No appointment surprises

Handover of power must be mature

Since the back and forth between Indira Gandhi's Congress and the Janata Party government in the late 1970s, India has seen the unfortunate break-down of an earlier consensus that senior administrative appointments should not be changed when the party in power is voted out. The country appears to be heading for another major change of government. Yet these are not normal times. It would not be a good idea for there to be a major rupture in administration. In other words, the incoming government - though it will be understandably anxious to distance itself from the tattered legacy and administrative incompetence of the United Progressive Alliance in its second term - must nevertheless resist the temptation to make wholesale changes at the top. True, any new Cabinet has the right to work with the best administrative talent they can find. But, also, when weakness in the external sector may flare up any time, and when animal spirits among investors remain subdued, due caution in ensuring the appearance of continuity is advisable. Policy reversals are, of course, a bad idea. However, there are other ways, also, in which companies and investors can begin to worry about administrative instability. The next government should keep them in mind.

However, the current administration, in its last few weeks in office, should also take great care. It is an important convention that no government with so little time to run should tie the hands of its successor. This extends particularly to major appointments. True, the government appointed a chief of naval staff recently, but that was to fill a suddenly created vacancy and was in the normal course of administration. It should not rush to repeat that effort with the post of the army chief. A putative army chief is generally chosen two months before he actually takes over. On this occasion, that would be May 31 - well after this government's term expires. Moving that decision forward would rightly be seen as usurping the powers of the next administration. The complicated politics being played at the highest levels of the armed services about the succession does the military no favours.

Another similar appointment that this government should think hard about is that of the Lok Pal. This official will have considerable power, though not fortunately as much as was originally planned. But, for the credibility of India's first Lok Pal, it would be disastrous if he or she was seen as a stooge of the previous administration. That would mean any investigation of the successor government could be painted as motivated - with problematic results for both the fledgling institution and accountability in general. In this handover of power, maturity must be exhibited by both sides.