Democracy : Rationality v/s Influence

Democracy

India has been a democratic country for past 66 years now, and even if you ask some 18 years old, who are supposed to be holding a voter right, is uncertain about the difference between Independence Day and Republic Day. If we have such uncertainty about these things even after 66 years of democracy, what would the situations have been in 1950 when they first gave people the right to elect their own government?

India got freedom in 1947, which made us free people. No more slaves. However, when we became a democratic nation, 60% people had no idea how the democratic country works. Because most of us had never been into democratic country before. National Congress had a power to influence people at that time, since most followers of Gandhi were from Congress. Meanwhile, people had nearly forgotten the role of real martyrs by 1948 when Gandhi was also declared as Martyr. Most of the people had believed that we got freedom just because of non-violence. Thus, all of the efforts of violent freedom fighters like Bose, Bhagat Singh, Azad had vanished all at once. People had influence of Gandhi and his followers, who apparently were Congress. In 1947, Nehru was made the Prime Minister of India, who was not actually elected by people at first.

Let us now imagine a scenario here. Suppose, you are a common man of an independent India. However, you are uncertain about how the democratic countries work. And you are asked to vote to choose the leader of your country. Who would you choose? For me, I would look back to see who has recently been a leader, and how his leadership was. Apparently, the country was under Congress’s influence then. So naturally, I would vote for a person representing that party or follower of the person who had just been a leader. That would be anyone’s choice, since we don’t know how other people would rule. We have recently been assured about every facilities and some wise and delicious words to which we are certainly attracted, and we would vote for it. However it is not our rational decision, because we are too naïve to make a rational decision when we are still influenced by our freedom. Irrationally made democratic decision is not a democratic decision at all.

Seeing the apparent history of Elections, we can see what influence can do and what democracy we have chosen. Even at this point of time, when a person doesn’t know the different between the importance of 15^th August and 26^th January, how can we expect him/her to make a rational decision about the future of the country? When you are uncertain about the difference between freedom and democracy, how are you making a rational decision? However, people have been wiser so far. People have recognized that influence and its consequences. But still, are we being rational about the benefits of country? Or are we just selfish about benefits of our own?

We have given the enormous power in our hands. Are we sure that we know that power well? Governments don’t make people. People make governments. But how many times have you actually elected the government rationally?

It is still not only about democracy. Because democracy can still be used as dictatorship if you know how to use it. Yes, influence is one way to do so. However, majority of our people always run away from politics and political agendas, which is good for themselves. But, are sure that your uncertainty about politics and political leader would lead you to vote a right person? I don’t think so. How can you vote rationally when you are unaware of the political progress and development of your nations? We see roads, bridges, infrastructure, and markets being constructed. We see our essential facilities being upgraded. We see our individual benefits being increased. But is this all that defines a governance system? Are you aware about what your current government achieved economically and internationally? Are you aware about how your governments have developed so far? There are ways of development, and those ways often pass through corruption. And when we find about that corruption after 5-10 years, and the government is still in power, are we strong enough to reveal that corruption? Certainly no. Because we are part of that corruption, and we know that if we try to bring down the government in power, our individual growth would decrease. For past many years, we have seen government officers asking for bribe despite their fine salaries and well-paid schemes introduced by that government. And when the system is being pressured to be transparent and quick, the same government officers have criticized the transparency using various irrational issues. And who are these government officers? Among us. He may be your relative or your neighbour, to whom you have talked at evenings and heard them. And yes, it is an influence. If those people criticize transparency, you would be in influence of criticizing it too. Clearly, those officers are going to vote according to their individual unethical growth. But are we being honest and making rational choice, or are we just being influenced by them and making the choice accordingly?

You surely would be surprised how you have actually known your government so far. Or you would be surprised on the usage of power that you have been given. Rational and honest decisions would make right choices. But honesty often vanishes with influence. No matter if you are seeing things around you getting better, you will still make irrational and influenced choices because the source of your influence is in touch with government and you are not. We all are basically the part of a corruption that we want to abolish, but unfortunately, we can’t. The great political advisor Chanakya once said, “If you give power in wrong hands, it would take a horrible shape.” It doesn’t literally mean what it says. It means if the power is given to those who don’t know the value of that power, it is worthless. We have power, but we are still reluctant to value it. We are still learning. And that power is democracy.