2023 G20 Summit: Needed, a smart city for our hard-working politicians

Because men and women of eminence gathered together to solve all the problems of the world need peace and quiet. (Photo by Aaron J Hill via Pexels)

Recent events are a pointer to the problems faced by political leaders in discharging their sacred duties while keeping the hoi polloi at bay. Indeed, it is clear that the political class across the world deserves its very own City, not just a few thousand acres tucked away in the toniest parts of congested metros.

Look at the inconveniences the visiting dignitaries and their host have had to go through during the recent G20 summit in Delhi. Here they are, men and women of eminence gathered together to solve all the problems of the world, a task which needs peace and quiet. Instead, they have to contend with 32,941,000 useless people, spilling onto streets they have no business to be on, to reach destinations that are equally insignificant. All this while lounges had to be readied at airports and even the airspace cleared for the arrival of the royalty from abroad. No wonder that flights were curtailed, while schools and colleges along with offices and shops were closed.

After all, what is more important, a few thousand students missing classes for a day or two or a gourmet meal of 16 dishes for leaders of countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia, who are doing so much to promote the wellbeing of their citizens and the rest of the world. Education before politics is such a preposterous idea.

So what if one of the invitee nations just paused talks over a proposed trade treaty with India which has been in the works for 13 years. And its leader continues to be soft on an out-and-out terrorist grouping in his country whose stated aim is the breakup of India. The red carpet must be rolled out for him and all signs of normal life banished from sight to ensure his delicate sensibilities are not offended in any way.

The problem is that despite such cleansing, dangers still lurk. An errant dog walker or an unfortunate soul who needs urgent medical attention or an old parent choosing those three auspicious dates to arrive in the city, has the potential to poop the party.

Which is why the final solution is a capital city exclusively for those who are card-carrying members of the political class.

To be fair, the wisdom of this idea has struck many nations across the world. A good example is the land of the free which created a permanent seat for its federal government (made up usually of politicians and civil servants) as far back as 1790. Today the Washington elite usually keeps to itself, rarely rubbing shoulders with the homeless and the jobless on the streets of Chicago and San Francisco.

Washington's example was taken up by its frenemy Pakistan, which built Islamabad as the seat of its military (government). In the years since, many countries have seen the wisdom of taking their rulers far away from the folks they rule. Thus South Korea built Sejong City, while Indonesia and Egypt are in the process of moving the seat of their governments to Nusantara and New Administrative Capital, respectively.

Successive Indian governments have been smarter. Instead of taking the horse to the water, they just reversed the sequence. In a best of both worlds scenario, they built the city around the Parliament. And when the Parliament became too old and too small to house their rising ambitions, they just moved it a few kilometers away. Now if only they could have an airport all to themselves and an underground road that leads directly out of the city without having to suffer the mortification of having to stop or, as over the last few days, cease normal traffic.

It's in no way an unreasonable ask. Used to palatial homes in the snazziest parts of the city with gardeners, sanitation workers, horticulturists, and cops in constant attendance, their growing needs call for a bit more space.

That's the least an ungrateful citizenry can give them in return for all their hard work. After all, governing a nation or opposing those who govern it isn't an easy task.