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Challenges
to Democracy:
12th Lecture in the series on 7-12-2007
By Dr.
Rajan Gurukkal
Dean & Head,
School of Social Sciences, M.G.University, Kottayam;
Scholar, Historian, Educationist, Writer and Cultural Analyst
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"We
are constantly reminded of what Adam Smith said, “Every thing
belongs to capital”. Every thing is envisaged, designed and
executed consistent with the designs of capital and in its
favour."
-
Dr. Rajan
Gurukkal
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I perceive there are
predominantly eight challenges to democracy which I would prefer to
enumerate below:
1.
The a-politicization of knowledge
2.
The a-politicization of political parties
3.
Want of transparency in governance
4.
The high-handedness of the caste-based,
religion-based, profit oriented and sectarian organizations and
institutions
(a-politicization of society)
5.
The dwindling of public forums
6.
Market oriented planning and development
7.
The aggressive and unbridled growth of
capital system
8.
Lack of democratic consciousness
(conformity syndrome of a democratic society).
Let’s start with the vociferous,
insatiable and dangerous growth of capital system. Capital always
had its penetrating impacts in all societies. However, at least for
the sake of a debate, there were people who cautiously held a
different rhetoric on capital. That time has gone. The current
agenda of capital is to de-link the people and the State
(government).
We are constantly reminded of
what Adam Smith said, “Every thing belongs to capital”. Every thing
is envisaged, designed and executed consistent with the designs of
capital and in its favour.
 We
collect money from people on many reasons – could be earth quake,
tsunami, draught or flood, what-so-ever it may. Once money is
collected, it goes to the bank and then it turns into capital. Those
who contributed to the cause have no right to ask what next happens
to the money.
Lenin could see the intrinsic
relationship between capitalism and imperialism. According to him,
the State gets imperialistic character corresponding to the growth
of capital. And there were several thinkers who opined t that
imperialism becomes a necessity and in due course indispensable.
This view was expressed by Marx himself in his essays in New Daily
Tribune during late 1950s. Marx was referring Indian situation. He
said, the British model of capitalism will disarm and crush the
historically groomed Indian economic structure.
A concept of democracy that
conforms to the Communist Totalitarianism is a distorted perception
of democracy. We have lost its meaning for more than last three
generations. This is true with not only the ordinary citizen of the
country, but even judges of the apex courts make perverted judgments
and pronouncements that in fact kill the spirit of democracy.
What do we understand by politics
or politicization? Politics is nothing but individuals or groups of
individuals work collectively for common good. As regards democracy,
this is founded on knowledge. In other words, politics is collective
activity based on knowledge and aiming at public good. When
knowledge turns to wisdom, there emerges political consciousness.
 Knowledge,
therefore, has politics. It is inherent in the sensibility how
knowledge has to be made use of or the instrumentality of knowledge
for social welfare/common good. What happens today in our campuses
and universities, the knowledge becomes redundant and loses its
vibrancy and creativity. This does not happen just casually.
Take for example the period when
Mr.Arun Shourie was a Union Minister. He started Public Sector
Disinvestment in the first year with sick units in the public
sector. We had no objection. He moved further in the second year to
semi-sick industries. We still had no objections. In the third year
he became reckless. Yet we did not make any strong resistance. This
process is to be called a-politicization. The nation was heading to
acute solvency crisis. A post graduate student of economics or a
teacher of economics in such a critical situation does not speak out
or get involved in a public debate on the same topic; there is
something seriously wrong with our education and system. There is no
other state in India where such huge number of young men and women
holding masters degree in economics like in Kerala, and their
contribution to the making of democratic sensitivity in the State
has been almost nil. Apparently there is no transparency in
governance.
A-politicization of our people is
typically manifested in the escalating number of Caste based, faith
based religious groups and movements sponsored by religious
hierarchies and communal outfits. We know that the people of Kerala
are substantially political, but only 18% people are having
political sensitivity.
 I
said that we have lost our public space. We shall not be ruled by
sentiments alone. We need transcendence. Nevertheless we place on
history several of our disillusionments. National pride, national
sentiments, hegemonies, ritualistic practices, cultural legacies etc
are imposed on history and consequently it gets distorted and mis-represented.
Education must lead to agitation.
An illumined mind by education should question the distortion and
mis-representation of history. What remain are the remnants of our
eschewed culture and history. But education demands conformity with
the existing system. It prescribes impartiality and neutrality.
Well, neutrality is not possible.
It is not an entity. History is not neutral. History should hold
justice high. History is for the defence of the marginalized and the
vulnerable. Hence it can not be neutral, of curse. |
