Genuine leaders are with people, says Jacob Thomas

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Institute of Management in Government director Jacob Thomas has in an indirect dig at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remarked that leaders "who enjoy people's trust will always be with them" because they are the real masters. At a seminar here on Saturday, Mr Thomas, who is the senior-most IPS officer in the State, said there was no rule of law, which was why people were reluctant to take a stand against corruption. "The corrupt are in a league by themselves and they are in power", he said. 

"Nobody knows how many had perished in Cyclone Ockhi and how many are missing at sea. Nobody has any responsibility. Would this be the official response if those who had gone for fishing were children of the rich? The people wonder why those unable to care for them should continue (in power)", said Mr Thomas. Governance lacked quality. There was little talk of transparency. The Rs 1,400-crore Tsunami fund had not been utilized properly. "If it was done well, Chellanam would have presented a different picture", he said.

The poor would continue to be poorer and encroachers would be overlords if corruption continued unchecked. The anti-corrupt were being isolated and silenced, though not by inflicting '51 stabs'. This is tyranny. You need big ad campaigns when the quality of administration is compromised, he said.    Mr Thomas, who used to be in the good books of the Chief Minister, was shunted out of Vigilance director's post after his reckless raids on officers with good reputation attracted flak. Of late, he crossed swords with the government after publishing autobiographies without prior permission from the administration.