Man is the highest developed species on the planet earth, supreme of all the creations. It is the gregarious and social instinct in man which has given the human species its status. Human life, as such, is a conglomerate of associations and these associations give the species its identity, influence and authority in the biosphere. Moreover, like the humans are the highest developed species so is the state, represented by a government, the highest developed association among all the associations of this species.
Without state and government human species would have been like any other species of animals, no security, no sustainability, order or ordinance. There would have been chaos, confusion, concussion, crime, cruelty and crisis. It would have been a sort of fight of all against all and for none. Might is right would have been the dictating principle and survival of the fittest as the only rule.
Comparing the benefits of governments with a state of no governments, having a government is always better than having none. Even having a government which is remotely detached from a satisfactory one is better than having none. Governments have made the human species what it is today. The progress, development and technological advancement have all been made possible by efforts of many governments which have ruled, and rule, different countries of the world.
However, even if having a government is better than having none but considering the cognitive powers, emotional state and mental abilities of humans, the existence of a government merely is not sufficient. Rather, these abilities and capabilities of human demand the governments to be satisfactory, those which are in the best interests of the ruled. And, this precisely is the reason why many countries and peoples have fought wars and revolted, against the systems that existed there, to establish governments of their liking.
Another fact about the governments, as observed from the human history, is that they are established, they progress, and most of them weaken and finally wane like they never ever existed. Some are replaced by the better form and other by the perverted ones and the failure of the still others results in the fall of the entire state. The usually rise and fall of the governments is a normal phenomenon and, in fact good for states and countries but the fall which sacrifices the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of a state is dangerous situation which every government in the modern world should avoid.
India gained her independence after prolonged struggle. She chose democracy for her to rule so as to end the rein of discrimination and exploitation of ages that the people of the country were subjected to by the rulers who were but aliens. The government that replaced these aliens was headed by the natives and who were supposed to serve the people of the country in the best possible ways.
To be sincere the conditions of great portion of the population of the country has been improved but there is still an appreciable portion of the population which has not reaped the benefits of the democratic government that was long cherished by these people. The hopes are thee that slowly and gradually these people will also be covered and their conditions will also improve. Democracy in real sense is the panacea of the problems of the people of this country.
There is a threat though, a big threat which could not only hinder any further progress but which may undermine the progress that is already made. The threat is of the failing and failing fundamentals on which the democratic form of the government is based and which directly gives rise to the other threats which may compromise the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country. Under the current dispensation at the Centre and in many states the threat has redoubled. Let’s concede that there is not be direct hand of these governments in these changes, and the threats, but anti-democratic elements and forces in the country have been surely invigorated in today India.
There is no bigger demonstration of the threat than the conditions where top most judges of the top most court of the country were forced to come out of the Supreme Court to seek media intervention in order to save the justice delivery system of the country. Imagine a condition in which one of the most important pillars of the government seeks intervention of a part of this form of government which is not so important. This can never be a good sign for a healthy democracy.
National media of the country, it can be stated without any exaggeration, has taken lead of the rest of the branches, pillars and fundamentals of government. National media, going by the recent developments, decides, and shapes, the contours of the other three branches of the governments. It manipulates and modulates things the way it wants them to be modulated and manipulated. This media acts in such a way where truth is the main causality in the country.
Foreign policy matters, judicial decisions, executive interventions and political functions are all decided in the studios of these media houses rather than in the ministries and institutions of the democratic form of the government. The inability of the legislature, executive and judiciary has provided enough of leverage to mass media of the country to interfere in the jurisdiction which squarely belong to these branches of the government.
Amazingly, there is no resentment from the genuine branches of the governments to deal with this overreach of the media. It seems that these branches are hand in glove with few of the leading media houses of the country. They seem content with the falling of the fundamentals of democracy in the country which is unfortunate for the country of the size of India. Secular acts are presented as communal and purely communal acts are neglected and even presented in the secular guise by the media and the responsible people holding the reins of the government are silent!
India has gained independence after sacrificing dearly to establish a democratic form of government, how can she allow getting the democratic credential eroded and how can she allow the fundamentals of the democracy to fall so easily? The first three branches which are important for the democracy to sustain are legislature, executive and judiciary, how can she allow media to take precedence over the main three branches? In case the three main pillars of the government work ideally media can even be dispensed with but ideal working of these branches is not possible so media is there to keep a watch and supplement the activities and efforts of the government to rule the government in the best possible ways. Unfortunately in case of India media has been allowed to gain an upper hand!
The counter narrative that the rulers of the country present is the power and influence that India has achieved. Indeed, the country has achieved great success in many areas and if the trend continues the deserved position in the comity of nations may be gradually reached by this country. Nevertheless, having power and influence never gives a right to the rulers of the country to let the fundamentals of the government fall.
Power and influence enhances the level of responsibility and duty to sustain that progress and influence. But the behavior of the ruling class of the country decries being responsible and scorn being dutiful. Nay, in the garb of power and influence, the seeds of decay of the country are allowed to germinate and grow.
When the entire gamut of minorities of the country feels unsafe in the country, it speaks volumes about the power, influence and governance of the country. Conversely, it suggests that power, influence and governance are used to undermine secular and democratic credentials of the country which is a sad state of affairs.
The people at the helm of affairs need to realize the urgency in strengthening, and buttressing, the fundamentals of the country. They need to take lessons from the human history where great civilizations have fallen due to the callous, and careless, approaches of their governments.
In a world where the United States of America has lost much of her hegemony at the global level, and is struggling to retain the remaining of it, India must tread cautiously to keep growing. The government, and the people of the government, must desist from the acts which are simply and purely anti-government. They should not allow India to be another of the waned civilizations of the human history.
Fayaz Ganie can be reached at fayaz.greatstep@gmail.com
