A debate is currently gripping the country on whether or not the very underlying governance structure of the country needs to be changed in order to retool its institutions (central & provincial governments under expanded provinces, judiciary at all tiers, municipalities, etc.) in order to make them more effective and perhaps reset a national mindset on performance and delivery.

The nearer-to-home example that is being touted by the supporters is that of our neighbour India, where, by increasing the number of states and municipalities, governance per se improved, not just due to the resulting manageable sizes, but also because problems and solutions became more localised and often with some distinct faces to identify with.

As a result of this argument, it is opined that ‘Democratic’ India, at almost 80, has not just survived as a nation, but also thrived and emerged as the sixth-largest economy in the world; albeit, the reality may not be so simple, since below the shining surface remains a rather camouflaged story of intolerance and human rights abuses, genocide of minorities and an extreme level of poverty redefined by clever denomination........

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