[Assam] DEMOCRACY HARMING INDIA: LYNGDOH

Fri Dec 23 10:42:51 EST 2005

At 9:30 AM -0600 12/23/05, Barua25 wrote:
>  >And once again I hold out the hope for an enlightened Assam to 
>lead the way in the sub-continent with a reformed, true >democracy.
>
enlightened Assam ????
>RB


**** Not possible?


>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:cmahanta at charter.net>Chan Mahanta
>To: <mailto:BBaruah at aol.com>BBaruah at aol.com ; 
><mailto:assam at assamnet.org>assam at assamnet.org
>Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 7:49 AM
>Subject: Re: [Assam] DEMOCRACY HARMING INDIA: LYNGDOH
>
>Dear BK:
>
>
>What do YOU think of Lyngdoh's comments?
>
>
>I see them this way:
>
>	* He mistakes 'desi-deomkrasy' with Democracy.
>	* 'Western-style democracy' is an animal of the same genre'
>	   as 'Indian Secularism'(as distinct from the real 'secularism'),
>	   an aberration, a semantic creation to explain the disorientation
>	   that desi-demokrasy has degenerated into.
>	* It is quite obvious that Lyngdoh is just as discombobulated as
>	so many other desi-intellectuals, politicians and assam-netters
>	by what goes on in the name of democracy in India and is clueless as
>	to why it is so.
>
>But he does make some good points about the US push to open up 
>markets for mega-corporations to go peddle useless goods to 
>developing societies in the guise of promoting 'democracy'. However, 
>the two are not inseparable.  If anything, true grass-roots 
>democracy ( as opposed to desi-demokrasy) would be an effective 
>means to combat this particular evil.
>
>Lyngdoh's comments underscores, once again, the very disturbing 
>reality that Indian pretensions of democracy is profoundly broken 
>and that even India's best cannot seem to realize why or how and how 
>to turn things around.
>
>And once again I hold out the hope for an enlightened Assam to lead 
>the way in the sub-continent with a reformed, true democracy. But we 
>know it cannot happen
>under the current, degenerated Indian system.
>
>
>Best,
>
>c
>
>
>
>
>
>At 1:51 AM -0500 12/23/05, BBaruah at aol.com wrote:
>
>>Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8"
>>Content-Language: en
>>
>
>
>Dear Netters
>
>I reproduce the synopsis of the following talk as reported in the 
>Assam Tribune today. It is an eye-opener to all the right-thinking 
>people of India, I think. Hope there will be comment on it.
>
>Bhuban
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Guwahati, Friday, December 23, 2005
>
>
>  Democracy harming India: Lyngdoh
>By Ajit Patowary
>  GUWAHATI, Dec 22 - The present rot in our polity is the result of 
>the electoral politics we are practising in our country. Elections 
>have done great harm to the country. The electoral interests of the 
>politicians are dividing the people more and more. Politicians are 
>specialising in all ethnic and caste problems. They don't want to 
>solve the problems. This may push one to surmise that perhaps 
>democracy has done more harm than good to the country.
>
>This was the observation of former Chief Election Commissioner of 
>India James Michael Lyngdoh, the recipient of the 2003 Ramon 
>Magsaysay Award. He was talking to The Assam Tribune here on 
>December 18. He was on a three-day visit to the State since December 
>18 to deliver the Dr Amitabh Chowdhury Annual Memorial Lecture on 
>ethics and good governance.
>
>He said that it was also important to note that more democracy, as 
>has been suggested by some leading intellectuals of the country, is 
>not the cure to the ills afflicting the country and its polity. 
>Democracy has now been reduced into a disguise to promote 
>capitalism. Capitalism is what matters more in today's world.
>
>When the authorities in the countries like America advocate 
>democracy, they in fact advocate capitalism- the interests of the 
>big companies of their countries. Love for the people always takes a 
>back seat in their schemes of things.
>
>India is also treading the same path. The western form of democracy 
>has destroyed the Indian tradition of democracy. The western system 
>of democracy does not suit our society. The western way of 
>judicature is also not suitable to our people. Some of the 
>institutions that we have today are also not best suited to our life 
>or people, he said.
>
>Modern technology does not create jobs. It rather cuts jobs. In the 
>United States of America also, the growth rate of the country has 
>nothing to do with the common people. The growth rate of eighth per 
>cent that has been often boasted of by the rulers of our country as 
>their achievement, is rather a product of the information 
>technology. It has nothing to do with agriculture with which 
>majority of the Indians are involved. The American type of 
>development that has been sought to be pushed through is not 
>suitable for our country, he said.
>
>
>But, for all the ills afflicting the country's polity today 
>politicians are to be blamed first of all. For, they are put in the 
>helm of affairs by our Constitution. If they become corrupt, 
>everyone becomes corrupt. Politicians are the yardsticks in this 
>matter. No doubt, bureaucracy in our country is worst than the 
>politicians in matters of corruption, said Lyngdoh.
>
>Politicians have also led to distortion of human nature in regions 
>like the NE region. One example may suffice to explain this. In 
>Ladakh, both the Muslims and the Buddhists do not practise family 
>planning. The desire to emerge as the decisive group in electing the 
>lone MP from the region is so dominating the psyche of these two 
>communities that each of them now wants to beat the other in the 
>number game.
>
>The situation is such in the country today that on one-third of the 
>country's area, the sovereignty of the country is not in effect. 
>This part has gone either to the militants or to the anti-social 
>elements. We are very close to the time of Robert Clive, when 
>everyone in India wanted to be separate.
>
>Commenting on the genesis of the present rot that has affected the 
>Indian society, he said that the present insanity for placing the 
>individual interests ahead of the collective's started quite some 
>time after the death of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
>
>Indira Gandhi spoilt all the institutions, including the Supreme 
>Court. Communalism also raised its ugly head during her rule. There 
>is no comparison between the father and the daughter.
>
>After the death of Nehru, we have a different type of politicians. 
>Many of them were not even properly educated. They made politics 
>their profession. They were out to make money and nothing else. 
>There of course was and still there is, a number of young educated 
>and professional people in politics. Many of them had or have their 
>own businesses. But their interest lies in the corporate sector. 
>Some of them see the USA as the land of opportunities because of 
>their education in that country. Though they have come back from the 
>USA, their hearts are still there in that country.
>
>With such people in the helm of affairs and capitalism going mad and 
>running wild, money is everything today. At the expense of the group 
>and community, it is now the glorification of the individual, which 
>is putting everything on the back burner, said the former CEC.
>
>And hence, there is no public investment practically in agriculture, 
>education and health. There is no emphasis also on these sectors by 
>the Government, he said.
>
>Then what is the way out from this morass? He said that with the 
>corporate sector advancing and the state retreating in recent times, 
>days are not far when the corporate sector will discipline the 
>politicians of the country. But, that is in no way going to help the 
>common people of the country, he said assertively.
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>assam mailing list
>assam at assamnet.org
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>assam mailing list
>assam at assamnet.org
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://assamnet.org/pipermail/assam_assamnet.org/attachments/20051223/d12b9bbf/attachment-0001.htm