Dr Manmohan Singh is an Economist, has a greater experience as a bureaucrat than as a politician and even as a politician is elected to the upper house of Parliament. Mr. IK Gujral, the former PM of India was an acclaimed diplomat, some of the most visible ministers in the cabinet today and many of today's leading spokesmen are well acclaimed lawyers of supreme court of India and elsewhere. Mr. Shinde's qualification for the post of home minister of India is his previous job (however little)as a policeman. Some in the government are well known industrialists. A similar situation exists in opposition parties. In short, many are in politics today (small today but growing) due to their past experience and many cannot get elected on their own, infact many are in the Rajya Sabha - the indirectly elected house. If you look at the people who participants of the Indian freedom strugggle a bulk of them were students of law and political science. They were in politics because they had experience of a lifetime in some or the other form of professional occupation.
Let us come to Indian Democracy - The PM and the cabinet are part of the legislature and not the executive. All the better, because they need to represent people's views to legislate. But then, when one is in Rajya Sabha they are not directly elected - Mr. Nitish Kumar, the popular and well acclaimed mass leader and Chief Minister of Bihar is also from the upper house.
Now, look at the real popular people - The Gandhi's don't want power, they believe in sacrificing, the late Mr. Balasaheb Thakerey preferred a remote control to an office and like him the RSS leadership does not even want to contest elections. There are king makers in the states that control the central government without sitting in either houses of parliament. Mr. Ahmed Patel is not a member of either house, Mr. Deve Gowda will never want to become the Chief Minister while he awaits ashes to rise. All these people want to rule through their people. Power can have many titles and powerful titles many not satisfy all egos. Some may call this power without responsibility and others statesmanship, altruism or sacrifice.
What ever it is - I think we have to grant every body their wish. The cabinet can be assigned to the upper house and strict qualifications can be defined for entering that house in terms of qualification and experience in public service or profession. The necessary requirement is that they have to be elected by directly elected bodies. Well, call them indirectly elected representatives.
This way the intellectuals can have the satisfaction of governing and the mass leaders the satisfaction of power. The common person will have qualified people governing (not ruling) and mass leaders and their ego tempering the government with public opinion.
The Americans do this in a good way with college professors and fat moneyed capitalists in the cabinet.
If only the Chinese get a Lower House.
Last but not the least compare this to an organization. Where do you fit people managers and project managers :). This was the last sentence that I wanted to make.
