India holds the Guinness record for the country with the most news channels in the world. And boy, have they been busy hashing and rehashing the election rhetoric from the past year leading upto the ongoing elections. We have been fed news, debates, manifestos, life stories of the candidates, scandals and even paid news, with certain channels becoming the literal mouthpieces of some political parties. Add to that the print and the social media that have been further elaborating and dissecting the election saga.
At present, we are in the midst of this elections parody in the largest democracy of the world. A sudden lethargy, that of election fatigue is gripping us. The fact that these multi phased elections are the longest, stretching the process over a whole month is adding to the exhaustion. We can't wait for the results to be declared and the new government formed, over and done with, so we could move on with our lives, right? Let's stop for a moment. But wait, haven't we already been through enough lectures on the importance of this process, on constitutional rights, on universal adult franchise, on democratic duties, et al? Probably. We don't really need another article explaining that. Is there another perspective to this?
So, let's look at our neighbors. Pakistan, the less said the better about this "on now and off now" democracy. An open secret of a country, this one, where the real power has always been with the armed forces. China, a communist country with the largest population in the world. The fastest growing economy that grew very little in terms of human empowerment. It's governance and policies are still hidden behind the iron curtain. Bangladesh, decades of bitter dictatorship later, it is now tasting a fragile democracy. Myanmar, still under military rule, albeit a relaxed one has a long way to go. Afghanistan doesn't need any introduction. Looking beyond, there is this Egyptian turmoil, Arab spring, European unrest, Latin American struggles and the African failures.
At present, we are in the midst of this elections parody in the largest democracy of the world. A sudden lethargy, that of election fatigue is gripping us. The fact that these multi phased elections are the longest, stretching the process over a whole month is adding to the exhaustion. We can't wait for the results to be declared and the new government formed, over and done with, so we could move on with our lives, right? Let's stop for a moment. But wait, haven't we already been through enough lectures on the importance of this process, on constitutional rights, on universal adult franchise, on democratic duties, et al? Probably. We don't really need another article explaining that. Is there another perspective to this?
So, let's look at our neighbors. Pakistan, the less said the better about this "on now and off now" democracy. An open secret of a country, this one, where the real power has always been with the armed forces. China, a communist country with the largest population in the world. The fastest growing economy that grew very little in terms of human empowerment. It's governance and policies are still hidden behind the iron curtain. Bangladesh, decades of bitter dictatorship later, it is now tasting a fragile democracy. Myanmar, still under military rule, albeit a relaxed one has a long way to go. Afghanistan doesn't need any introduction. Looking beyond, there is this Egyptian turmoil, Arab spring, European unrest, Latin American struggles and the African failures.
Well, the next time you grumble at your television or grouse at your spoilt manicure, think again. There are 2.5 billion people in the world living under dictatorship or absolute monarchy who never get the chance to see that ink on their fingers. Not to mention millions further in unstable democracies across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America that are grappling to realize this dream of the fairest process created by man, democracy. Step out and breathe in that perfume of freedom, it's worth all the chaos.
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