Working of a democracy

— Dr Navanita Medhi
We are now living in the age of democracy. Almost all the countries of the world are expected to establish democracy. But actually what is a democracy? Is it a form of government or a way of life or a way of living? There are various theories which define democracy in various ways. However, the all-accepted meaning of the term ‘democracy’ is that it is the government of the people. So, in a democracy, people must have a voice in the governance of the country. All sections of people must take an active part here. In a democracy, people have various roles to play – as a good citizen, as a sensible electorate, as a responsible social participant, as a constructive critic etc. That means, living in a democracy, one must feel that he or she is participating not only in the political life but also in the social life of the society. Participation in a democratic form of government consequently leads to the inculcation of democratic values in the society. Unless, the society accepts the values of democracy, it can not ensure or succeed. The people should have faith in democracy and make every effort so that it can deliver its best to them.An assumption regarding democracy is that it persists only in a capitalist economy. Capitalist economy believes in limited government where individual is free from state control in economic and social spheres. But in India, capitalism is not the basis of democracy. Accepting a socialist economy, democracy has been established in India. The colonial rule in the country had a great impact on the establishment of democracy after independence. The introduction of western education by the colonial rulers and the leadership of the nationalist movement by some western educated elites had contributed to the growth of inclination towards democracy - belief in the freedom of the people, equality of human beings and justice. Other contributions of the nationalist movement are the values of tolerance and togetherness.India is a country with a diverse population. To keep this diverse population united was a big task for the early leaders in the initial period. Even today, demands and grievances from various quarters have been coming and the secessionist activities are also very active. Yet, the Indian democracy has been moving forward passing through the critical phases at times. Indian politics has experienced changes over the years. It has been accommodating various forces into it and has made them integral parts of the system. It is obvious that in a pluralistic society, the system has to be flexible and yet stable. One party dominant system is no longer available in India although the Congress party is one of the strongest national parties. Various political parties have made their way into Indian politics. Not strictly based on clear ideologies, these parties enter electoral politics on the basis of some social, political or economic issues. Smaller parties working, particularly in various regions of the country are playing important role.Because of the emergence of a number of political parties, it has become difficult for a single political party to secure absolute majority in Indian Parliament. This has been a great challenge for a country for sometime which even led to the instability in the political system. But the political parties in India realised in no time that the hung Parliament is going to be a feature of Indian politics and a coalition government, the only alternative.The Indian electorate has been behaving as mature enough while participating in the political process. They have become conscious about good governance. They are also aware of their share of rights in the democracy. Now-a-days, the Indian electorate prefers only those political parties which articulate and give prominence to the genuine problems of their daily life. So, the political parties have to accommodate smaller issues of particular regions or communities along with the bigger issues of national importance to get going in politics.The emergence of various social movements and social groups is also strengthening democracy in India. Peoples’ movement for the protection of the rights of the local people, interests of the tribal groups, degradation of environment, against exploitation of the weaker sections, etc are gradually strengthening the base of democracy. People in general are getting motivated to make those in power realise what they actually need. Peaceful protest rallies, demonstrations are justified methods of agitation in a democracy. In India, people are now taking these methods to protect and promote their rights and liberties. In midst of the countries which are struggline for the survival of democracy, India has been growing as a formidable example of its own type. This may be because the democratic values are strongly gaining ground in our country.It is true that there are various instances in our society when people are not enjoying equality and their rights are violated even by the authority. On many occasions, they are denied justice. But such happenings are openly criticised and their remedies are also demanded accodingly. Our political leaders are very much aware of the fact that they can not cross the limit put by the laws of the land and are to exercise power with wisdom and sagacity.With the passage of time, popular participation has been increasing in the governance of the country. Particularly people are finding interest in casting their votes at different levels of election. Voting percentage has been rising not only in the rural areas but also in the urban areas. But what is important at this point is that people should vote according to their conscience. They should not be influenced by the vested interests of the political parties. They should be cautious that only better and sincere people get elected and a responsible legislature and an efficient government can be formed. Democracy stands not only for the rights and liberties of the people, but it also requires that people perform their duties properly. It is necessary that people behave rationally and responsibly in the society. Democracy will succeed only when people will help it to succeed. No doubt, India has been proving itself as a vibrant democracy in the world, still it has scope to go further up the ladder. For this, the people should always promote democratic values and remain alert that rule of law prevails. source: assam tribune

Corruption all the Way

Corruption all the Way

Sabrina Iqbal Sircar

Corruption not only has become a pervasive aspect of Indian politics but has also become an increasingly insidious factor in elections. The extensive role of the Indian state in providing services and promoting economic development has always created the opportunities for using public resources for private benefit. As the government regulation of business was extended in the 1960s and corporate donations were banned in 1969, trading economic favours for under-the-table contributions to political parties became an increasingly widespread political practice. In fact, corruption has come to be so indispensably associated with politics in India that politics cannot be perceived separately from corruption. This was reflected when The Times of India conducted a poll in 2003 on 1,554 adults in six metropolitan cities and found that 98 per cent of the public were convinced that all politicians and ministers were corrupt, and 85 per cent were of the opinion that corruption was still on the rise.Besides this, even Transparency International, a Berlin-based NGO, in its latest corruption perception index (CPI) ranked India 72nd in a list of 189 most corrupt countries of the world.It needs a deeper observation as to why corruption is so rampant in the Indian state. Here not only the authorities but also the people are to blame. The Indian civil society as such is not a very active but a relatively passive whole, in comparison to its counterparts in other countries. Any critical psychoanalysis reveals that the Indian masses are more tolerant to nepotism and other such corrupt practices. People in India are not very keen to raise their voice to illegal methods. Besides this, the government officials are also not guided by the standards of moral judgement. The notions of virtue and honesty are rather utopian to them.It is argued by critics that corruption started in India right after independence. They say that Nehru had legitimized corruption by tolerating it amongst his ministers, and his daughter Indira Gandhi institutionalized it by holding the posts of both the Prime Minister and party president.Corruption on a wider scale began in India after the fourth general elections of 1967. This election marked the entry of a new interest-oriented political elite into Indian politics. And that was the beginning of a never ending and vicious cycle of corruption in the country, which continues till date.Considering the widespread corruption in the country, the government took various measures for containing the menace, but the measures did not yield fruitful results. Various committees like the Vohra Committee, the Gorwala Committee and the Santhanam Committee were appointed, but there were loopholes in the implementation processes of these committee recommendations.For this, again, the lack of transparency and accountability in the system are to blame. The Indian system is like a system of veils and covers which provides hundreds and thousands of opportunities for indulging in corruption. Not even a single wing of the government is free from the aggravating menace. Even the judiciary — which is supposed to be the guardian of the state — and the Constitution are in the grab of this problem. A former Chief Justice of India has observed that about 20 per cent of the judges are corrupt.Besides this, there are other kinds of data which really present a rather dark and gloomy picture of the political future of India. According to a report of the Election Commission (2003), out of 425 MLAs in the UP Assembly, about 125 had criminal records.Even after such data was made public, there was not much reaction from the masses. This gives a boost to the corrupt political and electoral practices. Indian politics saw several humiliating cases which were a disgrace to the entire nation and the leaders as a whole, but even after such incidents, corruption continues unabated in our society.Actually, politics in India has become a dirty game involving money and power, and the people have come to believe that it is nothing but a futile attempt to try to reform or correct the process. Anyone who raises a voice against the corrupt holders of power is silenced by using violent means.Abuse of money and muscle power to stay in power is a common and characteristic feature of Indian politics, and this feature as it appears is here to stay.We need a revolution to change the political scenario. Leaders are supposed to be guided by value standards and expected to secure public interest rather than their own parochial gains. Indian politics needs to wake up to this truth.A strong, vigilant and alert civil society is a prerequisite for this and we can start by restructuring ourselves as an active mass of people. A prime reason for the flourishing of corruption in Indian politics is that there is no active resistance to it. Let us act before it is too late. source: sentine assam