Theatre of the absurd

Maybe the CIA is interested in the new ‘Kerala Model’

Adlai E. Stevenson once observed that “in America any boy may become president and I suppose it's just one of the risks he takes.” Stevenson, who lost twice as a US presidential candidate, must surely not have heard of the south Indian state of Kerala. But if he had and if he were alive today, the shenanigans indulged in by the rulers of this ‘red state’ would have alarmed him of the risks ordinary folks take by electing dinosaurs to public office.
Kerala, which has been alternately ruled by political parties, which profess to be either Communist or Socialist, has had its share of comics masquerading as politicians, as is the case all over the world. As far as the Communists who rule the state now are concerned, the Cold War is still on, the Soviets be damned. One does not have to search far to get evidence on this ‘discovery’. Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, a veteran of many ‘anti-imperialist struggles,’ has been of late on a roll with his latest discovery that some of the journalists and media houses in the state are in the pay of the CIA of the US of A.
While there have been credible allegations of the CIA trying to bankroll the state’s politicians during the height of the Cold War, the new allegation is no slip of the tongue, the usual excuse of politicians the world over. The dyed-in-the-wool Communist chief minister is emphatic that the CIA is very much in play in the state. He even had the gall to reiterate the allegation in the state assembly. And in the past few days he has gone further ahead by identifying two major media houses of being in the pay of the US agency.
One of the media houses has come out with a strong rejoinder, denying the allegation and also asking the chief minister to use his powers to conduct an inquiry to clear the air. The chief minister, for reasons best known to him, is yet to take up the challenge.
For an outside observer this ruckus in this postage stamp-sized state is all the more intriguing. Is Kerala that important in the geopolitical scenario of the 21st century for the CIA to bankroll a section of the media? Does it have a say in how the federal government policies are formulated? Is it a major industrial state in the country? Does it have a major port or airport, which is quintessential for international trade? Does it have any major university or research institution of even a national stature? The answer is a resounding no. So what is the CIA’s game plan, if there is one?
Kerala does have something to crow about – its reputation as the most literate state in the country. But isn’t there a distinction between being literate and being educated?
The common refrain among Keralites is that they find it difficult to get jobs in major private companies outside the state. They blame this on an ‘anti-Kerala lobby’, a much-abused word that has gained currency in the state as unvarnished truth. But the plain truth is: Most placement agencies say Kerala’s educated job seekers are so raw they are eminently unemployable as they come, except when put through some refresher courses, according to many reports. This only shows the pitiable state of the education sector in this literate state. But does the government care? It is a different matter altogether that Keralites have the reputation of being excellent workers while employed outside the state, far from the reach of the claws of organised labour the state is notorious for. This being the state of affairs, why should the CIA meddle in the state’s affairs, if what the comrade chief minister is saying is right? The state and its Communists for a long time were content with showing off its once famous “Kerala Model” of development. That was till economist Amartya Sen gave them a realty check and said the model was history. So is there a new Kerala Model in the works that the CIA would be interested in learning about?
One can’t say for sure, but yours truly has a hunch. Maybe the much-reviled Cold War villain is trying to get some inside info on the new revenue-generation model, which is in vogue in the state now. Kerala, of late, has become a hot international tourist paradise and goes by the slogan, ‘God’s own country’. Tourism is a good revenue earner. But it is not a patch on the other major, ever-growing source – alcohol, sold exclusively by the government to all age groups.
Recent findings show that the state tops the country in per capita alcohol consumption and suicides. Now, before any one jumps to the conclusion that the millions of litres of tipple are guzzled by the tourists visiting the so-called paradise, let me put the record straight. Last year, the state government made a cool Rs60 billion by way of sloshing the citizens with alcohol. Tourists account for just a blip.
It is well known that this financially broke state is staying afloat on the indulgence of the tipplers and various federal loans. Government employees get their salaries in time, thanks to the generous tipplers. So do pensioners. Since most of the government revenue is taken up for salary payment there is no point in going into the lack of developmental activities. For instance, government hospitals, which the poor rely on, are in a mess. But for the ruling elite, they have the private hospitals. Who cares for the poor, for they are not organised.
Surely, no economist can come up with a better revenue generation model for the state that is opposed to big industry and big business, thanks to the Communists. The government cares two hoots about the population turning slaves to alcohol. The main worry is how to stop the imperialists – the US and private capital. Some wise man famously said: “The intermediate stage between socialism and capitalism is alcoholism!”
In the middle of this looming social catastrophe, comes the hackneyed ‘theatre of the absurd’ storyline of the CIA trying to meddle in the state. Nero’s story is too well known to be recounted. “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves,” wrote Bertrand Russell. “But wiser people are so full of doubts.”
How true.

This article was first published in Oman Tribune