(This essay was originally written for the World Essay Competition 2009 conducted
by CIPE & UNESCO)
“He who is unable to live in
society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either
a beast or a God”
– Aristotle,
‘Politics’ bk. 1, 1253a 27-9
1. the opening words
Citizenship is closely coupled to
the design of democracy making democracy as the alpha and citizenship the omega
in the vocabulary of any modern polity. Democracy is the form of government in
which supreme power is held by the people and exercised directly or through
elected representatives. Though there is a distance between the theoretical
democracy and its praxis, sans citizens there cannot be representation and democratic
destiny become a delusion.
The ignorance of political
affairs among the masses of a country results in the rise of tyranny and the
fall of democracy. The right to govern belongs to every citizen and it cannot
be alienated from the concerns of the community which ultimately secures the
citizenry justice, liberty, equality, dignity of the individual and the
integrity of the nation. The grammar of politics and to have a voice in the
governing process is the birthright of every member of a polity which is
sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic. With copious challenges democracy
remains an "ongoing moral mission" wherever it flourishes but a
meaning and a metaphor threads with it perpetually i.e. democracy epitomize the
visage of the people; the voice of its citizens.
2. The milieu of Indian
democracy
India is an idea that cannot exist
without an exclamation mark. The biography of India is a dazzle for the
historians and for the contemporaries as well. Stretching from the lap of
mystic Himalayan ranges, inhabited by diverse people and animated by wisdom
frozen in ancient Upanishadic parchments and in the gospel of St. Thomas, India,
from antique times, has been a cradle of civilizations with divergent heritage,
of military conquests and political empires making it as an Oriental wonder. It
was a domicile for Greeks, Romans, Persians, Moguls and British influx over
long periods which harvested a geo-political pluralism and cultural mosaic
creating conditions for a polyphonic democracy of today. Homogeneity was not
Indian. Variety and multiplicity is the heart and soul of India.
From the passive resistance of
the naked fakir ‘Gandhi’ against the colonial
empire to the Nehruvian socialism, the paradoxical nation has come a long way
from the stereotype of photogenic poverty and atavistic mannerisms to the winning
of four Man Booker Prize and three Oscars for the film “Slumdog Millionare”. Contrasts
and contradictions is the truth of India today. The narrative of
unfreedom challenges the pretences and privileges of the functional anarchy of Indian
democracy, its elasticity and energy, its passions and perversions, its size
and substance.
Indian State
for more than six decades is kinetic mostly for its wrong reasons. Since its
freedom in 1947, the seeds of communal hostility and bloodshed of India-Pakistan
partition bear deep scars of collective wound. Even now the republic plunges into
religious malevolence, riots and chaos. India witnessed the betrayal of swaraj (self-government) and secularism
as envisaged by the founding fathers of our republic like Gandhiji, Nehru,
Ambedkar etc. The self-reliance, as proclaimed by Gandhi has since then
shattered. “In the recent decades, India has become not less
democratic but it has become less tolerant, less secular, and less liberal”.[1]
Declaring fatwa against Salman Rushdie and Tasleema Nasreen from the Islamic
ghetto make the sociology of India
incompatible with its freedom. Moreover, banning and burning of books,
paintings and films corroborates the bigotry of the fanatic few.
Today, Indian politics has become
a cesspool of corruption and criminality. Myopic politicians with tainted
records and the lust for power have made statesmen with vision an endangered
species. Gerrymandering, ‘identity politics’, rigging of poll booth, escalating
poll violence, “bandit democracy”[2], extravagant
expenditure during election, mafia manipulation, boycott of ballot process,
bribery and malpractice make the political mandate a mockery of democracy – a
shocking and shameful reality of India!
Furthermore, too many political
parties have distorted the Indian democratic system. Projection of mirage
manifestos and boasting empty promises of political parties; parliamentary
groupism, pandemonium, puppetry and inveracity; political arithmetic and instability
of coalition regime; parliamentary prorogues and walkouts; ‘No-confidence-motion’
and re-election tantrums, make the little man, the little paper, the little
booth and the little mark cease to be of consequence. But it’s a happening
truth in India.
If this trend continues, no amount of rhetoric can justify for moving the
juggernaut democracy into mortuary.
Bureaucracy – the steel frame of India has
become lethargic and unaccountable. Fraud, botulism syndrome, nepotism and
red-tapism are deep rooted in the system. Apathy, arbitrariness, abuse of power,
arrogance or bias of public servants and civil servants, lack of disclosing
information etc. are evident. Disregard for the rule of law, breaching the rule
of life and neglecting the poor citizens, marginalized people and the under
privileged class is a common Indian vista.
Moreover, the Judiciary is also
in distress. Judicial adventurism instead of activism; paper logging and
pending of million litigations; unjustifiable contempt of court; political
nexus of judiciary; forensic sleaze; archaic provisions; lack of proper
infrastructure; faulty interpretations and accusations etc. have dominated as
evils of the judicial terra firma.
Democracy is quotidian partaking.
Abject poverty, population explosion, inequality and discrimination; hatred and
conflict; conservatism and ignorance; negative impacts of globalization; dearth
of agricultural productivity, terrorism, drugs, HIV/AIDS, child labor, child
marriage, dowry deaths, migration, ethnic and nationalist, degradation of
natural resources, and religious extremism are widespread. But, policies fail
to meet the challenges of social, political and economic ills and evils of the Indian
society.
These pathological phenomena
which have deadened democracy, paralyzed development, impaired every
socio-economic value inscribed in the Constitution and have humiliated India before
the world nations. With the degeneration in the functioning of the
Legislatures, the Executive and the Judiciary, and with the struggling economy,
there is a feeling of despondency among the citizenry leading to civic
passivity and cynicism. At the moment, though, it is a lethargic state with
tired metabolism, India’s
progress hasn’t retarded; it’s GDP hasn’t affected much even by the current
global recession.
Democracy as of today in India – is not
the failure of an idea; it is the failure of its protagonists. I agree with Rousseau's
saying that “true democracy has never existed and never will” and India witnesses
the same. It’s waiting for the youth to struggle for an unfinished agenda; for redeeming
the tryst with destiny that Nehru made; and for establishing a democracy with
sovereign, socialist, secular vision and valor.
3. Citizenship and good
governance
The concepts of democracy,
citizenship, and governance have traversed since the days from Aryan republics and
Athenian Polis to liberal individualism and the new civic republicanism. The
values of citizenship vary from country to country. However, “in many countries,
representative democracy has been heavily criticized for its inability to
protect citizens”[3]. Besides, governance, an
overarching concept with many institutional dimensions and political
manifestations, is conventionally understood as the way the state and its
various institutions negotiate and mediate with people, markets and civil
society, through laws, policies, regulation and finance. But the notion of governance
underwent metamorphosis to exceed the conventional arena of the nation-state or
government and is now increasingly influenced by market forces, civil-society
processes and citizen-oriented endeavors.
3.1. What is good citizenship for me?
The Oxford Dictionary of
Sociology[4] explains citizenship:
“In political and legal theory, citizenship refers to the rights and duties of
the member of a nation-state or city. In some historical contexts, a citizen
was any member of a city; that is, an urban collectivity which was relatively
immune from the demands of a monarch of state…It is argued by historians that
citizenship has thus expanded with democratization to include a wider
definition of the citizen regardless of sex, age, or ethnicity. The concept was
revived in the context of the modern state, notably during the French and
American Revolutions, and gradually identified more with rights than
obligations. In modern times citizenship refers conventionally to the various
organizations which institutionalize these rights in the welfare state.”
Sociologist T.H. Marshall defines
citizenship as “a status, which is enjoyed by a person who is a full member of
a community. Citizenship has three components: civil, political, and social.
Civil rights are necessary for individual freedoms and are institutionalized in
the law courts. Political citizenship guarantees the right to participate in
the exercise of political power in the community, either by voting, or by
holding political office. Social citizenship is the right to participate in an
appropriate standard of living; this right is embodied in the welfare and
educational systems of modern societies.”[5]
Any discourse on citizenship is
appropriate only in the milieu of democracy and civil society, because
citizenship is regarded as an elementary plank of democracy. A good citizen can
be classified under two heads namely, legal and ethical or moral. Legally, a
good citizen must pay tax; be loyal to his country, its heritage, symbols, and
flag; vote in elections and exercise franchise; respect rule of law; obey all
municipal laws; guard the resources etc.
On purely ethical and moral
ground, a good citizen is one who display trust in institutions, have patriotism
and shows obedience; is well informed about the affairs of his community and
the world; engages in public debate and political life; encourages respect for
human rights; takes steps to combat injustice in civic life; conserves resources
by practicing the three R's: Reduce, Re-use and Recycle; participates in national
affairs; monitors hegemonic interests; knows how to make demands; promotes
collective action and spirit; endorses participatory democracy in politics and
at home; treat others equally etc. A good and active citizen must possess the
trait of altruism. He must encourage people to work and toil together to solve
problems; persuade people to respect differences; help to negotiate conflicts
and foster tolerance; must be concerned about others woes, particularly poor,
marginalized, deprived and disadvantaged; battle for others cause and is
hopeful about change.
3.2. How to develop a sense of good citizenship in youth?
“The spirit of democracy cannot
be imposed from without. It has to come from within”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Promoting active citizenship
among apolitical people is not an easy task. Citizenship does not just happen
naturally in response to increased public space or political opportunity; it is
more than voting or gratifying public obligations. Citizenship is not only
choosing officials and using the system; it involves assembling and shaping the
system’s structures and rules and beyond.
The sense of citizenship can be
inculcated in the minds of young through proper channeling from the childhood
itself. Citizenship is cultured through education; through political
socialization; by exposure to politics, public life, and day-to-day experiences
and affairs. Education is the panacea for being a good citizen. But we seem to
have lost ourselves parochially in today’s labyrinthine mad race. The virtues
and values of citizenship can be instilled in the child by explaining the
difference between the traits of good and bad citizenship. A citizen
mobilization through various religious, economical and social institutions can
make a difference in the local community. Likewise, the sense of citizenship
can be aroused in the youth by making them aware of their duties and
responsibilities.
The arousal of the citizenship
spirit can be done in many ways. It can be by organizing a city campaign
promoting the good qualities of citizenship; encouraging friends, neighbors and
co-workers to deliver their best as responsible citizens; hosting drama on
stage and street plays about the positive results of being a good citizens;
conducting poetry, painting, elocution and essay competitions for children and
adult as well on citizenship; posting banners, paintings and photos in streets;
organizing workshops, awareness camps, symposiums and seminars; distributing
pamphlets in bus stations and railway stations; sharing information about
taxation, voting and voicing; promoting the inclusion of citizenship education
in schools curriculum geared to help young people grow into responsible citizens.
In this way, a sense of citizenship in youth can be developed. Apart from this,
a new approach must be designed to “move beyond seeing the state as bestowing
rights and demanding responsibilities of its subjects. In doing so, they aim to
bridge the gap between citizen and the state by recasting citizenship as practiced
rather than given… This recognizes the agency of citizens as ‘makers and
shapers’ rather than as ‘users and choosers’…”[6].
Mass media can contribute
tremendously. Internet is another medium, which can donate to free and speedy
dissemination of information. Another neglected area of mass communication i.e.
traditional or folk media can be revived and used as vehicles of effective
social communication. In the Indian context, Harikatha, Kathakali and
puppet shows have evolved as people’s medium; therefore through such medium the
idea regarding citizenship and its role in participatory democracies can be
propagated in the rural hamlets.
Last but not the least, projecting
and admiring the deeds of great role models like Father Damien, Mother Theresa,
Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King etc. who being just citizens thrived
lifelong rooting injustice everywhere and bringing about welfare to all, can
also incite the spirit of citizenship in youth.
3.3. What is good governance?
The World Bank defines governance
as “the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s
economic and social resources”. The World Bank stresses three different aspects
of governance: a) the form of political regime b) the process by which
authority is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social
resources for development and c) the capacity of governments to design, formulate,
and implement policies and discharge functions.[7] Whereas,
OECD[8]
defines governance as “the use of political authority and exercise of control
in a society in relation to the management of its resources for social and
economic development. This definition further stresses the role of public
authorities in establishing the environment in which economic operators
function and in determining the distribution of benefits as well as the nature
of relationships between the ruler and the ruled”.[9] Despite
prudence in these definitions, they fail to address the structural causes of
corruption, conflict, poverty, patriarchy, arms race and militarization.
Finally, the UNDP sought to give a human face to governance and came out with
democratic governance having political, economic and civic dimensions which was
convincing to certain extent.
Whatsoever, governance simply signifies
various forms of power in various institutional arenas (both governmental and
non-governmental) where public policies are formulated, legitimized and
implemented. It implies means to participate in public policy and social
processes, to claim human rights and to ensure inclusive citizenship. It also
provides institutional and legal interfaces through which citizens mediate and
interact with the state and seek accountability. Without the basic principles
like ethics, accountability, transparency, complementation of rights and
duties, and social responsibility, governance remain a terrain of power
manipulations, policy rhetoric and bogus praxis.
3.4. How citizenship and good
governance is connected?
As governance connotes creation,
legitimization and execution of public policies through both governmental and
non-governmental agencies, it also implies partaking in public policy and
social processes to ensure inclusive citizenship, gender equality, human
rights, accountability and participatory politics. Some people believe that if
all citizens jump into the decision making process with their diverse interests,
it results in bedlam whereas others feel that accommodating diversity avoids conflict.
How true the message of Martin Luther King is who said: “Freedom is never
voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
The citizen-centered approach,
variously termed “co-governance” or “participatory governance”, seeks to
enhance the functions of citizens through more direct forms of involvement.
Citizens get engaged in national policymaking, constitutional and legal
mandates, panjayathi raj (local self-governance),
or democratic decentralization etc. that occurred in many developing countries
including India, South Africa, Brazil and Bangladesh etc. Youth involvement
with established institutions such as political parties, trade unions, or NGOs
is the best route from contemplation to effective action.
NGOs or voluntary organizations
can serve as a bridge between the government and the people. It could be in laying
a village road; keeping the streets clean; raising a battalion of barefoot
doctors; promoting afforestation; educating the people against child marriage
etc. With a view of concrete feat, individuals can engage actively in service at
schools and hospitals; in blood or food donation; literacy or environmental campaigns.
Even the young generation can engross with institutions run exclusively by
youth like sporting or cultural organizations, or newspapers, websites,
fanzines etc. which are inherently democratic and is a way of gaining
visibility and respect for youth with impact.
E-Governance ensures efficiency,
promptness, convenience, transparency and better citizen-friendly interface.
E-ticketing in Railways, e-pension scheme, e-immunization projects etc. are the
multiple ramification of effective governance. Citizens can play a cardinal
role in the new era of e-governance. E-governance is a strong tool for ensuring
corruption-free administration. Slowly, but steadily, e-governance is
percolating down to the bottom, enabling citizens to have a better and friendly
rapport with the government, thereby ensuring a hassle-free life.
4. how can india engage
and enable youth to participate in governance process?
“The Youth of a Nation are the
trustees of Posterity”
– Benjamin Disraeli
‘Sybil’ (1845) bk.6, ch. 13
Youth, the armory of democracy and
the power house of energy constitute the most creative segment of the society. They
have chipped in the 1942 Quit India Movement and ascertained their mettle; they
should further participate actively in political affairs and activism in order
to extirpate the societal and systemic evils, and be the saviors of democracy.
Unifying youth is the desideratum as they have the vision, compassion and
dedication. Ours is a young country and the power of youth should be harnessed
positively in order to make India
even more potent.
There are countless ways India can
engage and enable youth to participate in governance process. E-governance,
democratic decentralization, panjayathi
raj, Citizen Action Group, Just and Democratic governance, Sovereign Rights
Commission etc. are just the beginning. Systems must be devised which force
leaders and officials to talk directly to citizens; create occasions for more
denizens to get involved in decision making; arrange motivational modules to
promote respect for differences, sovereignty and rights, and to inculcate sagacity of superior
citizenship. With more ethical leaders, more citizens could be influenced; more
information would be imparted; more economic resources are funded. The Indian
government can coordinate, cooperate and consolidate youths to conscientious
governance. A free and responsible media can aid in strengthening the modern youth
republic profoundly.
Today, wherever we go, discontent
and despair darken the air and deadly hostility against the youth is writ large
with acid ink. We must therefore resolve that youth must awake, arise and
organize themselves in the following ways to have a share in the bona fide
democracy.
4.1. Gandhian Model of Democracy
Gandhi laid great emphasis on “Gram
Swaraj” (Village self-government) in which village parliaments
control village resources and decision-making. He described democracy as a
series of concentric governments serving the village at the centre. Such
grassroots empowerment nurtures an egalitarian economic system. Under Gandhian
model of democracy, for handling of all local matters such as administration of
justice, police, education, healthcare, land, water systems and forests, the
common populace will retain resources with local governments. They would then
devolve a portion of their revenues to the state for higher level functions and
coordination, but not to interfere in local matters. These hamlets with youth can
also institute their sovereign rights to information, consultation,
participation, and referendum.
4.2. Citizens Action Group
Within any electoral
constituency, a Citizens Action Group can be formed. Such a group should
comprise, ideally, a cross section of citizens who would identify the common tribulations
faced by them – garbage clearance, an effective transportation, pollution
control, clean drinking water, a first aid clinic, a post office facility,
crematorium, adult literacy, an emergency fund, monitoring Public Distribution
System, canalizing the energies of the unemployed, ensuring pension security, family
planning centers etc. These Citizens Groups should vote only for honest candidates
who meet them at regular intervals, who take up issues and report on the
progress. They can also ensure with alertness that criminal elements do not enter
public offices. Self-regulation must be the key deterrent. Public Interest
Litigations by these groups has to be welcomed.
The mass media, NGOs, Lions,
Rotarians, senior citizens, housewives, and professionals can all be roped into
action. As a consequence, it would also bring about true integration cutting
across precincts of language, region, religion, caste, class, etc. preserving
civil society and making representatives accountable and pro-active in their
task of good governance.
4.3. Just and Democratic governance
The vision of Just and Democratic
governance (JD Governance) enthused by the fights and factory of Mahatma
Gandhi, Ambedkar, Rabindranath Tagore, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, for
freedom, justice and dignity, is a hopeful choice. Such a perennial perspective
plugged-in by the theoretical insights and mechanisms of Antonio Gramsci,
Michel Foucault, Jurgen Habermas, John Rawls, Amartya Sen and John Gaventa
could be implemented to pull the crowd of youth in governance process.
Just and Democratic governance is
based on democratization, human
rights, justice, people’s participation, accountability and responsiveness. Citizens are at the centre of such a
perspective working towards a transparent, effective and efficient
institutional framework and the rule of law. Just and Democratic governance is the process of
exercising different forms of power socially, politically, economically, legally
and administratively within various institutional arenas, from family to
governments, from local to global, for the realization rights, freedom and
justice. Such a normative framework is bottomed on the ethics of human dignity
and equality. The people’s planning process, participatory
budgeting, citizen tribunals and social audits are a few innovative methods
used in this approach. Just and Democratic governance guarantees people to observe, operate and
outline the content and course of public policies and management. The core of such a perspective is the notion
of social change through integrity, inclusiveness, camaraderie and transformative
politics.
4.4. Sovereign Rights Commission
To bolster reforms, people must conceptualize
a new institution – Sovereign Rights Commission – with the authority to direct
referendums, hold public consultations, conduct opinion polls and based on that
it will draft a new Constitution. Such commissions will function as the
conscience keeper of the state, based on the values and wants of the society as
a whole and youth may emerge with respectable accent within and without the
system.
5. the final lexis
It is not merely elections or
universal adult franchise that delineates the process of democracy, rather it
is the people and the ethical personas of political process that make democracy
deliver. Democracy involves dignity, diversity, dissent and development. Unless
even the last, least, lost or the littlest person can share or celebrate in the
process of governance and growth, democracy remains a hypothesis. The youth of
any nation is the hope, force and future of that particular society. Hence, the
state should promote citizen-centered advocacy, defend their human rights, and
mobilize people and civil society against arbitrary violations, so as to make the
governance progression and public policies more humanistic and effective. The
true conception of the administration of justice is that “the slightest concern
of the smallest person is of the highest consideration to the state”. In the land of Buddha and Mahatma, democracy without
humanism is a hoax; representation sans citizenry voice is a political abracadabra.
Because citizens are the king in democracy!
[1] “The
Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad”: by Fareed Zakaria.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Pimbert, Michel and Tom Wakeford,
“Overview—Deliberative Democracy and Citizen Empowerment” in PLA Notes (Notes
on Participatory Learning and Action), International Institute for Environment
and Development, February 2001.
[4] 2005
Edition; Edited by John Scott and Gordon Marshall.
[5]
2005 Edition; Edited by John Scott and Gordon Marshall.
[6] Cornwall,
A and Gaventa, J, “Bridging the Gap: Citizenship, Participation and
Accountability” in PLA Notes (Notes on Participatory Learning and Action),
International Institute for Environment and Development, February 2001.
[7]
(World Bank 1994)
[8]
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
[9]
(OECD 1995)
No comments:
Post a Comment