PETER FERNANDES
Abraham Lincoln had said, “The ballot is stronger than the bul let”; therefore, my vote, my right, scares those in power. The leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, couldn’t find a place at a state dinner hosted for the president of Russia, which speaks volumes of our crumbling democracy. This explains the ongoing phenomenon of gaining and remaining in power by dis enfranchising the masses by rigging the elections. The contemporary society is ter rified at the notion that those in power are struggling for more power by undermining the freedom of those living under such an oppressive tendency. Just look around at the general track record of political history. There seems to be an in verse proportion between power and virtue: the more power people have, the less virtuous they become. Pow er corrupts, yet power in itself is morally neutral. The injustice of the powerful is a result of how they use their power, not power itself. The second world war was fought between the tyrants and the free world. The lessons from history are not learned, and history is repeating itself. Hitler galvanised the Ger man people with a notion of a superior race in the face of humiliation from the first world war. The Germans nev er questioned, what makes one a superior race? All hu mans share the same nature, yet Hitler was able to mislead the nation for power and for more power. Sending millions to gas chambers was an in dictment on the human race, which was a despicable act that should never be repeat ed, yet it never stops. Similar slogan reverberates, “Make America ‘Great Again’, but at what cost? Will humans ever learn the lessons? Every time people have enough power to do what they want to do, they go wrong. However, it is not always the case. Parents have great power over their chil dren, but most don’t abuse it. Teachers have power over students and doctors over patients, but most teachers and doctors are honest and caring, not deceitful and corrupt. The free world— democracy—represents the distribution of power for freedom to reign supreme. When the pillars of democ racy are well lubricated and function independently, the power vested in the elected representatives produces desired results for the citi zens to enjoy freedom and prosperity. George Bernard Shaw had this to say, “Pow er doesn’t corrupt men. But fools, if they get into a posi tion of power, corrupt pow er.” The Quit India Movement was for freedom from colo nial power. Ironically, it did not take too long for India to fall into a power struggle for power. The slogan “Save Democracy” was famous ly used by the Janata Party during the 1977 Indian Lok Sabha elections. It was a key slogan against the Emergen cy rule imposed by the Con gress party from 1975-1976. In recent years, concerns have been raised by various political parties, civil socie ty organisations, and inter national groups regarding the safeguarding of Indian democracy and its consti tution. These concerns are rooted in a number of fac tors, including allegations of erosion of institutional independence, threats to free speech, and increasing social polarisation. In India, the responsibility for pro tecting the constitution and upholding democratic val ues rests with all branches of government, independent institutions, the media, and citizens. The Bharat Jodo Yatra was an initiative of the In dian National Congress to conscientise and to unite the nation against divisive politics. Hindutva is not In dia; India stands as unity in diversity. Reclaiming Bharat: The Fight to Save India’s Constitution Has Begun. The Congress Party called out to the nation to ‘Samvidhan Bachao,’ an echo of the fear of the citizens, which is so palpable, to protect their rights and uphold the free dom enshrined in the con stitution. This fear is not fab ricated but real. Since 2014, India has been reeling under an undeclared emergency, as the pillars of democracy are compromised. Check out the blatant attack on democratic rights and bypassing parlia ment to pass undesired bills as the new normal. Demon etisation and friction with RBI without concern for the nation’s welfare, which has incurred huge national debt is a sad reality. Grab bing power in States without any qualms even after losing the elections has resulted in damaging the Federal Struc ture and Democracy. My vote, my right—does it still hold? In a democracy, power and authority are vested in the elected representatives by the citizens for the sake of the common good. Free and fair elections are a sig nificant characteristic of a healthy democracy. Elec tions determine who en trusts in whom the power of making these decisions through an institutionalised procedure and for a given period of time. Voting is the only form in which most cit izens ever participate direct ly in government—(elec tions) give people a chance to express discontent and enthusiasm and to enjoy a sense of involvement. Sad but true, this very right of the citizens is devalued by hijacking and rigging the elections. The injustice of the powerful is a result of how they use their power, not the power itself. A new slogan, “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod,” that is reverberat ing across the nation like wildfire is an indictment on the largest democracy in the world. This slogan emanated not from wishful thinking by the opposition for losing the elections, nor is it fabricated, but is based on data provid ed by the election commis sion themselves. It is a broad daylight robbery, and the moral compass of the dig nified institution is lost to power struggle. Power cor rupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The pos session of power, especially when unlimited, tends to lead people to act in morally corrupt ways, as it can dimin ish a person’s sense of moral ity as their power increases. Therefore, the people of the nation need to open their eyes to the hard reality and stop those who are trying to usurp power to subjugate the masses with some glossy slo gans, such as “Ache din aane wale hai.” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge says, “This is a fight to save Indi an democracy; this is a fight to protect our Constitution… We have to fight this battle with the same intensity with which we fought the free dom struggle.” Otherwise, my vote, my right … my freedom, my dreams, and my aspira tions would be lost in trans lation in the name of religion. Islam and Hindutva are not compatible with democracy. Iran is one good example. We realise the value of our voice when we are silenced. The power struggle for more power under the present dis pensation, the Indian democ racy, is in peril as many inno cent lives are lost, some have lost their freedom, many others are termed as anti-na tionals, and for the most part, the nation is taken for a ride. The compromised media has played a very crucial role and continues to play a decisive role in helping those in pow er who are vying for more power by denigrating the op position and subjugating the voices of dissent by ridiculing them. Although the media is the voice of the voiceless and the conscience of the masses, as it can do great things, or it can inflict enormous harm, the Indian media chose to do the latter. Indian media has turned into Godi media, failing to realise that its pow er lies in its moral authority by stating the facts and up holding the truth. Who will tell the Godi-media that bad choices corrupt people, not power? More than anybody else, the media should be mindful of the painful histo ry lesson so that they don’t repeat it in our time. It didn’t take long for the power of the Roman emperors to corrupt them. It was only a couple of generations from noble Au gustus to corrupt Nero. Think of the corruption of modern tyrants—Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein. Their pow er led them to all sorts of ex cesses and injustices. India is a fairly new democracy, and it is the utmost duty of the media and of every citizen to protect it from falling into the hands of tyrants. Sadly, the Indian media has sold its soul to the devil, and there fore, the citizens of this great nation have to rise with one voice to stop “Vote Chor, Gad di Chhod” from usurping the power from the people. Pow er struggle for more power is an ongoing phenomenon, for once in power, no one wants to relinquish it. However, in the true sense, power and authority belong to God and God alone. Therefore, why struggle for more power, which we can never hold? My vote, my right, is for the common good. No vote, no right. (The author is a Priest).
