An officer and a scapegoat

 (Statesman March 2014)

The accident on the Indian Naval ship the Sindhuratna and the aftermath stirred the emotions of many. Two young officers lost their lives and seven sailors were injured in a freak accident while performing their appointed duties sincerely. The navy chief took moral responsibility and resigned. All the people involved suffered, some tragically. Their families, well-wishers and countrymen felt very disturbed by what had happened.

This incident has served to highlight the jarring disparity between the thoughts and feelings of the leaders and the led. Young people who join the armed services are typically idealistic and brave, with high integrity and high institutional loyalty. Their political leaders seem to take their fine feelings and their lives for granted.

 There is an example from Mohammed Bin Tughlaq’s reign where the peasants who were forced to pay taxes despite having suffered famine just ran away and hid in the forests. Agriculture came to a standstill. There may come a time when people do not feel safe enough to encourage their children to join the services if good quality leadership is not provided at the very top of the command chain.

From what we read and hear it becomes quite apparent that some old navy vessels are in a worn down condition and some outright unsafe. Some of the spare parts are of such an antiquated vintage that they are not manufactured any more. Procurement of parts or vessels has not been given the expert consideration it deserves. Expecting sailors to commandeer unsafe ships is callous.

Procurement and repair of naval vessels to my mind should be the sole prerogative of senior naval officers and should not be left to beaurocrats or politicians. Someone who has spent a lifetime knowing the ins and outs of vessels clearly has a better perspective.  Officers who have reached senior positions have passed rigorous boards at several levels and have the capability and the intelligence to handle big decisions themselves.

The current hierarchy which puts most of the decision making in the hands of the minister and beaurocrats holding the defence portfolio does not seem to be working too well. The navy service professionals spend most of their time in work related tasks, but increasingly, their political masters are burdened with political turmoils leaving less time for understanding the finer intricacies of naval functioning.

Immediate and corrective steps should be taken in view of this incident. An urgent evaluation of all vessels by technically competent personnel and the ones declared unfit should be condemned. No personnel should be allowed to be on board an unfit vessel.

The services and their officers have always enjoyed a fine reputation and enviable traditions. Officers have a well- deserved special aura about them as they are brave people of high integrity who give a lot and ask for very little in return. It is extremely demoralising for them when they are treated like cannon fodder and their safety disregarded. It is also a sad culmination, when an officer by dint of hard work and capability reaches the rank of chief, only to be made a scapegoat for the inefficiencies of others. I feel our officers command and deserve far far greater respect than that.

The accident on the Indian Naval ship the Sindhuratna and the aftermath stirred the emotions of many. Two young officers lost their lives and seven sailors were injured in a freak accident while performing their appointed duties sincerely. The navy chief took moral responsibility and resigned. All the people involved suffered, some tragically. Their families, well-wishers and countrymen felt very disturbed by what had happened.

This incident has served to highlight the jarring disparity between the thoughts and feelings of the leaders and the led. Young people who join the armed services are typically idealistic and brave, with high integrity and high institutional loyalty. Their political leaders seem to take their fine feelings and their lives for granted.

 There is an example from Mohammed Bin Tughlaq’s reign where the peasants who were forced to pay taxes despite having suffered famine just ran away and hid in the forests. Agriculture came to a standstill. There may come a time when people do not feel safe enough to encourage their children to join the services if good quality leadership is not provided at the very top of the command chain.

From what we read and hear it becomes quite apparent that some old navy vessels are in a worn down condition and some outright unsafe. Some of the spare parts are of such an antiquated vintage that they are not manufactured any more. Procurement of parts or vessels has not been given the expert consideration it deserves. Expecting sailors to commandeer unsafe ships is callous.

Procurement and repair of naval vessels to my mind should be the sole prerogative of senior naval officers and should not be left to beaurocrats or politicians. Someone who has spent a lifetime knowing the ins and outs of vessels clearly has a better perspective.  Officers who have reached senior positions have passed rigorous boards at several levels and have the capability and the intelligence to handle big decisions themselves.

The current hierarchy which puts most of the decision making in the hands of the minister and beaurocrats holding the defence portfolio does not seem to be working too well. The navy service professionals spend most of their time in work related tasks, but increasingly, their political masters are burdened with political turmoils leaving less time for understanding the finer intricacies of naval functioning.

Immediate and corrective steps should be taken in view of this incident. An urgent evaluation of all vessels by technically competent personnel and the ones declared unfit should be condemned. No personnel should be allowed to be on board an unfit vessel.

The services and their officers have always enjoyed a fine reputation and enviable traditions. Officers have a well- deserved special aura about them as they are brave people of high integrity who give a lot and ask for very little in return. It is extremely demoralising for them when they are treated like cannon fodder and their safety disregarded. It is also a sad culmination, when an officer by dint of hard work and capability reaches the rank of chief, only to be made a scapegoat for the inefficiencies of others. I feel our officers command and deserve far far greater respect than that.