Today, there are two narratives which dominate any discussion about the Army. The first narrative is about corruption in the Army, of how officers are not looking after the needs of our soldiers, and the mistreatment of the sahayak. We might shake our heads and say that this is a campaign by uninformed people, primarily for TRP ratings. However, it can’t be ignored because some respected people in society are also questioning the state of the Army. An eminent academician recently wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister asking him to clean the rot in the Army.
As officers, past and present, it has now become important to convey the true picture of the Army. Why do I appeal only to the officers? Samuel Huntington, in his famous work The Soldier and the State, wrote, “The enlisted men subordinate to the officer corps are part of the organizational bureaucracy but not of the professional bureaucracy. The enlisted personnel have neither the intellectual skills nor the professional responsibility of the officer corps.” Written in 1957, this statement is today considered very controversial as it appears to downplay the role of soldiers, but there are shades of truth in it. I know I am opening myself to being accused of having a colonial mindset, but I think this needs to be clearly said.
We also have to close ranks and present a united picture. Social media groups are abuzz with messages criticising senior leadership and the arms-services divide. This issue needs to be tackled on priority. We have to be able to resolve matters within the organisation without people resorting to appealing to courts and the Armed Forces Tribunal. An organisation like the Army which genuinely cares for its men, should not be seen as pitted against them in court. I believe that a transparent approach addressing concerns and aspirations of all sections of the Army is not difficult to find. I am aware that our Chief is seriously looking at these issues.
Let us all come together — serving and retired. There is little point in looking at the society and saying that the Army will only mirror these standards. We have our own ethos and values. Shashi Tharoor, in India, From Midnight to the Millennium, writes, “the best of India can only be preserved by insulating the army from the pressures of the worst of India”.
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