MyVoice: Views of our readers 16th December 2021

A close look at democracy

Dr Ramu's write-up (The Hans India 15/12/21) brings out a true picture of today's democratic systems in the world. Where is true democracy? In the USA? In Norway? In the UK? or in India?. It is perhaps in our text books, in our speeches. In India, democracy is dead long ago and we are living only with its lifeless body. What we have in our country is a new system of governance called,"Casteocracy".

In almost all our States, this hybrid variety of democracy is omnipotent, and omnipresent. It has many elements in it like regionalism, opportunism, nepotism, red tapism, and above all hero worshipism. In all countries, democracy is adulterated, in some countries while it is 10 to 20 per cent adulterated, in some other countries it is 50 to 80. A pure and unalloyed form of democracy is found only in a handful of countries!

We can also have such healthy democracy in our country if only our society changes and our society changes if only we individuals change. We change if only our laws are strictly implemented, our laws are strictly implemented if only our leaders change. Our leaders change if only we have good laws and we will have good laws if only our leaders want such laws. And who will change our leaders? Before leaving India the British told our leaders of the day that democracy would not suit India and Indians. How prophetic! In other words, we will have democracy, when we remove our casteocracy out and out. And who will do that and who will bell the cat?

M Somasekhar Prasad, Hyderabad

II

Dr Suravajjula's Moot Point titled, 'For a world of peace, trust, and empathy!' (THI, Dec.15) is an introspective narration on democracy. He has aptly said that democracy is a big joke referring to the notion of democracy taken from Abraham Lincoln's 1863 address. He lamented that that over the last 10 years that more than half of the democracies have experienced a decline in at least one aspect of their democracy.

Hid having said that India is a "flawed democracy", "a partially-free democracy" and an:"electoral autocracy" quoting respective reputed agencies abroad. His 5 Cs (communal ideologies, caste calculations, criminal politicians, corrupt elected representatives-bureaucrats, corporate lobbies) are true to the core.

Similarly, he aptly said that politics has become a profession of and business of rascals and scoundrels. He perhaps had George Bernard Shaw's saying, "Politics: the last refuge of a scoundrel: in mind but I wonder as to why what he'd perhaps meant his(English)people's clan and it is well suited to our own of late! Indian PM's remarks at the Democracy Summit that India would be happy share its expertise in holding free and fair elections,and in enhancing transparency in all areas of governance are a mirage as we in practice notice.

China can't be called democracy as it has tyranny in practicality and Pakistan being referred to as 'a real iron brother' by the Chinese diplomat is meaningless as their devastating composure with lack of peace, trust and empathy to the world humanity is a global concern as the peace Nobel laureate Maria's speech at Oslo.

Dr T Ramadas, Visakhapatnam

III

Dr Ramu Suravajjula has correctly summed up that although pluralist democracy is a "nation's greatest strength", yet due to trust deficit and lack of empathy even on minor issues, we are witnessing people continuing to suffer from the perennial maladies of social change where indignities, exploitation and deprivations plaguing the society. It is unfortunate that politicians have been only indulging in blame-game rather than mitigating the problems of the people even as growing restlessness indicate that persistent climate of mistrust is only undermining the legitimacy of the political system further.

In this context, Internet and social media once hailed for creating new opportunities to spread democracy and freedom around the world saw authoritarian regimes surreptitiously manipulating the public opinion only led to violent protests, electoral violence and hatred amongst people consequently giving way to breach of trust and lack of empathy. As this what is happening in our country for years where morality having been thrown in the back seat after taking a severe beating due to anarchy thus confirming what Plato has rightly said "Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men".

K R Srinivasan, Secunderabad

Sick souls and social media

The anonymity of social media platforms is a convenient place for the sick bullies to vent their spleen. Even the dead are not spared. It is no secret that political parties run IT cells which are used to demean and defame their political rivals. If the death of General Rawat was subject to trolling, it happened in the case of Gauri Lankesh and Vinod Dua too. It would be hypocritical to blame one without blaming the other. There can be many reasons for conversion. But to do so because some Muslims were celebrating the death of Rawat cannot be one of them. So what happens if some Hindus celebrate likewise in some other case. Would Ali Akbar reconvert?

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai