Just the other day I was watching the classic military-courtroom thriller of 1992, A Few Good Men.
This courtroom scene from the movie is a favorite for many including me. "You can't handle the truth", Colonel Jessup starts and goes on to tell why he feels the death of Santiago, while tragic, saved lives.
I couldn't help but consider this an analogy to the situation the Government of India (GoI) is in today after the two high profile scams - 2G spectrum and coal blocks . Not that I blame them, for even in the movie Colonel Jessup comes across as a tough master who merely removed Santiago, the rotten apple who could have spoiled the barrel.
This is probably what the GoI would speak if not for the fear of assault by Opposition/Civil society/Media/Judiciary on it. And when I mean GoI it means any party that sits on the captain seat and steers the country.
"Son, we live in a world that is globalized, and the companies that drives the economy need to have their raw materials (Coal.?!) and resources (2G spectrum.?!). Who's gonna give it? You? You, Mr. Anna Hazare? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for lost revenue, and you curse the Government. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That the scams, while tragic, probably saved jobs in the dire economic situation. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, drives the economy and in turn your lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on the driver seat, you need me on that seat. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very financial freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you to become a politician/bureaucrat and design policies. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to."
The original quote however is here.
We might hang people like Colonel Jessup for human rights violation but when in difficult situation like a war, it is people like him whom we look to. I am not justifying or defending the government, it is just that - Power corrupts, deal with it, losers (anti-corruption brigade)!
Another of my favorite quote comes to my mind, from the movie Die another day. One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter! Not all of them can be satisfied and everyone has their defenses and justifications!
