The daily belabouring of issues only creates a frenetic public parade of issues and allegations. But nothing is followed up to establish the truth.
- In a democracy, those who are spiritual have to be political. It suits the interests of the corrupt and oppressive players in politics to sustain the myth that politics is a truth, justice, welfare, den of scoundrels.
- Politics is sacred. A Swachh Bharat will be possible only through swachh politics.
- Commitment to truth is the core that spirituality and politics should share. Truth operates on the ground as justice. Justice addresses human dignity and welfare. Wherever truth is compromised, people’s welfare has suffered and oppression has bared its fangs.
- It is politics that contextualises commitment to truth and makes it concrete. Those who care for truth in politics remain continually vigilant against every measure, every propagandist trick, meant to hypnotise the masses.
- Commitment to truth creates a national culture marked by scientific temper and rational thinking.
- Capacity of the masses to think rationally can be disabled by a variety of factors such as lack of education, their inability to think rationally, their vulnerability to propaganda, the non-availability of relevant data, the creation of hype and waves, and so on.
- Democracy, especially, is under a duty to educate and empower citizens to think rationally and choose objectively. Oppressive regimes are averse to spreading education and free thinking.
- The dogmas of patriotism and nationalism are valuable to the extent of serving as catalytic agents to galvanise people’s energy for nation-building. But in the history, these concepts have been used mostly to spread hatred among nations and within them, between castes, groups, communities.
- Commitment to truth on the part of citizens requires that they see through the avalanche of issues. An illusion of upholding accountability is created by the daily belabouring of issues. A new issue is ushered even before the current one settles down. Nothing is followed up to the extent of establishing the truth of issues. Nothing changes.
- In a democracy, its citizens must remain in harmony with one another. They should never treat each other as enemies. Enmity is spread by vested interests to thrive by polarising citizens. The policy of ‘divide and rule’ never promotes people’s welfare.
- A democracy ought to take care of the majority that are poor. The fruits of development should be distributed preferentially among the poor.
- The oligarchic element lurks in every democratic polity should never be allowed to become powerful enough to scuttle democracy. The corporates of today are the successors of yesteryear oligarchs.
- The threat that the oligarchic elements hold out to democracy becomes ominous when the media play a partisan and propagandist role. When this process crosses the Lakshman rekha, it imperils democracy.
- The dogma of stability and its implications for the dynamic of democracy needs to be watched. Every centre of power is apt to deem itself to be the sole and legitimate custodian of national destiny. It views prospects for change with extreme intolerance. This keeps the dividing line between ‘freedom of choice’ and ‘sedition’ continually fluid. This brings ‘the right to choose’ under extreme stress and strain.
- The difference between a corrupt government and a tyrannical one is that the former knows itself to be a bird of passage and are fixated on reaping a bumper harvest in quick time. A tyrannical government is obsessed not with megabucks but with self-perpetuation. It substitutes the money with monopoly. The corrupt do not wish to be caught. The tyrannical do not wish to be shown the door. Both addictions harm democracy. And both skip on thin ice.
No comments:
Post a Comment