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Challenges
to Democracy:
10th Lecture in the series on
23-11-2007
By Dr.
(Prof.) M.G.S. Narayanan
Eminent
historian, Author, Professor Emeritus,
Formerly,
Director of Indian Council for History & Research.
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"The most tragic and disastrous developments in Indian democracy
are our corrupt ministers, political higher-ups and government
servants who have become anti-people and anti-democratic.."
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Dr. M.G.S.
Narayanan
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I wish to approach the topic,
Challenges to Democracy, from the contemporary political and
democratic Kerala scenario. ‘What does democracy means to me and to
my life’ had been always my intellectual preoccupation, more
especially during the period of political emergency in India.
Nevertheless, one should admit that an ordinary day in Moscow was
far more chaotic and terrific than that of our emergency period.
Communist fascism reigned over the communist Russia where freedom
for speech and expression or right to opinion was totally alien or
never heard of. Whatever was opposed to the party, was deemed to be
a threat to the party and hence was either brutally crushed down or
physically wiped out by force or by coercive means.
Democracy means people of
different ideologies and political affiliations go hand in hand, one
not being a threat to the other. This does not mean a sheer romantic
idea or a utopian ideal. Democracy is stronger and well taken in
England and other European nations. It is interesting to note that
in these nations, religion or church does not have much hold; people
at the most may pay visit to churches at the time of marriage or for
funeral. It reflects the type of spirituality or ethical foundations
that are well founded in their lives. Democracy exists only where
freedom of conscience is respected and duly acknowledged. Much of
the de-humanized and abysmally corrupt realities are covered by the
blankets of hypocrisy and dishonesty.
Family and Conjugal relations in
the West are much healthier, open and sincere as compared to ours.
You won’t find couples in marriage cheating and betraying each other
and continue most dishonestly to make a fake claim of ‘ideal
family’. A culture that is founded in selfless and voluntary
sacrifices will naturally evolve a culture of democracy. As a
result, we remind ourselves of our civic responsibilities and duties
to other fellow citizens as we go on arguing for our constitutional
rights and civil liberties.
The theory of Dialectical
Materialism was devoid of strong ideological foundations, and hence
wherever there was communist rule and governments formed under
communist pattern, those ideologies became redundant and irrelevant;
subsequently those countries got vanished off as they had no message
for their people. Our experience tell us that democracy rooted in
spirituality is obviously better and long standing. Individuals and
collective bodies have no freedom of thinking nor any freedom of
speech and expression in communist rule. Class war concept does not
fit in a democratic system; Karl Marx who advocated the theory of
class war had to leave for England to carry on his intellectual
activity unhindered. It is wrong to blame on Karl Marx for
instigating people for class struggle and revolution as there was no
democratic rule or democratic institutions during his period, any
where in the world.
Today the situations are
different. These ideologies have no relevance in our given
situation, further these ideologies are diametrically opposed to
democratic principles. Because communism never approves
parliamentary democracy. Communists get into the inner portals of
democracy not because they have faith in democracy nor do they have
ideas to build up democratic institutions, but only because they
want to sabotage the entire democratic structure by triggering
explosion from within. The first Council of Ministers who came in
power in 1957 with these political ideologies was anti-democratic in
letter and spirit and hence had to be dismissed for obvious reasons.
Capitalism of Marx’s time and
that of today are not the same. America had to pay heavily due to
anti-American activities of the communists, naturally Americans
created CIA and pumped into it millions and billions to embark
anti-communist activities. Similarly the communists have accepted
huge amounts from the communist Russia as well.
The most tragic and disastrous
developments in Indian democracy are our corrupt ministers,
political higher-ups and government servants who have become
anti-people and anti-democratic. States including Kerala contribute
to the malady by their passive attitude or juxtaposition with the
fascist tendencies. Democratic India is bleeding in Nandigram and
many other places. Despite of the facts, it is really sad and
disappointing that the Union Government of India apparently has not
uttered a word against such anti-people, anti-constitutional,
anti-democratic developments in West Bengal.
If we wish to see the democratic
institutions in India function meaningfully, we should first ensure
that the fundamental rights of the people are well protected and
adequately appropriated. What happens in India today is just on the
contrary; elimination of the opposition or annihilation of the
dissidents will not do good in any democracy. It is also a wishful
thinking to create a welfare state by waging war against people.
Violence begets violence, the counter product of war is war itself.
The only means to protect democracy and to promote its institutions,
is to transcend the democratic structures and systems to further
heights rooted in secular spirituality and human conscience. |
