FEAR BUILDS ITS PHANTOMS
Notwithstanding the spate of scams which have spilled out
in the recent past into the public domain, the NDA job scam has mobilised
opinion within the serving and veteran community of the Armed Forces and the
Army; about the pathetic level to which rectitude and probity has nose dived in
the official conduct of senior officers; to a new low in all times. I did a
story on what was reported by the news media about this latest of scams in the
‘Cradle for Leadership’, but with a different perspective drawn from my
knowledge about things as they obtain and experience in the Army. The essence
of the story is the ‘wheel within a wheel’ type of situation which prevails,
wherein, the perpetrator of the wrong is inveigled into doing so by the
authority which is essentially there to prevent it from happening. This did
receive a large response from the brotherhood to which we belong and all were
unequivocal in their condemnation of the incident and urged me to continue with
the good job of writing forthrightly and in a sledge hammer style to make my
point. It can well become a forerunner to many more such stories and writings,
which castigate and haul the guilty over the coals, with a single point agenda
of cleansing the System of muck, and more muck A
former commandant of a premier officer’s training establishment in Mhow, who
was aware of the desire of students to do well in their career courses and
achieve above average grading; probably much beyond their ability and capacity
to do so by fair means, exploited this tendency by euphemistically ‘stealing
the affections of a brother officer’s wife’. Not only this, acts of financial
impropriety of all dimensions, big and small, are done under the umbrella of
official protection provided by the superior officer, who is placed in the
military hierarchy to ensure that it does not happen. Most important inquiries
that are conducted in the Army, which are meant to investigate into financial bungling
and material misdemeanours, are manipulated at the behest of the convening
authority, to dilute the quantum and degree of the wicked deeds. Unless a
senior officer has been blatantly stupid or else has rubbed someone in the
organisation on the wrong side, the chances of his misdeeds getting discovered
are very remote. The market forces have equally seized the officer cadre in the
Forces and in an attempt to keep up with the Joneses, they too have yielded to
the glitter of lucre.
The Annual Confidential Report (ACR), initiated on
officers is an effective and worthy instrument to evaluate individual competence,
ability and potential for growth within the organisation. Any suggestion to do
away with this practice is considered detrimental to the interest of the Forces
and its leadership, because, there is none better, as of now, to replace it
with. Be that as it may, the reporting system is also hemmed in by the fact
that, the ACR is initiated and reviewed by superiors and humans, in a linear
manner. This is where the problem is, given the culture which has besieged its
officers in the wake of the economic liberalisation, material affluence,
growing middle class and falling values; where success is pedestalised in
society, irrespective of the means to it. Rank in the Forces is a symbol of
this societal success, which has become the Holy Grail for most ambitious
officers to get, at any cost. Along with career growth in the Forces which is
identified with rank, are the accompanying privileges that attend upon
seniority and status. Moreover, the political leadership in the country which
is mired in gross acts of venality and impropriety lacks the quality to inspire
and enthuse; instead providing an alibi for acts of unrighteousness at most
levels of public life and which most unfortunately includes the Forces, too.
But, howsoever corrupt the politicians, bureaucracy, corporate world, lower
functionaries in the civil administration and the judicial system may be; it
can never be used as an argument to justify and reason growing corruption and
lack of probity and rectitude in Service life and living.
The likelihood of something unwelcome happening is an
unwelcome emotion which consumes the young leadership of the Forces, more so
when it approaches the transition stage from a junior to a middle rung leader;
just about to grow in rank and become a commanding officer. The three
essentials of leadership, which adorn an officer’s personality being character,
competence and courage are judged by his superior and reported on. The
cumulative assessment of the reports, among other inputs, becomes the basis for
promotion and growth. For the two traits of character and courage, the
assessment is personality oriented and subjective, to a very large extent. While
physical courage is tangible and can be assessed objectively, it is the moral
courage, the sine qua non of character which becomes an unfortunate casualty in
the being of a competent officer who rightfully nurtures an ambition to grow
and get promoted. Competence is seen and evaluated on the basis of course
results, examinations passed, nominations for higher learning, instructional
tenures and execution of command at the ground level. Therefore, this is
largely empirical and quantifiable in its perception and not much scope remains
for its manipulation, except in manoeuvring to obtain an improved course
grading than what is deserved, and improve one’s profile to accrue qualitative
advantage thereof. The military values imbibed by the young and junior officers,
their degree of military motivation and proclivity to live a clean and upright
life, slowly starts metamorphosing into something quite distant and at variance
with their ideal in an insidious manner, till such time the damage to their
personality is complete, irreversible and self justifying. The lure of rank, privilege
and lucre sacrifices character at the altar of success and greed. All such General and equivalent ranked
officers, who have gained notoriety on account of their venal actions in the
recent past, travel through a similar path of expediency than righteousness.
The transformation is what produces a long list of such officers who disparage
the reputation of the Forces and do discredit to its image.
The choice therefore, for a young and junior officer who
has not as yet been bitten and contaminated by the poison of corruption, is to
make a solemn commitment to himself, to seize the first opportunity which comes
his way to stand up against any wrong that gets done , and more so that of his
superior. Because, it is only then that he will be able to overcome the
phantoms which are more fearsome than reality itself. And, reality when calmly
analysed and its consequences willingly accepted looses much of its negativity
and terror. I am sure, the young and junior leadership of the Forces abhor
murkiness in their life and living, which is contrary to the high ideals with
which they join the Military; and which gets idolised in the credo of their
respective pre commission training establishment of the Army, Navy and the Air
Force. So, if you want a better future
for the Forces and the Country, ‘make it by choice and not by chance’.
‘The Rebel with a Cause’
Brigadier (retd) SD Dangwal
+919410900051
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