The PMC bank scam has rudely opened people’s eyes to the fact that we elect our oppressors? The authorities look after themselves first and if there is any mishap/ they fail in their job, the citizen suffers whilst government rarely accepts any responsibility or accountability. You may suffer death in the family/trauma as a consequence, run around to pay your increasing bills in time, file returns and beg ministers and bureaucrats to give you the basics to live tension-free lives in happiness and peace! Surely you want never changing VIP arrogance and things like toxic air to breathe, floods/potholes, drinking water, food pollution, killing high prices and the very many everyday issues of the common man and prudent use of public funds to be a priority focus of this government? In the last four years India has fallen nine spots in the world hunger index. To quote the Supreme Court “The time has come to fix accountability in situations which violate the right to life of citizens.” Abhijit Banerjee, 2019 Nobel Prize winning economist, is an alumina of JNU, a free thinking University BJP apparently wants to straitjacket.
All this was forgotten and the BJP had the crowds at State elections rallies cheering for abrogation of Articles 370, 35 A emphasising national security, patriotic zeal and Savarkar for Bharat Ratna. The undisputed boss today is the PM, who is always in election mode even when abroad. Our economy and job scenario especially in the unorganised sector is still precarious. The intolerance to people’s comments and views, religion and cast prejudices, mob justice, income tax and financial terrorism on a certain class of people are obvious to all but the ruling parties who generally cover up/ deny it! Are all in the ruling party squeaky clean? The time has come when thinking Indians have to decide whether they are worthy of our democracy. Development for the so called greater good of mankind (that also a certain class) is not being tolerated by nature as can be seen in the devastating climate change floods and pollution, cancer proliferation and new diseases plaguing mankind. Teenager Greta Thunberg bravely minced no words when addressing the UNO on climate change. What is heartening is she practices what she preaches and all over the world the perceptive younger generation is rejecting political “empty talk” and backing this “Extinction Rebellion” in full force! It is obvious that if we keep increasing our population, encroaching on forest lands, unleashing fast increasing technology for destroying and tampering with all life forms and expediting building our “smart” concrete jungles, the end results in the normal course is predictable. We desperately need planned digging and not continually disrupted reliable essential services, proper drainage, sewage and garbage disposal, state of art infrastructure, labour paid their wages in time, our money safe in banks, prices of daily essential unpolluted commodities lowered and available, upgrading of schools and hospitals, responsive administration to our normal complaints and entitlements, justice the same for all, be you so high or low, be able to chastise any nanny government which wants to control our lifestyle, privacy and right to life and liberty? There is no argument about safety and national security which is actually weakened by bad fiscal management and imprudent economics! The BJP/RSS combine together with bossy Hindutva forces seem to want one India by dividing and polarising it? The people of Hong Kong have decided to fight for democracy and freedom. We have to rely on truth, non-violence in our everyday lives, not hypocrisy in merely eulogising Mahatma Gandhi but unselfishly all get together and blindly do not support violent “janda” and “danda” politics. In Delhi police want protection, lawyers want justice and people oxygen!
Democracy is about debates, fearless discussion, dissent, agreeing to disagree yet abiding by the law. We seem to have swapped hegemony of foreign rulers for those of our own! With no viable opposition and increasing one-party rule foisting the RSS ideology and Hindu Rashtra narrative, severely tampering with unity in diversity and every institution, government machinery does not seem to be sincerely working in the interest of each person of every caste and creed who in a democracy must be given equal importance. Under the guise of national security and fighting corruption, the real Boss (citizen) must not be reduced to a willing slave. The new laws and rules, some dangerously worded, which keep diluting right to information, checks and balances, short circuiting procedures, wanting blanket surveillance over social media and the proliferation of ordinances are omnipotent signs. We must never forget that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
As electorate our fault is that the job does not end after electing the politicians but we have to perceptively be able to correct them when they are deviating from the Constitution and the democratic mandate given. The Maharashtra State election mandate is in tatters. Religion is something people/mobs are willing to die for but not live up to its essence! Combined with emotively national security, it makes the electorate forget daily issues and continue to suffer their own trials and tribulations willingly. The Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh elections results are a timely wakeup call for all the political parties’ bureaucrats and electorate itself to strengthen democracy by ensuring who should be legitimately treated with respect and remain the real boss?
(The author is a retired naval officer, freelance writer and resident of Porvorim)
