Bhuban-da,
Answering your last remarks first. I do not believe that God is all kind and merciful all the time- but as per Krishna God works in mysterious ways - and we should be thankful to be alive and strive to work hard and better our own life and those of others.
If you are poor there is no written rule that you should get married and produce children who would add to your own misery and those of your family. I am poor right now and do not expect to get married any time soon. I believe in the West also for long people got married late since they could not afford to till they had made a pile. In India and other developing countries it is considered a sacred duty to marry and produce children and lead to population explosion - causing misery all around.
If the poor factory workers - which you mention -- did not have a family to take care of -- wouldn't they have more freedom in
whom they vote for. It is a choice they have made for themselves. They have to live by its consequences.
Further, we always give the excuse that Indians are all poor and thus cannot have a properly fucntioning democracy. And in the same breath we also gloat that Indians have the largest Englsih speaking middle class in the world with huge spending power -- why cannot they be expected to take up the burden of improving the democracy. Unemployed educated youth sit on their haunches whiling away their time (mostly becos -as per recent reports only 15% of those so qualified are skilled enough to get jobs in tech sector or BPOs - the rest have been playing hookie at college) - why not they be mobilized to have a properly functioning democracy.
Why not the opulent NRIs sponsor some such members of civil society to take up courses on Governance at Harvard's Kennedy School of Govt etc -- and thus learn the skills being used
successfully throughout the world to improve governance and democratic setups?
Umesh
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>>>The question remains that whether a democracy is just between individual citizens and their elcted leaders --- or is there a role for advocacy groups/watchdogs also. US being the oldest democracy in modern times (after Greeks and Romans) relies heavily on such groups to ensure the important issues are raised -and discussed in their senate etc.Indian citizens are made to believe that they can hold the govt resposnible just by voting for whom they like ---- and do not realize the importance of media, advocacy groups etc --- to make their voice heard. Result -- politicians are banding together to ignore what the common man has to say -- and doing what they feel. Even when they are inthe opposition - politicians make money- so they are happy with the arragnement which ensures that such advocacy groups are kept out of the arena of democracy.Umesh<<<I make an effort to reply to the first part of the question. USA, UK and some other advanced countries have many organised groups. In India too there are organised groups and they are also represented by MLAs/MPs, e. g the Trade Unions and as you know some MLA/MPs are elected on the strength of their groupsâ support. But these organised groups in USA or UK far outnumber those existing in India. Our Parliament and Legislatures do discuss current issues and participate in meaningful debates. There are heaven and hell differences between social conditions in these countries. I just give an example why at times basic progressive laws become irrelevant in Indian conditions.Child labour is universally condemned. Law exists in India to prevent it. Intent on enforcing this law in a factory, once a magistrate visited a factory and interviewed a great many people living in the surroundings. He didnât take any action against the factory. He reported that if he were to take any action, people will just starve to death.Now the second part. Political scientists have held that the even the most illiterate farm worker in India knows in whose favour he should cast his vote. If you wore his shoes (I understand as I write he would not have any; nevertheless youâwill get the meaning, wonât you), I am sure, youâll do the same: vote the man who your landlord supports or your gang leader supports. The landlord can give you job, the gang leader can support you against bullying, dismissal and so on.Weâre here speaking about democracy in a parliamentary context. The Government is run by these very leaders, the INTUC men and women, representatives of railway, postal and banking workers and so on. They are of course all for the âcommon manâ.They have always in mind the importance of the media. Yes, youâre right Opposition members also get money in the process.Now you will jump upon me to say, if all that is so ideal, why the Courts in India do not seem to move at all, illegal trade thrives, people die of hunger, of natural, perhaps preventable, disasters and so on?I will not here conclude just by saying that the people get the government it deserves. Many, many years ago, I once attended a very large gathering in a Big Tent in Calcuttaâs maidan to welcome an internationally famous evangelist It was perhaps Billy Graham, Iâm not absolutely sure. At the end of the sermons, one devotee asked: If God be omnipotent, kind and merciful, why are we poor?I think no one got a satisfactory response in what the great orator had to say to this in that happy, serene atmosphere. Not the stub of a winning lottery ticket from the haloed ambassador of heaven. Umesh, can you find out the remedy for Indiaâs woes in political and social of life that disturbs your conscience?Bhuban
Umesh Sharma
5121 Lackwanna ST
College Park, MD 20740
1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]
Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005
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