Democracy, by definition, is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. That is to say, citizens of the country elect their representatives to form the government. And the government, in turn, takes care of the citizens.
The choice of representatives is a significant factor in a democratic setup. The elected representatives are given the right to speak on behalf of their constituencies; they get the right to take decisions on behalf of their electors. This right can be treated as a privilege and a source of power.
But the problem arises when this power is misused, and the welfare of the majority is bypassed. The problem becomes even more prominent when this power is misused to orchestrate dictatorial designs. Indian democracy will never forget 1975 when Mrs. Indira Gandhi declared a National Emergency. Many of the vital democratic institutions of the country, like the judiciary and the press, lost their independence and were ruthlessly used by the political party in power to silence the voice of the opposition. Therefore, democracy, which is considered as the best form of governance, can actually reduce to 'Government off the people, buy the people and far the people'.
The question, therefore, is about choosing who should be your representative. And mind you, each individual's choice has the same importance in the eyes of our constitution. That is to say, each vote cast has the same value. There is no discrimination between the rich and the poor, a Hindu and a Christian, or between a farmer and an industrialist. Therefore, each and every citizen has to think wisely in choosing their candidate in an election. We must not forget the immense sacrifices our freedom fighters made to give us an independent India and a constitution of our own. Today, we have the constitutional right to vote. If we do not exercise this right thoughtfully, our very own representatives can take us for granted, and the ultimate consequence could even be the disintegration of the nation.
So far, I have repeatedly emphasized that citizens must apply their minds and decide on their candidates. But what will give them the power to think? Which way will the empowerment happen?... Education is enlightenment, and literacy is the gateway to education. Therefore, give people the ability to read and write; make them literate. Only then will the people be able to differentiate between the good, the bad and the ugly.
In today's context, the issues that draw attention are many. One just needs to witness the kind of political discourse inside the parliament houses and the state legislatures these days. It is more noise and less insightful, constructive and healthy debates and discussions. Often, what comes on display are narrow considerations based on caste, creed and religion, greed, parochialism, populism, empty sound bytes and violent gestures. We hear what George Bernard Shaw said, "Politics is the last refuge of the scoundrels". It could be more true if I said, "Politics is the FIRST refuge of the scoundrels."
India is a land of diversity. The builders of our nation thought that democracy was the best form of government to uphold unity alongside diversity. There is bound to be a multiplicity of thoughts and opinions because of the diverse nature of our population. However, this massive population of our country can bind itself to the larger cause of unity and nationalism only if the people can open up their minds, see reason and visualize the larger picture. They should not fall prey to the short-sighted designs of those ill-minded politicians who want to influence the unsuspecting minds of the people somehow and exploit the situation. Education alone can broaden our horizons and keep bad influences away from public life.
We have yet another problem at hand. What happens when we have too much information as against very little information available 50 years ago? I call this the problem of plenty. The print media, the electronic and visual media, the internet, TV programmes, pre-poll surveys, etc. - can play havoc in people's minds and distort reality if they are not well educated to apply discretion. We must guard ourselves against paid news, rumour-mongering, false promises and propaganda.
Before I conclude, I want to say that the overall literacy percentage of our population as of 2014 stands at 74%, even after 67 years of independence. Can we take pride in the fact that in the same period Japan, which reconstructed itself from the damages of the 2nd World War, has a literacy rate of 99%? And in terms of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), India is the 3rd among all the countries in the world. Education, indeed, is a powerful means to good governance, economy, and quality of life.
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