Benito Z. Swu
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t has been said that democracy might have its demerits but anyway is better than other form or kinds of governance and government. Much as one agrees to it, that much or more are reasons to disagree with it. Democracy tends to bite back when there is uniform democracy in the pyramidal structure of governance. The pyramidal structure of governance then starts looking more and more cylindrical as democracy by nature always tends to fight for space even where there isn’t. Democracy is successful as was in Singapore when there is an unwritten extra-judicial mechanism to hold together the seams of democracy. If not, then anarchy seeps in and everybody becomes no better or worse than the other. Everybody becomes a leader in one’s own self-styled right and accountability flies out of the window. The dark underbelly of democracy eats into the system and becomes the root as well as the fountain head of corruption.We Nagas seems to have misinterpreted the definition of the word ‘proud’ or the meaning of ‘taking pride in’. If not, how else can we explain or justify the corruption that takes place as much as a position permits, at every level of the Governmental set up. Instead of exploiting the virtue and values of democracy, we have instead thoroughly abused democracy, and then conveniently heaping up all the blame on our political leaders. Also the abuse of democracy by certain lawmakers who all have become a law unto themselves, even rendering the Chief impotent to fix accountability. This has to stop. It is the public, the people in the street, who has to voice out in support of the Chief, to be at the back of the Chief and empower the Chief to do what has to be done in brooming up the house and in chaffing out the husk. What will be the point of undoing what has already been done, in going for a complete overhaul in the strive to bring about change and usher in the dawn of a new spring?
Let us however not be self defeating and blame it all on ourselves, because it is actually not us to shoulder that cross but the system. The system that democracy has allowed. Just as a size does not fit all, democracy herself does not and cannot be expected to fit all. If we Nagas truly wants accountability, we will have to size up democracy and accordingly empower the Chief to take decisions, convenient as well as the inconvenient, which can again be good, bad and even ugly.
Nagaland has specific laws to safeguard her customs, land and resources which means that our state is enjoying more democracy than that of democracy the mainland India enjoys. Is this extra democracy becoming an albatross for us? Is this extra democracy becoming a double edged sword? Is this ‘more democracy’ fanning the fire of tribalism because of which everybody is becoming an authority on and under one’s own right? Is more democracy the reason for the splintering of our once valued beliefs and aspirations? Is not an overdose of democracy responsible for the devaluing of our moral character, work ethos, the respect, the fear, the governance, justice, accountability…and so on. Is not the abuse of extra democracy the reason of our failure to tap in the benefits of globalization? Has not more democracy forced our visionary leaders to don the cap of those fake visionaries who cannot think or see beyond their nose? Is not more democracy responsible for the influx of homeless people in our state?
We talk about inequality, about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Pointless to talk about it all. It is not going to go away. It will all remain, and remain deep rooted as long as we are enjoying more democracy. More democracy has prevented us from exploiting our natural resources because of that lopsided thinking of owning it all and thereby khushi khushi, when there is no guarantee about the ownership changing hands tomorrow even if one likes it or not .
What so ever, let us not lose heart because of the darkness of this more democracy handicap. This disease is not exclusively ours. The longing for democracy and thereby freedom and liberty saw to it that the Arab Spring happened. Arab Spring, the most powerful pro-democracy wave since the end of the Cold War resulted in precious little new participatory governance. Infact the aftermath of the “Arab Spring” rebellion have only compounded the chaos and sufferings of the people in the region. The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia have already been hijacked. Libya, Syria, and Iraq have fared no better.
Just look at Egypt. The euphoria of the Egyptians in having got rid of Hosni Mubarack , the dictator, through a mass uprising was just too short lived. The democratic process of election brought to power the Muslim Brotherhood. It did not take a year for the Egyptians to realize that compared to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hosni Mubarack was just that furlong indifferent next-door neighbor minding his own business. The Egyptian army sensed the opportunity and the right timing for a military coup. Today the Army General disguised as a democratically elected President runs the roost. The people of Egypt have already played their hand and has no options now, but to pensively lament, “Oh those were the days when Mubarack was there, though invisible, and people carefreely laughed.” Today Egyptians have even forgotten how to smile. Only now do they say, “Pleasing a Mubarak anyday, anytime, was indeed much better than pleasing the rank and file of the Egyptian army.”
Nothing is better than before in the Arab world. Everything has gone for the worse and a toss. And all these in that one single quest for democracy. All these failings as everyone sees today is because of the promotion of the form of democracy over the substance of democracy. And replicating an image of democracy rather than a functional, inclusive, accountable decision making system that is adapted to local needs. This can be achieved by the refinement of the system by the very people who use it. And this refinement of the system, one believes, can only be brought about when there is a democratically elected leader who has been empowered by the people knowingly for the additional sole purpose to over-ride even the democratic right which the system in a democracy has given to the people. Democracy as a system of governance is the best to the people who understands and values it, but not so when it is abused. We Nagas need that leader who can rise above the decorum and decency of the known system in a democracy to bring down those who takes advantage and preys upon the goodwill of the system.
Yes, political systems are decision making systems. But decision making should not be limited to the political realm alone. More so in a state like ours which is helplessly deficient in the revenue generating ability. As such, decisions made through the economic system can very well have greater impact on a society than those made through the political system. When the system in a democracy is limited just to the political arena, it severely and artificially restricts itself, with ever possibility of mistaking the trees to be the woods.
It is good that we Nagas are not restricting ourselves and thereby becoming stagnant. Political churnings resulting in instability and thereby less governance is bad. However political churnings not leading to instability, just as we are seeing in Nagaland today, is good. The climate of change is inevitable, and unless we change with the climate, our society and the state will lose. The climate of change today demands that, Nagas, irrespective of political affiliations come to a meeting point. A coming together of minds that can only but strengthen a vision. It is good that political parties in Nagaland are coming together. We have to make the most of it, a positive showcase, which other states and governments too can emulate for bringing about the common good.
It is all so, because, the much maligned electoral politics and its practitioners are actually those who are today showing the way about what unity and coming together is all about. Coming from the political class it is something which was thought as impossible. Just think about the back benchers coming to the front line and the front liners becoming the back benchers in that lineup to the pearly gates. And the one line, seven word sentence, which is just so true and nobody can challenge is that, “It is good to fall in line.”
