Democracy

I am democracy and here I tell my story. I am made up of two parts, demos in Greek meaning people and kratos implies rule. My father who gave birth to me was known as Cleisthenes and lived in the 5th century BC, in Athens. I was a motherless child and perhaps the reason I have been abused while growing up and completely mutated into a 21st century version now unrecognisable from my childhood and adolescent days.

For the nationalists among you readers may consider that I was born in Vaishali, capital city of Vajjian confederacy, one of the first example of a republic around the 6th century BCE. This was followed by the south Indian Kingdom of Chola who had an electoral system around 920 AD. Perhaps a fact that may be conveniently omitted by the north Indian dominated committee to rewrite history appointed by the present regime.

Another interesting facet of my history was that the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh established the first Sikh democratic republic in 1699. The western colonialism has taken me around the world and left an imprint in the governance in very many countries. In simple terms people know as by the people, for the people and of the people. But these days I stand completely corrupted and I remain ashamed.

Consider this: in the first phase of the Bihar polls, 73% of the candidates from the main parties have criminal cases against them. In the newly designed electoral form, the parties have to state in writing why they have chosen a candidate. The reason being given is that the candidate chosen has a greater chance of winning. The parliament you all had elected in May 2019 is not any better with respect to the criminal record of the August representatives.

So, there you are! How would you describe to me now? Buy the people, Far from the people and off the people, ain’t it? No wonder then that the judiciary has been told that only the parliament can enact a law banning people with criminal records from contesting elections. Would any expect such a law to be passed? So, the justice is in a limbo, the police encounter the meek and the power, the common man continues his/her struggle for mere survival and the elected representative lead a select life of privileges.

You can use the Johari window and have your own perspective of what I am to you.