Monday, September 15, 2008

DEMOCRACY IS NOW AN OLD IDEA-WE NEED SOMETHING NEW

In the current world that we live in things are changing much faster than we could have imagined five decades ago. The way we live is changing drastically, where we live in has changed, how we live is changing the planet, it's environment and climate as well. Terrorism has changed the manner we agitate and wage war...only thing that isn't changing is the way we are governed and how we need to govern ourselves in this modern fast paced world.

Multiple bombs ripped the heart of Delhi last weekend, the capital of governance of our nation, which amply demonstrates how inadequate the current system of governance is. We are an democratic nation, with pretense of being socialist at heart, while socialism and communism have been proven to be totally inept systems of governance and social justice, it's sad no one realizes the Democracy that is pursued in our nation is equally sick and ineffective.

Democracy is an ancient idea, it is 2500 years old, democracy flourished in Greece, and in modern times, while ideas of freedom, liberty, equality and self governance are still appealing and fresh, the delivery system of these ideas have started to do just the opposite...our Democratic structure is such, that none of the ideals are being fulfilled.

This system is so corrupt that even when we wake up the milkman is mixing milk with water, and after we sleep, lobbyist are greasing palms to ensure big bucks rule over the interest of the common man.

Self governance is only a notion, when Lincoln gave the slogan...government of the people, by the people for the people, it was in 1860's, that slogan is taught in the Indian civics books, but in effect it does not exist any longer.

So what exists? The powerful and monied (Bahubali as they are known) and stark criminal record sheeter s get elected to our parliament. Why...because there is a fear psychosis that makes people of the region vote for them.

This is not what Democracy should be...media keeps blaring about these people but what happens? Nothing...why? Because these lawbreakers are lawmakers.

In effect in India and elsewhere, in so called democracies we have a ruling class, where the baton is passed from one generation to another, so what kind of Democracy is this? It sounds more like autocratic Monarchical system.

Now when the power is in hands of a few, we find lobbies behind these power brokers, a system of coterie, sycophants, and parasites forms where people attached to these groups are sticking on for their own benefits...so who looks after the benefit of the common man.

The political parties learn t from the British to rule his country you have to divide and rule, so what we have in our country now is a society fragmented by castes, creed, SC, SCT, OBC and so forth. Local parties are flourishing on these principals and what we get after elections is a fragmented result and a hung parliament leading to coalition governments where all ruling parties have their business agenda and not ruling the nation in mind.

Truth is that governments benefit other economies, whether they are of other countries or large companies and running of the nation is like running of a business corporation in modern world.

So politicians are actually businessmen in garb of serving public, and all this leads us to conclude that Democracy is not actually the Democracy that we thought to be. Then what is the solution, how can we find another system, and bring it into place soon enough. You must have heard it many times that people opine that we need dictatorship to run our nation properly, no that isn't a solution.

So where is the solution? I can see the answer lying right within the problem itself. What are the problems i) Politicians winning due to their power ii)Bahubalis winning due to the fear they create iii) many regional parties playing king makers detrimental to the interests of this nation.

So how do we over come it? We have to take a simple step...which will be a leap towards better governance. The simple step is... ratification of winning candidates by two other constituencies.

For example if a criminal in Bihar wins election sitting in his jail cell, he still cannot win if his election isn't ratified by two constituencies which do not border the state the candidate's constituency is in. So suppose a criminal wins an election vote, but receives veto in Kolkata and Begaluru, he is gone, this simple system will eliminate criminals getting into parliament, this ratification will help reduce the power of King maker parties whose candidates win only in their constituency but have no appeal elsewhere, so while they may flourish in their region they will have no chance at the centre if the candidate isn't worth while enough to get a vote from two other regions.

This will bring two party system back at the center. Not only now the winning candidate will have local mass appeal but will have broader national support as well. Imagine the windfall for the people of India if this happens.

Such a ratification will lead to better candidates coming in, who are more inclined towards the public and they will definitely take the old idea of Democracy forward by listening to people and we might actually see a government of the people, by the people and for the people in our lifetime.

But will this happens? Difficult till we have nepotism and criminals in our politics, we need one good leader to stand up and fight for the Nation's good...where is this 'one' leader? We desperately need him.


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