma in store for the ruling establishment when it goes through the paces of Governmental reforms and investment promotion. The State Government has not left any stone unturned in making the GIM a grand success. It is also noteworthy that the GIM is being held in the backdrop of a rare political consensus arrived at the all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony. Barring a few fringe groups, none of the mainstream political parties has opposed the basic objectives of the initiative. In a State which has witnessed the UDF and the LDF ruling alternately and at a time when political divide seems to be widening in an era of globalisation and liberalisation, the political consensus ironed out has helped in building investor confidence. There has been a decisive change in the functioning styles of the ruling coalition, which has been trying to arrive at a formula to give a new thrust to the crisis-ridden productive sectors. In the past, the UDF used to tackle issues on ad hoc basis. But of late, it has been spending considerable time discussing issues threadbare to arrive at decisions. And the outcome: Government Departments, under various coalition partners, have been able to prepare investment proposals for the consideration of the GIM. The controversies over some of the project proposals did give the Antony Government a momentary setback. But the controversies have helped in highlighting the need for more transparency in processing proposals in the post-GIM phase. The post-GIM phase will be a litmus test for the Chief Minister. Through a series of policy initiatives, he has succeeded in keeping in tact the social and political factors that brought his Government to power. When the euphoria of the GIM dies down, his qualities as an administrator would be put to test as he would be called on to take decisions at a faster pace and more assertive at that. He would have to push with the promised Governmental reforms, covering the power sector and public sector undertakings, without disrupting the new-found political consensus. He would have to promote fresh industrial investments even while addressing the issues thrown up by his economic reforms agenda.
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