Dollar would go where
there is peace, prosperity and opportunity.
Interview with Ujjal Dosanjh
January 17, 2003
The Rediff
Ujjal Dosanjh, former premier of British Columbia, was one of the 10
distinguished Persons of Indian Origin to receive the Pravasi Samman
Award. Honoured by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on January 9,
during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the award commemorates individual
excellence in various fields.
In an exclusive interview to Onkar Singh, Dosanjh, who still likes
to think of himself as an Indian child, said he hoped the government
would soon offer dual citizenship to NRIs and PIO with certain privileges.
What was your experience of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas?
This is the first time such an event has been held in India. Like many
others, I had my apprehensions. I think it is a good step to bring in
Indian experiences from many countries and learn from them.
I believe there is internal connection between the Indians and those
living away from their homeland no matter where they are. This connection
ought to be nurtured. It will strengthen those who are living outside.
There is a mutual benefit for all of us if we help each other. No matter
if you left India 500 years ago or a few years back, your heritage essentially
remains very much Indian. We have yet to see what benefit will flow
from this exchange of ideas.
Prime Minister Vajpayee has announced dual citizenship for the Indian
Diaspora in certain countries. Is it really beneficial to you in any
manner?
I think to make the exchange of ideas between people and particularly
Pravasi Bharatiyas is always going to be a good thing. The world is
increasingly becoming a smaller place more of a global village, hence
it is good to reduce as many barriers as possible.
If dual citizenship removes certain barriers, whether notional, emotional
or legal then it is a welcome step.
If dual citizenship make you accountable both in India as well as the
country where you live in, would you take it?
I do not think that is going to be a condition when we are offered
dual citizenship. What I understand is that it means you have certain
rights. But you may not have the right to vote or stand for a public
office. There are many models of dual citizenship. We have to wait and
see what model the Government of India adopts for us. I do not want
to get into the technicalities.
But this offer is limited to a handful of countries. The Gulf nations
have been left out.
I wish the privilege had been extended to more countries. But this
is not for me to decide. It is the Government of India that has to take
a decision. By allowing people back and forth you can dispense with
visa formalities because removal of this irritant would make our relations
with our mother country better.
Did you notice any major shortcoming at this conference?
Frankly I am not an organiser and did not look at it from that point
of view. Even if there were some shortcomings, it does not matter. What
matters at the end of the day is that the collective achievements of
the NRIs were celebrated by India.
What bothers Indians is how NRIs can come back and invest in India,
how to make investment easier. This is a larger question that needs
to be addressed and that is why there was focus on the Indian Diaspora,
because they felt the Diaspora could assist the country in developing
further.
Do you see NRIs investing in India?
Certainly, they would like to invest in their mother country. But the
dollar would go where there is peace, prosperity and opportunity. Where
there is skill and talent to be exploited and used.
India provides a somewhat unstable environment for investment. What
prevents NRIs from making investments in India is the prevailing corruption
at almost every level of administration. There are all kinds of barriers
that do not help in running smooth businesses.
If you can remove those irritants that keep the NRI business community
away, the development of India would be much faster and the growth of
Indians living in villages would be fuller.
But there is corruption in other countries as well.
I feel sad whenever you say India is inflicted with corruption, Indians
turn around and say other countries have corruption as well. They tell
us Canada is corrupt, Japan is corrupt. The societies I am talking about
are by and large free from corruption.
How did you feel when you were honoured at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas?
I had mixed feelings. I was honoured but also felt guilty that instead
of fighting these problems I ran away like a fugitive.
Did you ever dream you would become premier of British Columbia?
No, not at all. On the contrary I never thought I would enter politics
one day. As luck would have it, I became premier of British Columbia.
Now I try to spend more time with my family, trying to give them what
I had taken away from them.