This impetuousness disguised as decisiveness has infected economic policymaking, too. In 2016 Mr Modi abruptly cancelled most Indian banknotes in an effort to thwart money-laun-dering. The plan failed, but not without causing huge disruption to farmers and small businesses. He has pushed through a nationwide sales tax and an overhaul of the bankruptcy code, two much-needed reforms. But the economy has grown only marginally faster during his tenure than it did over the previous ten years, when the Congress party was in government, despite receiving a big boost from low oil prices. Unemployment has risen, breaking promises to the contrary.
這種偽裝成果斷的沖動也影響了經濟決策。2016年，莫迪突然取消了大部分印度紙幣，以阻止貨幣發行。該計劃失敗了，但也給農民和小企業帶來了巨大的破壞。他推動了一項全國性的銷售稅和對破產法的全面改革，這是兩項亟需的改革。但在他的任期內，盡管受到低油價的大力推動，但經濟增速仍略高于國大黨執政的前10年。相反，失業率上升，反而違背了承諾。
Indians hear such criticisms less often because Mr Modi has cowed the press, showering bounty on flatterers while starving, controlling and bullying critics. He himself appears only at major events. He has also suborned respected government institutions, hounding the boss of the central bank from office, for example, as well as loosing tax collectors on political opponents, packing state universities with ideologues and cocking a snook at rules meant to insulate the army from politics.
印度人很少聽到這樣的批評，因為莫迪恐嚇了媒體，對拍馬屁的人慷慨大方，而對批評人士吝嗇有加、大力控制、恃強凌弱。他本人只在重大活動中露面。他還收買了有威望的政府機構，比如迫使央行行長離職，對政敵放松稅收，在州立大學塞滿空想家，還蔑視旨在隔離軍隊和政治的規定。
Mr Modi’s biggest fault, however, is his relentless stoking of Hindu-Muslim tensions. He personally chose as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, a fiery Hindu cleric who paints the election campaign as a battle between the two faiths. Mr Modi’s number two calls Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh “termites”, but promises a warm welcome to Bangladeshi Hindus. One of the BJP’s candidates is on trial for helping orchestrate a bombing that killed six Muslims. And Mr Modi himself has never apologised for failing to prevent the deaths of at least 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, during sectarian riots in the state of Gujarat while he was chief minister there. The closest he has come has been to express the sort of regret you might feel “if a puppy comes under the wheel” of a car.
然而，莫迪最大的錯誤在于，他無情地加劇了印度教與穆斯林之間的緊張關系。他個人選擇成為印度人口最多的北方邦的行政部長，這位熱情的印度教教士將選舉活動描繪成兩種信仰之間的一場戰斗。莫迪的二號人物給鄰國孟加拉國的穆斯林移民打了電話，但承諾熱情歡迎孟加拉國的印度教徒。印度人民黨一名候選人因協助策劃爆炸案而受審，爆炸案導致6名穆斯林死亡。莫迪擔任古吉拉特邦行政部長期間，他未能阻止宗派騷亂，至少1000人喪生，大部分遇難者是穆斯林。對此，莫迪本人從未致歉。他表達遺憾的方式最可能讓你想到“好像一只小狗死于車輪下”。
譯文由可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載。
評論
打印
