Power is addictive.

Last Tuesday we witnessed the US elections which may or may not have changed the balance of power in Washington. At least it was a spectacle, full of surprises and extremely enjoyable. Depending on what you read, left wing or right, there are detailed analyses of the role played by enormous amounts of money, minorities, women, young people, older people, working class whites and strategic mistakes by the parties. Another so called election is going on in China where a party Congress, consisting of over 2000 delegates will select the next Standing Committee of the Politburo and the General Secretary who will then go on to become President of China. Everyone knows that it will be the present Vice President, Xi Jin Ping but we have not been told of the names of the others although this has been decided behind closed doors long ago. The outgoing President, Hu Jintao spoke of the importance of increasing democracy at the local level and the dangers of corruption to the party. He strongly urged that corruption must be stamped out or the Communist party will be in danger. But will it? It was shocking to see the previous President of China, 87 year old Jiang Zemin arriving with Hu, shaking hands with those on the dais and then occupying a front row seat, his face creased in a permanent rictus. It is said that he has been working behind the scenes, criticising the present leadership and working to get his nominees into key positions. Why should anyone give up power and the perks that go with it? Local officials become enormously rich grabbing land from the poor in the name of development, controlling industries and banks and the money that comes from the center. They become very wealthy with expensive cars, designer clothes and mistresses to enjoy life. It is one thing to talk about eliminating corruption but will it ever be possible? After all, the extended family of the present Prime Minister, Wen Jia Bao is said to have assets in excess of $1.3 billion. While China has one party and the US has only 2 India has a multitude of parties vying for positions of power. Most parties are headed by a family and all members work to protect and enhance the family because that is the source to wealth. With so many parties coalitions are common which is where a small party can reap rich rewards by getting hold of key ministerial portfolios. The DMK's control of telecom is a typical example. Everyone in the party gets a share of the loot that follows. However even with over 39 ministers, as in UP, not everyone can be accommodated which leads to lots of heartburn. So politicians start whining for smaller states which will allow more governments, many more ministers and myriads of opportunities to loot. Uttarakhand is a vivid example where so much black money has been generated that land prices are comparable with Delhi. It is not just that power corrupts, which it does, but that criminals are naturally attracted to it. Term limits are a must.