It has been a few months since It have written on this blog. I would like to say because I was caught up in my very exciting life. But truthfully, the real cause for my absenteeism is good old lethargy. However, certain events in both nation and international news have jolted me out of my state of lethargy into penning my thoughts here.
The popular opinion amongst the educated youth in India regarding politics and governance is something that has always deeply concerned me over the last few years. What we have seen is a trend- the young and restless are sick and tired of the corruption and red-tapism of traditional parliamentary democracy. And one common refrain is- hand the country over to the corporates. One common yet controversial statement that was made about the emergency under Indira Gandhi was "All the trains ran on time". But at what cost? I feel initially at least today's young generation would embrace the idea of an emergency. Until they start realizing what it really entails. Abritrary imprisionment, no freedom of speech and every thing must contribute to the efficient running of the machinery of the state. Produce, produce ,produce. Any dissenting voices must be crushed. But our frustration with the political fraternity often blinds us to that.
Privatisation is not always good. The India we see on news channels in their CCD's and Barista's want everything now. We are the generation that hates to wait. The genration that is used to being pampered and pandered to by technology and the consumer-crazy retail culture. We don't have the patience of democracy anymore. Neither did the Germans in the 1930's. And we all know how that worked out. If our politicans have failed us, we are responsible for we elected them. The answer in my opinion is to not to shut out the democratic process but to empower voters. Vote bank politics only work if we let them work.
And lastly, in a nation that celebrates Narendra Modi for his progress-oriented approach, I will not trade in humanity for a high GDP. I will not accept slaughter and violation of civil liberties in exhange for a few flyovers. And what use is the cheapest car in the world if even that is worth more than a human life in this nation?
So to all the supporters and facebook-likers of Anna Hazare's cause, I don't like the idea of respresentatives for civil society being arbitrarily selected on basis of what you think their achievements qualify them for. The last i checked, I live in the largest democracy in the world. So if someone is framing laws that effect me, he or she better have been elected by a people's mandate. Do not mock my adult franchise. This is not Egypt. We do not really need a revolution. We can actually elect our leaders. We need voter empowerment. That's not convenient and it's not something that can achieved in a couple of generations. But that is what we need. Because, no matter how much you tweet about it, democracy is not obsolete...yet.
