Weakest Democracy

Selecting a less musty apple from a bunch of stale fruit would eventually lead to severe health problems. Same is true while electing a sleazy candidate as a nominee of yours in the government to frame rules and regulations for you. Choosing a bad from worse won’t solve a country’s problem. However, it can vitiate the present system of governance to even much pernicious state. 

India’s soi-disant Mahatma once criticized the representative democracy as emblems of slavery. He added that it is a superstition and an ungodly thing to believe that an act of a majority binds a minority. 59% Indians turnout to vote in the last general election that were held in 2009. Mathematically that meant 41 percent of adult Indian voters refused to take part in elections. Approximately 37% out of 59% voted for the Congress to rule over them. 15% Indian voters went with NDA while the rest voted for the third front. Ironically, the biggest share was of those Indian voters who didn’t want any political party to rule.

Yet, the UPA government with a minority of votes claimed the right to govern i.e. rule the whole of India. Such obtrusion of human rights isn’t new to India. India claims to be largest democratic country in the world still views of large educated section of the society are unheard purposely. Democracy by definition means the government by people. That means there must be an alternative if majority of people aren’t in support of any political party ruling over them. 

A question peeps out in my mind that when majority of adult educated Indians aren’t in support of a mass plebiscite in the form of general or assembly elections than why are we bearing down the load of democracy? Isn’t it stupid than to pay tax from your hard earned money in order to run a democratic alliance formed by minority of people? Often we hear various governments using misleading word “consent of the people” as a refuge to hide their incompetence. Consent of the people is again a very perturbing notion. Did Indians signed any legislative document or agreed upon any contract?

As a whole it all looks gloomy and imaginary like a fairy tale and we are forced to not only accept but also respect it. Also, why never did the majority that didn’t want any political party to rule over them revolted against this brutal practice? The answer is simple yet complicated. Majority of Indians never cared whether their country follows democratic principles or some other form of governance. The government never allowed majority of Indians to take an active role in the formation of government. Fallacious stories like politics is dirty were furnished from the beginning to prevent educated Indians to take an active part. Involving educated people directly in the mainstream political scenario of the country was always resisted. Instead, services involving government like banks, railways, etc. were created to make people work under an authoritarian rule. 

What’s the solution? It’s hard to reap out completely an established form of draconian practice. The best possible way I see is not to vote. Still there are minority of people believing in a failed democratic dictatorship and will go out to vote.

Time to Change | Views expressed are personal | Figures might vary.