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Money and Muscle Power Cut the Roots of Democracy

Money and Muscle Power Cut the Roots of Democracy

K S VENKATARAMAN

Democracy, spoken of highly as a form of government in the modern era, can easily become corrupt and inefficient. It may become kleptocracy if the people do not understand the value of their freedom; if do not identify themselves with the nation as a whole; if cannot see through the chicaneries of the politicians; if buy the cock and bull stories of the politicians and are ready to get caught in emotional conflicts among themselves; if fail to elect right persons as their representatives and entrust the task of governance with them.

In a country like India, the politicians have a number of cunning schemes to keep the people divided; they use religion, caste, language, region and what not, to create divisions among the people; they tell them mischievous stories with historical distortions and make sure that different sections of the people hate one another. By this they try to develop captive vote banks.

Naturally they attract criminals to political parties and use them effectively against law-abiding majority during the umpteen conflicts shaped by themselves. This helps them to keep well-mannered majority at bay; and to control all political themselves in their control.

In India majority are poor. The politicians are controlling them by bribes and if it does not work, by threats.

For the corrupt politicians, money is not a problem. They are able to grab land, indulge in extortions and run any illegal business with the help of dishonest officials and criminals. With more money, they grow more powerful and vicious. Thus their atrocities spiral up and they make a mockery of democratic institutions, including elections.

For example, let us take Tamil Nadu. Elections have been scheduled on April 13, 2011. Hard cash in crisp notes, totaling Rs.5.11 crore kept in five travel bags on the roof a private bus has been seized in Tiruchirappalli. This is not an isolated case. The unaccounted cash seized during the last few days has touched Rs. 25 crore.¹

Even for a well-educated professional, rupees in crores mean quiet a lot. How can some of these politicians, just by making use of their arrogance and criminal way of life, accumulate enormous wealth within short periods?

The assets of Sai Baba, who has been serving the people for more than seven decades and has followers all over the world, are estimated to be only Rs. 40000 crores! Though for him donations have been flowing in from several countries in millions of dollars, it is only Rs. 40000 crores. By a single scam, a politician is able to swindle Rs.1,76,000 crores within a few years!

In India, full-fledged political reforms, supported by suitably revised constitutional support, are urgently called for. For this, corrupt politicians are not going to take any initiative. It is possible only if our youngsters enter politics in large numbers, drive away the corrupt politicians at all levels and tone up governance by educating and involving laws-abiding majority of Indian citizens.

1.   http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Rs-5-crore-seized-from-roof-of-a-bus-in-Trichy/articleshow/7874772.cms?intenttarget=no

Global Citizenship

Global Citizenship

K S VENKATARAMAN

The humankind has reached a critical crossroad.

There is a glorious path towards global peace and happy coexistence for all. But this path is hidden; remains blocked by a myriad of wrong aims and destructive tendencies.

The other path is attractive, inviting and open; with an impressive Welcome Arch, it keeps us blissfully ignorant of the dangerous pitfalls lying ahead! We have got to make a choice between the two alternatives. Making the correct choice depends on our answers to a few questions.

Are we going to examine our aims more closely and revise them for common good; or not?

Are we going to curb our destructive tendencies and work for human welfare; or not?

Are we going to transcend the man-made barriers like nationalism, regionalism, religious fanaticism, caste-ism, and so on; or not?

Are we going to get rid of the Machiavellian line of thinking that goals justify means, and establish our age-old values of having good goals and equally good means; or not?

Are we going to change our identity with the narrow and self-imposed limits and broaden our vision and sense of belonging to the whole universe; or not?

If the grave dangers of terrorism, drug evil, global warming, population explosion, nuclear arms race and so on should be removed, and if our Mother Earth should be available for our posterity as a planet supporting life, we have to do a lot of re-thinking.

We have to learn to think at global level and mentally embrace all the peoples of the world as our kith and kin. From the level of tribal warfare, we have to elevate ourselves to the level of Universal Oneness. We have to push our horizons of thinking and action beyond artificial borders, to make the emergence of global citizens possible.

All of us should become ready to jettison our evils and admire the good in others. When bad things are discarded and good things are absorbed by every one of us, a tremendous positive change can take place in the world. The glorious path towards Peace and Prosperity for the entire humankind would become visible and open.

Of course, we are not the first to think on these lines and work for global peace and prosperity. Many individuals and institutions, including the UNO have been working for these noble aims.

Let us join them and contribute our mite to the emergence of harmonious global village. Let us do what is possible for us to the shaping of Global Citizen, visualized by several great men of the world, like Adi Sankara who spoke of ‘Swadeso Bhuvanathrayam’. (I belong to the country, which includes all the three worlds.) Let us work for the realization of the wisdom expressed in the ancient Tamil adage, ‘Yaathum oore, Yaavarum kelir’. (All places are my native place; all are my relatives.)

Let us work to spread and strengthen the awareness of being global citizens among all the peoples of the world.