DailyPost 295
WHITE HOUSE UNDER SEIZE!
Going by the cover story of the Time Magazine, Red Handed , the Russian meddling of the 2016 US Presidential elections, is all set to hog international headlines, for quite some more time now. The sordid saga is a timely reminder of what modern democracies lack & with all the checks & balances of a matured democracy, the most powerful nation, has ended up being an butt of ridicule, internationally. Though democratic elections are supposed to throw up the most acceptable & by its inbuilt logic, the most competent person democratically, to lead the nation.
The coterie (of family / relatives / friends) culture has plagued democracies the world over, both at the federal & the provincial levels. It seems to be no different from monarchies, at times. Real democracy as a modern system of governance should have the capability, not to allow extra constitutional powerful individuals, to be created, who more often than not, mar the fate of nations. The national agenda take a U turn, as we witness the unfolding Trump Drama, barely in the sixth month of his presidency.
A clique with vested interests thus created runs the show. How the will of the people of the people gets translated into whims & fancies of a clique, nobody knows. Top political executive / officials are changed or fired at the drop of a hat, if found inconvenient. Hopefully, at times, inbuilt checks of the democratic system catches up, but who pays for the lost time, effort, money and lack of progress. Plus a nation being ridiculed. The voters / citizens remain hapless spectators, who in the eyes of law, are sovereign.
Social media has added a new dimension to the unraveling story, with the President leading the pack, with his Twitter messages, electronic media lapping it, maximising its TRP, the election manifesto lost, in the process. The investigative agencies & the congressional committees are left to themselves, to salvage democracy. What a travesty of democracy!
DEMOCRATIC SPIRIT SHOULD DEFINE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP.
Sanjay Sahay