The Indian government is in crisis mode following the disastrous lead-up to the Commonwealth Games, which begins next month in New Delhi. Despite spending more than US$2 billion on the event itself, in addition to billions more on updating the city’s crumbling infrastructure, there is a real question as to whether holding the Games will actually harm India’s reputation as a rising power.
In fact, the damage has already been done. The collapsing pedestrian bridge near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the filthy living conditions for the athletes are making the Games an international joke. Athletes from several countries, including Dani Samuels (Australia’s world discuss champion), Christine Ohuruogu (England’s Olympic 400m gold medalist), and Phillips Idowu (England’s world triple jump champion), have pulled out due to security concerns. Poor sanitation, construction debris, and uncovered wiring are making it into the ‘Con Games’ or the Shambolic Games’ as it is being called in the region.
But the incompetence of Indian officials is only one part of the country’s modern narrative. The less well-known story is of the rise of its private corporate sector, which is one of the most dynamic in the world. India has world-class giant companies in areas such as pharmaceuticals, bio-technology, information technology, and professional services. It has built great corporate brands such as Tata that operate across multiple sectors. Tellingly, these private sector giants are in sectors that do not require world-class infrastructure to succeed – India’s great economic weakness and an area that is dominated by the state sector. While India’s state sector is doing a terrible job of enhancing the country’s international reputation, its private corporate sector – still less than 10% of the economy – is underpinning the country’s 9–10% GDP growth and its rise as a great power.
Enjoy the Commonwealth Games the best you can if it goes ahead. But don’t let the spectacle of the ‘Con Games’ detract from the country’s enormous potential.
Dr John Lee is a Foreign Policy Fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies and a Visiting Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington.