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| Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raises the Seoul Peace Prize trophy at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times |
By Oh Young-jin
Which is wrong, the award or its recipient?
That is the question I had as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to Seoul to receive the 14th Seoul Peace Prize that has a handsome cash award.
My answer is that the award is more wrong than the winner.
The reason goes back to when Modi's selection was announced in October.
The award committee said that it chose Modi for his contribution to improving the livelihood of 1.35 billion Indians; enhancing humankind's welfare, thereby global peace, and stabilizing Asia-Pacific regions.
First, how has he improved the entire Indian population's lot?
True, under Modi, a business-friendly leader, India has continually registered hefty growth but the Subcontinent nation has registered higher growth rates before.
It is an exaggeration to say he has touched the lives of all Indians, not to mention improving their lot. The number is just too many to be done for the five years under Modi.
Henny Sender, a Financial Times expert on India and China, has discounted India's potential against that of China.
Modi's economic policy is regarded as populist, apparently trying to curry favor with the poor voters on the lower rungs of the caste system.
In one controversy, the central banker was shown the door after a row with the Modi government. Other controversial economic measures included demonetization. It also has been reported that Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party may lose its majority at the coming elections.
Then, how about Muslims among the Hindu majority?
Modi has been a Hindu nationalist since his early days and served as governor of Gujarat, the westernmost of India's 29 states, while Muslim massacres were under way. The committee explained that the Indian authority found no incriminating evidence to prove his involvement but it has been disputed.
The committee's claim about Modi's role in global peace remains a moot point, with his "Act Asia Policy" destined to clash with China, as with any expansionary policy of a large country.
There is an even chance that Modi could be a greater leader, with much of his agenda up for grabs.
The committee apparently selected Modi to cash in on his hot-ticket personality. But awarding an incumbent is often a risky affair. If the committee had the commonsense to give Modi the award sooner, it could have saved itself anxiety over the potential change to his political fortunes.
