[Fsf-friends] Re: And now the Kerala Electricity Board goes Microsoft

[CK Raju]

Earlier reports indicated that the cost of maintaining the administrative=
=20
machinery of the State (the offices and its staff) came close to Rs 5=20
billion. What is perplexing is the view taken by the (brainless) bureaucr=
ats,=20
that they are ready with an alternate 'system', wherein even if Rs 5 bill=
ion=20
per annum (taking the renewal fees of software licenses into consideratio=
n),=20
is given away to proprietary software establishments, the Government can=20
still be run, in a much better way.

Words and ideas fail us in attempting a way out to deal with such a 'corr=
upt=20
bureaucracy' which is  starved of any innovations that can do good to=20
humanity.

If Arundhati Roy lamented that Chief Minister's hands are soaked in blood=
,=20
perhaps we can all say that his bureaucracy's 'minds and thoughts are ful=
l of=20
blood', matching the leader in thought and deed. Dealing with such an evi=
l=20
and vicious hierarchy should be a great challenge, where I fear, even if =
a=20
thousand Stallmans ever emerged, they would still be beaten and sunk into=
=20
oblivion.

Someone advised me the other day, that spending time in learning to live =
with=20
such a condition, would be a much better option, than attempting to chall=
enge=20
or change the views of the 'bureaucracy'. It is the 'rottest',  Kerala ha=
s=20
ever seen or witnessed, a 'burden' for the toiling lot, and a 'shame' for=
 the=20
millions who still aspires to see a prosperous State.

CK Raju