India - A Flawed democracy
Statistical Analysis:
Just analyse the result in detail.There are only 2 parameters in which Indian democracy is lagging behind and those are:
political participation : 5.56
political culture :5.63
And the sole reason for this is the diversity of India. Is there any country in the world with 18 national languages, 1800 dialects and culture (cuisines, clothing, traditions) changing every 200 KM?The whole Europe is less than half a size of India and they have so many small countires in that area.Just imagine making Europe a single country with a single democratic government.Then you will see, how bad political culture will develop in Europe. There will be vote banks, political rivalries over languages, regions, cultures and everything (just as we have witnessed in 2 world wars).Looking at this, I will say that India is really the best democracy which is handling so much of diversity without breaking the country into pieces.Nothing in this world is perfect! its upto us to make it! we are atleast far more luckier then our neighbours on each side have had failed democarcy and coups on more then one occasion!more then flawed i would say india is a young democracy.Imagine where USA was after 60 years of independence! that nation was still burning in the flames of civil war till 100 years after the declaration of phelidelphia!
India-a flawed democracy:
India is a flawed democracy, no doubt about that.Considering the seer number of languages, ethnicity, cultures, over and above the extra large population, it is a wonder that India is a functioning democracy. It must be applauded for the achievement.However its flaws lies in places where the foreigners do not look.The flaw lies in its pampering of the minorities at the cost of the majority.We may have to tolerate corruption and violence everyday but at least we have the freedom to freely criticize the perpetrators even though they don't stop doing that.And thanks to the media, atleast some politicians in high office are now held accountable for their actions.
A successful democratic political culture implies that the losing parties and their supporters accept the judgment of the voters, and allow for the peaceful transfer of power.This is again due to diversity. If the party loses an election just on the basis of policies, it will always accept the judgement of the voters with grace.But due to diversity of India, the loss of a political party is not just considered the defeat of its governing policies but also the defeat of the language, culture, region, religion, caste to which it is associated with. In such a scenario, accepting defeat is not easy.India is like a joint family and all these are the ills associated witb a joint family as compared to Europian countries which are like nuclear families.But still, India has the advantages of joint family too.Either we should accept that India is a good democracy or else if we think that India is a flawed democracy, then the only solution to it is nuclearisation of the Indian joint family. (i.e. breaking the country into several small countries on the lines of Europe. then each of the new country will have a very good full democracy)
Problems:
Sort the religious problems out and you will see a totally different government emerge. But as long as we have the muslim population destroying our political system and our religious system and demanding minority rights when there is a mosque everywhere there is a temple, then there is no democracy. We are the only country which is working more or less successfully as a joint family. There is no other country in the world like this. We can proudly say that we the best in the world in tolerance. But if still, some people think that our democracy is flawed as compared to those who are functioning in a nuclear family, then its the nuclearisation which can solve the problem.
Atleast for five years (elcted period), elected representatives are just freed from his/her electorates.There is no law/contraint that makes him boud to obey decision of people elected him.The situation is similarly pathetic in every countries.Even in US, though majority was opposing iraq war now, Bush/b were acting as oper their own sweet will. They are free to do so everywhere.secondly, indian parliament does not represent majority of indians.see how many guys are there from economically backward classes,it is merely a representative body of upper class-pper middle class-landlords, industrialists.
Though democracy is the best available option for us to follow, we unfortunately are faced with some grave shortcomings in its implimentation and framing. to list a few:
1)India's democracy is enjoyed by a certain class and for the rest, it is aking to a dictatorship (as stated by sucheta).
2)Constitution of our country is having some loopholes which allows the politicians to tap votes in the name of religion. untill we fix these loopholes,democracy and secularism cannot really go hand in hand in india.
3)curruption has dettered the lower class people of india from enjoying the fruits of democracy.There are people who are not even allowed to cast there votes or are forcibly made to vote for someone.
Democracy is the only destiny of the world.
The new establishment of democratic governments in the present world are the live example of the sucess of Democracy.In india congress is doing every thing to kill democracy.The way and path thay have choosen will definetly cause loss to Democratic in India.But is an unfortunate thing is they are phosing that they are the only people who gaurd democracy.The recent statement in US by our PM is an example of their acting.I may belive i them if they call these statements during the time of Bihar assembly desolved state or Jharkand conflict or Governors Changing.There is no end for their ill things.
Democracy is never successful in just 61 years.It is an evolving process which takes at least a 100 years.Democracy is now the assumed, perfect system of government.But if so, why are we still so behind than other democratic nations?I think that the main reason why democracy doesn't seem to work in India is that India is a land of disarray or disunity.All this disarray is due to the crippling perversion of our ancsestors called-
caste-system,And when it comes to religions, we are 'born with prejudices'.We think our religion is the best simply because we were born in it.Christians are branded with the term 'evangelists' And Muslims with the term 'over-zealous chauvinists'And so on.And it is this gullible and unworthy people {majority} who are given the 'right to vote'.They are also partly resonsible for converting a 'statesman' into a 'politician'.Result- Thousands of mini-Hitlers, who know nothing but squeezing the common people.And sometimes heinous acts like the Godhra or Khairlanji massacre,aimed for pleasing their respective voting groups.We can't simply go on blaming the politicians,They didnt {atleast directly}kill the people, or rape the women, or burn thier houses.it was the common mass,Our minds are misguided to the point of perversion, and further,
we give no resistance to this.We brag about our unity during Cricket matches, but is that really something to brag about?
In the so called secular country like India where even after 55 years of Independance some people get advantages only cause of their caste and religion,where law changes from religion to religion,where any damn lady can stop the 1000Crore project of dam development,where animals( dogs ) are more important than people.I think democracy has damaged the past,present and the future of this nation.The only option is a visionary leader a positive dectator.Socialism leads to the state being the only powerful institution and consequently powerful bureaucrats become the kings. Things get done on the basis who knows whom and the top bureaucrats become the aristocracy withh every segment of the society at their mercy. If everyone is state employee how many will have the courage to take on the government.
No private property ==> a state of semi slavery. Dictatorship leads to catastrophs and communism or communalism wont suit Indian people.Democracy is the best option and it is the permanent solution for any country.But the way they(politicians) handle in India is pathetic!! At this present situation i may say this only!but if a new set of politicians and government officers who are true to their heart and do their duties in a right manner, I can say Democracy has won.well we have a parliamentary form of government, a vibrant electorate. what the survey doesnt take into consideration is the multi ethnicity of India. Denmark, Sweden and all arent in any way close to being as mutli ethnic as India.Infact Some of my Danish freinds were really amazed at this aspect of India.
Another Independence Day has dawned on us and we have made it to the finish line yet again. Despite its burgeoning population, inflation and political turbulence, Indian democracy has stayed afloat in an atmosphere of destabilizing conditions in the neighbourhood.Among its neighbours, Pakistan can look forward to a democratically elected government, albeit with the army baton firmly over its head; the Bangladeshi army has joined hands with the ruling government to enforce its rule, Sri Lanka is still caught in civil strife, Nepal has seen the ruling monarchy suspend democracy and then give way to a Left victory in the elections. Bhutan is still taking its fledgling steps toward democracy and Myanmar is l under the grip of a military dictatorship. Though China shows great promise of being a source of stability in the region, its human rights record and its brutal crackdown in Tibet has attracted adverse attention.India has successfully demonstrated beyond argument that poverty, massive illiteracy and diversity on a sub-continental scale were not arguments against democracy, they were arguments for it. Although India never was a single entity until the British conquered it, it was able to forge a national identity and unite its diverse people in a feeling of ‘Indian-ness’. Unlike most democratic nations in the world which were founded on the basis of a nationalist invocation of a shared history, religion or race, the Indian nation was founded by a group of individuals who championed pluralism.
The necessity to forge a united alliance against the hostile colonial state and the trauma created by partition put India firmly on the path of pluralist democracy. Thus the fledgling India, which initially used the stratagem of pluralism to remain buoyant, later made it the cornerstone of its democracy because it legitimised the compromises essential for keeping hundreds of jostling identities aboard the good ship India. This was the ultimate political goal: to keep the diversity of a subcontinent afloat in a democratic ark. Everything else was negotiable. India also stands in sharp contrast to other nations in South Asia for the reason that every nation in the region has a religious community that dominates the ethos of that particular country. Thus, Nepal is a "Hindu" kingdom, Pakistan and Bangladesh are "Islamic" republics and Sri Lanka's constitution gives Buddhism and Sinhala, the religion and language of the majority of Sri Lankans, the "foremost" place in the life of that country.An important lesson from the recent history of South Asia is that a democracy that creates two different kinds of citizens rapidly evolves into something else. India didn't go down this road for reasons of history. Pluralist nationalism in the 19th century was invented as an answer to the specific challenges of contemporary colonialism. It was founded on the claim that the anti-colonial Indian National Congress could speak for the nation-in-the-making because its membership included representatives of all of India's people.
We’re 61 and feeling good. World Cup victories in cricket at Test and T20 levels, the Kargil upsurge and the ‘India Shining’ campaigns, this time, the world seems to have acknowledged that we’ve arrived.Six decades back, we were a fledgling republic struggling with our newlyattained identity of a free and independent nation. Divided by former masters, we were now protecting unity.We dealt with shortages, with doom-sayers, with rising turbulence in Asia, with political instability. We fought four wars and one internal battle in the Emergency. We learned to trust our instincts, whether in exploding our first nuclear device, becoming the outsource hub of the world, creating the first T20 World Cup series that has become a byword in entertainment and business.In a host of spheres, we worked hard and demanded respect. We offered the world Tata and Ambani, Mallya and Mittal, and talked about billion dollar fortunes. We gave the world the Big Fat Indian Wedding at the Palace of Versaille and the a stream of whiz-kids from our Big Fat Education System -our IITs and IIMs. Now they are now coming home. Because they want to.Our Hindi film industry is showing we make films for the most suitable sudiences in the world – ourselves. Shilpa Shetty found herself the victim of racism in Celebrity Big Brother and the world cheered when she laughed all the way to the bank.It’s like India is the flavour of the decade. And not a moment too soon. Make that the century instead!
The failure of our democracy is directly proportional to the number of sensible people who don't vote. Middle-class and upper-class people can't stand in the sun for long hours. Hence, their vote goes waste. Also, employed people are frequently transferred, hence, they are not registered as voters in their current place of residence. Even the procedure for changing the address is a long one.I strongly feel that the apathy of a majority of the people is the reason for the failures of our democracy.
You try to change the world will be brushed off, Change your mind,home,street,community,then a country. It all starts in your mind.
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