Governance deficit, graft extremely serious issues: Premji

BANGALORE - Wipro chairman Azim Premji Friday reiterated that governance deficit and corruption were extremely serious issues for the future of the nation.

Enough is enough. The situation in the country is extremely serious for its future and it is important that people in leadership give constructive suggestions to the government to rectify the situation, Premji told IANS here.

Referring to the open letter written Jan 17 by 14 eminent citizens, including himself, to national leaders on governance deficit and corruption, Premji said though there was a response from the government, he would like to maintain the sanctity of the dialogue than making it public.

We have given some recommendations on what the government should be doing to implement them. We will be in dialogue with the government, including the prime minister and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson on the issues we have raised, Premji told reporters here.

In the open letter, the noted citizens expressed concern with the general deterioration in the overall value system of the nation. They were also alarmed at the widespread governance deficit almost in every sphere of national activity, covering government, business and institutions.

The topmost responsibility of those at the helm of the nations affairs must be to urgently restore the self-confidence and self-belief of Indians in themselves and in the state. The biggest issue corroding the fabric of our nation is corruption. This malaise needs to be tackled with a sense of urgency, determination and on a war-footing, the letter pointed out.

Premji, however, wanted the media to aggressively pursue the issues of governance and corruption with tenacity and hoped many other leaders will follow them in checking the drift.

My request to the media is to have the tenacity to follow through on issues of governance. Dont give up. Once the news worthiness is gone in the short run, we find that the media gives up and gets on to something else. The media has huge powers, far more than we will ever have in terms of how it can bring it to public notice, Premji observed.

Terming the kind of transformation in Bihar incredible, the IT czar recalled how Hong Kong was able to turn around from once being one of the most corrupt nations in the world.

Besides Premji, other eminent citizens who were signatories to the letter were former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) chief Bimal Jalan, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, former Hindustan Lever chairman Ashok Ganguly and Godrej & Boyce chairman and managing director Jamshyd Godrej.