I was browsing through the Internet late one night when I came across this article. One read and I was convinced that we need someone like Ma Ying-Jeou, Taiwan’s President in India too.
For all the drumrolls about India becoming the next superpower and world leaders trumpeting it so, our record when it comes to visas is shameful to say the least. So many countries require us to have visas that planning any kind of extended travel becomes positively nightmarish. It is against this backdrop that Ma’s achievement assumes great significance for me.
A country’s standing depends on its citizens going to other places and spreading the culture and values of that country. We need more Indians travelling, but we need a more travel-friendly visa regime for that first. According the latest entry on Wikipedia, we have access to 53 countries where visa rules are relaxed. Of the 53, 33 countries give visa on arrival while 28 countries offer visa free entry. This sounds like a joke when you realise that even among these countries, there are conditions like valid Schengen, UK or US visas and other rules that the list of visa-relaxed countries for travel dwindles to just about 30-odd places on the planet.
Put this in context of citizens from countries like Taiwan being able to go to more than half the world without worrying about visas and the import of Ma’s achievement becomes clear. You really begin to admire Ma after knowing that the number of countries and territories that allowed visa-free access to Taiwanese nationals before he was elected was just 54. Today, that number stands at a mammoth 128 countries and includes countries in the European Union, Japan and now the US. Surely, it’s a coup of sorts to be able to achieve so much.
Lest this post sound like a huge childish lament against bureaucratic hassles and silly visa regimes, let me clear a few other notions. A country’s true power is known among foreign delegates and nationalities based on how clear and free the visa regime is. India has restrictive visa entry requirements and many countries, especially ones in Africa, simply follow a tit for tat policy.
Our leaders, and especially the ministers and bureaucrats running the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seem content letting things lie. They do not seem to see the gains to be had by being a little more pro-active. A liberal visa regime allows not only travel, but also business opportunities that would otherwise simply go to other countries.
I am also surprised by the inclusion of Taiwan on the list of pre-approved list of relaxed US visa, I can understand why the oil-rich Brunei, old business partner Japan and technologically advanced South Korea are in the list of Asian countries. But Taiwan? Is the US using it as a pawn against China? No matter, this has to be seen in light of Ma’s efforts to enable his citizens the freedom to travel anywhere they want, explore any kind of opportunity they may find in any corner of the world, be more culturally aware about the rest of the world and in return change the way they look at the world and vice versa.
Ma understands that removing barriers based on borders is easy if you put your mind to it. There is no doubt in my mind that if he ever comes to India, I will the first in line to tell him to take up politics in India too.
We need leaders who can show India and Indians what a broader vision can do.
