By HH Mohrmen
Every election is as important as the last one; this one is no different except that we are at a crucial time when everything that we know is being turned upside down by those in power. There were climate denial governments but the most frightening development is when there is bias towards one religion or race. The hoi-polloi are fed with half-truths and thereby made to confuse science with myths – a deliberate ploy to make sure that they are not able to make a difference anymore. The country, which since its inception is proud of its plurality and respects its diversity, is now in a dilemma. Every voice of dissent is silenced and those who raise their voices are made to understand that unless one toes the government line, they become the enemies of the country thereby anti- national.
With regards to statistics and data, the common people are left in a dilemma as we are fed with half-truths and do not get the right information anymore. We do not know whether unemployment rate has grown or fallen; whether the economy is growing at the expected rate or is not, because we do not know whom to rely on for this important information anymore. And in time when we have to make hard and difficult decisions, the different agencies and even the government is not of any help. They instead make the task more difficult for the commoners. They are making the people more confuses with their statistics and information which contradict each other. And this Lok sabha election unlike the previous one is unpredictable. It can go any way and the fear is writ large on the faces of the leaders of both the opposition and the ruling dispensation.
On the eve of elections we are made to understand that the nation is strong and in safe hands because we have made a surgical strikes on land, in the air and towards the sky. Is that so? The need of the hour is to ponder hard and ask ourselves the question as to what are the factors that go towards making the country strong. In times like this when emotions run high and rhetoric adds more fuel to the fire, it is easy to find oneself joining the bandwagon of stereotypes which believe that the strength of the country is on how we deal with our neighbours, or with our attitude towards others.
But is that the basis on which this nation was built? We are stronger, not because we are a nuclear power country, or that the country possesses the technical capability to shoot the stars. The strength of the country is on something which is inside; its inner strength is if freedom prevails; if the rule of law is respected and there is a healthy democracy. The country is strong when peace prevails in the whole country and people live in peace and harmony. I hope that is the ideal that the freedom fighters had when they fought for our freedom.
The strength of the country relies chiefly on the fact that it was able to live up on the principles on which the country was built by its founding fathers, the values enshrined in the Constitution and which has kept this country together so far. The strength of the country lies on the fact that the citizens of the country are free to worship any G(g)od as one is given to understand or not to worship any God at all. The country is strong when there is security in the land and every citizen of the country irrespective of creed/caste/religion/gender or sexual orientation lives without any fear or apprehension or to borrow from Tagore’s poem, ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.’ The nation is strong when peace and understanding reign supreme in every nook and corner of the country.
The country is strong when the press is free to disseminate news which is bases on truth as one understands it and when media persons can remain true to the dictates of their conscience. The nation is strong when there is self-censorship amongst media persons to ensure that only that which is true is shared with the public and again to take leave from Tagore’s song which says, ‘where words come out from the depths of truth.’
A Democratic country can only succeed when people communicate freely with each other and with their government and can even criticise it without any fear. A Country is strong when there is transparency and accountability in the function of every aspect of government. A strong nation would in fact encourage debate and know that people are intelligent enough to agree to disagree in spite of all the differences they have.
The strength of India is on the richness of its culture and the diversity of its people and it will become stronger only when every section of the population are treated equally and allowed to develop and prosper on their own and at their own pace. A country is strong when the wealth and the resources of the country are shared equally by its people, instead of it being concentrated in the pockets of few people only. And a strong country is led by leaders who work for the welfare of the commoners particularly the poor and the neglected and is not influenced by the rich and the influential.
The country is strong when there is independence in the judiciary, when the police, the military, the navy, the air force, the CBI and others serve the public according to the laws of the land and their decisions are not influenced by the powers that be, but by what is right. The country is strong when we have a government which does not seek to influence the functions or the decision of its agencies, but instead ensures that they maintain their independence.
The Country is strong when the institutes of higher education function independently and the pursuit of education is free from any kind of influences. Education is the vehicle of the nation’s growth and it can help the country develop only when it is free, and when the students are allowed to fly higher and reach for the stars. A country is strong when its education system is based on what is true and right and is not influenced by any ideology. A strong nation is when all its children can have access to education and its citizens can access health care and where no one is deprived of one’s basic needs.
A strong nation also looks at the future and plans and accepts reality as it happens. This is the time to elect leaders who understand that climate change is real and is staring us in our faces. A strong nation has strong leaders who work towards mitigation of the impacts of climate change and work for sustainable development in the country.
Can we call a country strong when its leaders stoop so low and indulge in cheap tactics of piggy-back riding on the success of the country’s Space agency just for the sake of winning the elections in spite of the fact that the model code of conduct is in operation? Can a leader abuse his office as the caretaker PM by disrespecting rule of law for his own vested interests? One expects that he would ask himself these questions: Is it the right time? “Am I doing the right thing to allow the biopic of my life to be released now?” Even if this does not amount to violating the model court of conduct, it is ethically wrong and amounts to disrespecting the rule of law by those in power. It is also not giving a level playing field to opponents. This will only lead to chaos and anarchy in the country. The question before us is: If the chowkidar is abusing his power, then who will watch the chowkidar?
The strength of the nation is not on one or two leaders, or the size of his hand or stomach, it does not depend on the leader’s way of dressing or not even his charisma. In a parliamentary democracy like ours, it largely depends on the collective wisdom of the five hundred odd MPs that we elect and that is why we need to choose our MPs wisely.
The country is strong if the foundations on which it was founded are strong and when all the institutes, organs and agencies in the country work to strengthen these basic principles and for the common good of all the citizens of the country. The nation is strong when there is respect for the rule of law and respect for all citizens of the country.