A Criminologist’s Diary-24

Economic Recession and Employment Industry

The economic recession in USA affected adversely their employment market and potential. Many became unemployed and it affected very badly several countries including India. Unemployment is a social problem and it has powerful impact in causing crimes- sometimes in an indirect way. Criminology of 1930-1960 in the west devoted a lot of time in studying the relationship between unemployment and crime. But in India, particularly in Kerala, researches after India's independence took another direction and studied how could the unemployment be converted to vote bank and abused for political advantage.

"Unemployment in Kerala" according to me is an industry - an industry to manufacture manpower for political advantages. The more are the unemployed people, the more frustrated they become. The politicians misuse or abuse the energy of the frustrated unemployed to strengthen their political party. They really want energetic people to shout slogans, to conduct dharnas, to participate in demonstrations, strikes, bandhs and hartals. The employed people do not get time to waste and to actively involve in many political activities which are negative and destructive in character and nature. Unemployment is a live problem against which the politicians trigger the unemployed. The Naxlalism and similar problems like the agrarian unrest, communal clashes, political strikes,,labour disputes etc. need manpower to fight and precisely for that ,the politicians want the manpower of the unemployed which is readily available in plenty. Although they promise employment during their election campaigns and plead for more employment potentials, many of them do not mean much by that and they are not at all serious. For them,' Unemployment 'is the industry and they really want more and more unemployed youngsters throughout the State. Many States outside Kerala did develop industrially and the Keralites are at a standstill- sometimes going back with strikes, stoppage of work, destruction of property etc. Some people who want to live without working get political patronage. The notorious 'NOOKUKKUULI' [i.e., getting wages for just seeing the head-load work by others] demanded by some class of 'unemployed' people supported by political parties, is an example in point.

Hence, though 'unemployment' is a serious problem throughout the world today, it is an industry manufacturing people to strengthen political party membership in Kerala. There is all likelihood for further strengthening of the 'unemployment industry' in the years to come for political mileage. In such an industry, the economic recession is a blessing in disguise- a God given gift in every sense for the politicians.