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Challenges
to Democracy:
4th lecture in the series on October 12, 2007
By Prof. M. Thomas Mathew
Formerly Principal of Maharaja’s college, literary critic, writer,
and cultural analyst.
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"The highly
marketed slogan of our times is that of the religious
communalism. Independent thinking and independent modes of
expressions including art and literature have become targets of
attack by communal outfits." -
Prof. M. Thomas Mathew |
George Orwell in his Animal
Farm has well demonstrated how wicked and cruel an authoritarian
structure could become. When few become “more equal” among the
equals, it gives birth to the emergence of a democratic government.
Fundamentally it is unethical. To dictate on others is bad in
itself. King Luis the Vita of England went to the extent of
declaring himself as the ‘State’.
What is/should be the content of
a nation? The people, or the ruler(s)? Luis the XVIth proved before
us the worst form of political power. The tiger in the jungle could
be better than the government in the State, according to Bertrand
Russell.
Human race can not exist without
a civil structure. God in Bible warned His people that the King
would become a tyrant and disastrous to humanity.
People’s democracy was envisaged
as a remedy to the malady. A democratic government is deemed to be a
system to ensure justice to its people. Democracy becomes manifested
when every one becomes aware of what are the legitimate rights of
his/her neighbour. This should evolve into a civilization. But this
same structure could also become disastrous to democracy. Is
democracy for accumulation of political power or to protect and work
for the welfare of the people – is the fundamental question.
Directive Principles of State
Policy that are equally important as the Fundamental Rights and that
constitute the Constitutional aspirations of the nation place total
prohibition as one of the sublime aspirations of the Constitution
and that the respective government is mandated to implement it by
subsequent legislations. But the fact remains that the government in
India has been reduced to an agency that markets liquor as a sure
source of its exchequer.
The highly marketed slogan of our
times is that of the religious communalism. Independent thinking and
independent modes of expressions including art and literature have
become targets of attack by communal outfits. When our celebrated
poetess Kamaladas who later was called Kamala Surayya was awarded
Ezhuthachan Prize, it was a matter of huge furor by religious
fanatics and extremist groups.
The roots of democracy are in the
respect and honour given to religious and cultural pluralism.
Democracy should provide space to diametrically opposed views and
opinions. What I hate should be hated by my family; what is being
hated by my family should be hated by the society – is the mindset
of the extremists. It uproots the fundamentals of democracy.
Democracy is not ‘confiscation’ of
power and political regime. When we experimented with
decentralization of power by introducing Panchayati Raj, we all
thought it would be free from political manoeuvrings and
manipulations. People’s representatives become brutal tyrants who
plunder public wealth. We just can not look at them and say ‘he/she
is my representative in the assembly/parliament’. Democracy means by
the people and for the people. Whereas we have a distorted democracy
where someone rules the country for himself/herself. Where the quest
for freedom ends, there ends democracy as well.
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