Sunday, February 04, 2007
Universal "Sufferage"
I think Indians, in 1957 got Universal Sufferage when they were not ready for it. This has lead to the almost Universal Suffering of India today.
- India in 1947 was a classic case of 'democracy-from-tomorrow' when vast swathes of the people had never even been free of feudalism (there were 512 'princely states' even in 1947).
- India got Universal Sufferage at a stage when majority of Indians were just not ready for democracy. Adult literacy in India was 36 % at the time of independence and many millions did not fully understand the democratic process and their rights and duties as 'citizens'.
In a way democracy was 'imposed on India' in 1947 when the country was not ready. One can argue that it was the only thing to do given the herculean task of unifying the country. But the very seeds sown then lead to a host of problems later.
Even in a country like England, where democracy as a form of political organisation was evolving for centuries, (starting from 1215 in Magna Carta), universal sufferage did not happen as late as 1921 (where women were allowed to vote). Even the ancient democratic republic of the greeks and romans there was no 'universal sufferage'. Voting rights were not universal and only 'free citizens' with a certain amount of property could vote.
In 1947, when India became independent the newly-independent polity was idealistic, supercharged on lofty principles, stardust in their eyes...they chose to have universal sufferage for India from day 1. this meant that anybody without consideration was able to cast his/her vote in a multi-party system. A great thought in theory, but a disastrous move in a country with only a 36 % literacy. The thought was noble, yes, but the ugly spawn of this system is self-evident. Today in India vote-bank politics predominate - any slice of the vote base which can cobble together a majority tends to win...having a scant regard for a greater common good of the whole country...This, coupled with a multi-party system, has ensured that anybody who with a narrow-enough view-point with enough narrow-enough majority in a given consituency can get legitimately elected and can effectively sabotage the national agenda. Education ensures that this narrow point of view does not get elected.
Why is education important in a democracy. Education is important for the electorate to realise that they need to look beyond their immediate enviornment and 'see-through' the rhetoric of the divisive political establishment. Education is required simply to take an informed choice. In an economy sometimes, harsh short-term measures may be required which may be painful in the short-run but surely are beneficial in the long-run. Adult universal sufferage ensures that such 'tough decisions' never get taken but keep on getting postponed due to political expediency. In absence of education, not a single party can make the electorate realise the need to take a a decision which requires shot-term sacrifice. Eventually, the country just totters from one band-aid solution to the other.
In most countries in the world, democracy as a form of govt, evolved...there was no flip to democracy in one swoop that happened when India became independent in 1947. This swoop would not have mattered if however the majority of the people understood democracy and were educated enough to look beyond their immediate caste/community/religious alligiances. This plug-and-play universal sufferage sowed the seeds of the problems which continue to plague our country till today.
Even in a country like England, where democracy as a form of political organisation was evolving for centuries, (starting from 1215 in Magna Carta), universal sufferage did not happen as late as 1921 (where women were allowed to vote). Even the ancient democratic republic of the greeks and romans there was no 'universal sufferage'. Voting rights were not universal and only 'free citizens' with a certain amount of property could vote.
In 1947, when India became independent the newly-independent polity was idealistic, supercharged on lofty principles, stardust in their eyes...they chose to have universal sufferage for India from day 1. this meant that anybody without consideration was able to cast his/her vote in a multi-party system. A great thought in theory, but a disastrous move in a country with only a 36 % literacy. The thought was noble, yes, but the ugly spawn of this system is self-evident. Today in India vote-bank politics predominate - any slice of the vote base which can cobble together a majority tends to win...having a scant regard for a greater common good of the whole country...This, coupled with a multi-party system, has ensured that anybody who with a narrow-enough view-point with enough narrow-enough majority in a given consituency can get legitimately elected and can effectively sabotage the national agenda. Education ensures that this narrow point of view does not get elected.
Why is education important in a democracy. Education is important for the electorate to realise that they need to look beyond their immediate enviornment and 'see-through' the rhetoric of the divisive political establishment. Education is required simply to take an informed choice. In an economy sometimes, harsh short-term measures may be required which may be painful in the short-run but surely are beneficial in the long-run. Adult universal sufferage ensures that such 'tough decisions' never get taken but keep on getting postponed due to political expediency. In absence of education, not a single party can make the electorate realise the need to take a a decision which requires shot-term sacrifice. Eventually, the country just totters from one band-aid solution to the other.
In most countries in the world, democracy as a form of govt, evolved...there was no flip to democracy in one swoop that happened when India became independent in 1947. This swoop would not have mattered if however the majority of the people understood democracy and were educated enough to look beyond their immediate caste/community/religious alligiances. This plug-and-play universal sufferage sowed the seeds of the problems which continue to plague our country till today.
