----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 7:49
AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] DEMOCRACY HARMING
INDIA: LYNGDOH
Dear BK:
What do YOU think of Lyngdoh's comments?
I see them this way:
* He mistakes
'desi-deomkrasy' with Democracy.
*
'Western-style democracy' is an animal of the same genre'
as
'Indian Secularism'(as distinct from the real 'secularism'),
an
aberration, a semantic creation to explain the disorientation
that desi-demokrasy has degenerated into.
* It is quite
obvious that Lyngdoh is just as discombobulated as
so many other
desi-intellectuals, politicians and assam-netters
by what goes on
in the name of democracy in India and is clueless as
to why it is
so.
But he does make some good points about the US push to open up markets
for mega-corporations to go peddle useless goods to developing societies in
the guise of promoting 'democracy'. However, the two are not
inseparable. If anything, true grass-roots democracy ( as opposed to
desi-demokrasy) would be an effective means to combat this particular
evil.
Lyngdoh's comments underscores, once again, the very disturbing reality
that Indian pretensions of democracy is profoundly broken and that even
India's best cannot seem to realize why or how and how to turn things
around.
And once again I hold out the hope for an enlightened Assam to lead the
way in the sub-continent with a reformed, true democracy. But we know it
cannot happen
under the current, degenerated Indian system.
Best,
c
At 1:51 AM -0500 12/23/05, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="UTF-8"
Content-Language: en
Dear Netters
I reproduce the synopsis of the following talk as
reported in the Assam Tribune today. It is an eye-opener to all the
right-thinking people of India, I think. Hope there will be comment on
it.
Bhuban
![www.assamtribune./115299A4.gif]()
Guwahati, Friday, December 23, 2005
![]()
Democracy harming India:
Lyngdoh
By Ajit
Patowary
GUWAHATI, Dec 22 - The present rot in our polity is the
result of the electoral politics we are practising in our country. Elections
have done great harm to the country. The electoral interests of the
politicians are dividing the people more and more. Politicians are
specialising in all ethnic and caste problems. They don't want to solve the
problems. This may push one to surmise that perhaps democracy has done more
harm than good to the country.
This was the observation of former
Chief Election Commissioner of India James Michael Lyngdoh, the recipient of
the 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Award. He was talking to The Assam Tribune
here on December 18. He was on a three-day visit to the State since December
18 to deliver the Dr Amitabh Chowdhury Annual Memorial Lecture on ethics and
good governance.
He said that it was also important to note that more
democracy, as has been suggested by some leading intellectuals of the
country, is not the cure to the ills afflicting the country and its polity.
Democracy has now been reduced into a disguise to promote capitalism.
Capitalism is what matters more in today's world.
When the
authorities in the countries like America advocate democracy, they in fact
advocate capitalism- the interests of the big companies of their countries.
Love for the people always takes a back seat in their schemes of
things.
India is also treading the same path. The western form of
democracy has destroyed the Indian tradition of democracy. The western
system of democracy does not suit our society. The western way of judicature
is also not suitable to our people. Some of the institutions that we have
today are also not best suited to our life or people, he said.
Modern
technology does not create jobs. It rather cuts jobs. In the United States
of America also, the growth rate of the country has nothing to do with the
common people. The growth rate of eighth per cent that has been often
boasted of by the rulers of our country as their achievement, is rather a
product of the information technology. It has nothing to do with agriculture
with which majority of the Indians are involved. The American type of
development that has been sought to be pushed through is not suitable for
our country, he said.
But, for all the ills afflicting the country's polity today
politicians are to be blamed first of all. For, they are put in the helm of
affairs by our Constitution. If they become corrupt, everyone becomes
corrupt. Politicians are the yardsticks in this matter. No doubt,
bureaucracy in our country is worst than the politicians in matters of
corruption, said Lyngdoh.
Politicians have also led to distortion of
human nature in regions like the NE region. One example may suffice to
explain this. In Ladakh, both the Muslims and the Buddhists do not practise
family planning. The desire to emerge as the decisive group in electing the
lone MP from the region is so dominating the psyche of these two communities
that each of them now wants to beat the other in the number game.
The
situation is such in the country today that on one-third of the country's
area, the sovereignty of the country is not in effect. This part has gone
either to the militants or to the anti-social elements. We are very close to
the time of Robert Clive, when everyone in India wanted to be
separate.
Commenting on the genesis of the present rot that has
affected the Indian society, he said that the present insanity for placing
the individual interests ahead of the collective's started quite some time
after the death of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Indira Gandhi spoilt all
the institutions, including the Supreme Court. Communalism also raised its
ugly head during her rule. There is no comparison between the father and the
daughter.
After the death of Nehru, we have a different type of
politicians. Many of them were not even properly educated. They made
politics their profession. They were out to make money and nothing else.
There of course was and still there is, a number of young educated and
professional people in politics. Many of them had or have their own
businesses. But their interest lies in the corporate sector. Some of them
see the USA as the land of opportunities because of their education in that
country. Though they have come back from the USA, their hearts are still
there in that country.
With such people in the helm of affairs and
capitalism going mad and running wild, money is everything today. At the
expense of the group and community, it is now the glorification of the
individual, which is putting everything on the back burner, said the former
CEC.
And hence, there is no public investment practically in
agriculture, education and health. There is no emphasis also on these
sectors by the Government, he said.
Then what is the way out from
this morass? He said that with the corporate sector advancing and the state
retreating in recent times, days are not far when the corporate sector will
discipline the politicians of the country. But, that is in no way going to
help the common people of the country, he said assertively.
_______________________________________________
assam
mailing
list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_______________________________________________
assam mailing
list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
