DailyPost 2642
BEDLAM DEMOCRACY
Democracy is the political manifestation of a polished / civilized society with liberal thinking, transparency, based on quality education and the will and welfare of the people being so conspicuous so as to give a clear feeling that it is being lived day in and day out. If this is not the civilizational status at the advent of that democracy in any nation, then certainly the trajectory of the nation is clearly charted out in a similar manner. The legal mandate might be at some technical differences with each other, yet the goals and modalities remain the same. Going by experience, it has not turned to be either that bland or that similar.
That democracy can have so many variants is turning out to be a revelation to the world. Every nation has its own variant of democracy and it is out to prove that it is the most puritan or the best that it can be in the given circumstances. One odd element of democracy is taken out of all proportions and that is declared as the be all and end all of the practice of democracy in that nation. The tragic part is that the numbers have gained immense brute power, and anything can be done with. A political party is a caged parrot across the globe and you can extract whatever you want out of it, if you have gained total control over it.
Talk of decency, decorum, discipline, lack of respect, of dignity, of dialogue, creating ruckus, suspension, dharna, no debate worth its salt, media as hitman, and social media as a war zone seems to the kaleidoscope of democracy, which is being presented to us. This is not what the members of the Constituent Assembly would have bargained for. Persons in constitutional positions are getting pained and hurt by expressions of their own ilk, seems to have taken the parliament to a new or high depending on way you look at it. People in public life has never been touchier. Face the flak and yet deliver well is a truism of public life.
The suspensions or percentage of members of parliament shown the door at the current juncture, would be highest in any truly functional democracy ever. Democratic debate does not seem to be happening either inside or outside the parliament. The psyche of numbers and electoral successes is speaking out. The battle lines are drawn. Winning the ego battle is more important than taking out the shine from our robust functional democracy. It has generally been difficult to find MPs referring to the constitution or to business rules, but in the current situation, they have taken in to a totally different level. A multifaceted bedlam is what democracy has been brought down to. Still the bills are moving on their predetermined rites of passage.
A BEDLAM DEMOCRACY IS A DEMOCRACY AT CROSSROADS.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.