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Sunday, March 18, 2012

FLAWS IN DEMOCRACY - PART TWO


Here is the ruling political party which has failed to keep many of its election promises holding a road side meeting to tell the public that the Mullaperiar dam is going to burst destroying large  areas of property and killing thousands of people. They instigated many agitations all over the state through their party workers creating a fear psychosis among the public at large. Finally, the supreme court had to intervene and appoint an expert committee to study the safety of the dam. The committee after a detailed study reported that the dam is very safe and it will not burst under any circumstances. Slowly the agitations died down. In democracy most often political parties divert peoples attention by diverting their attention to irrelevant things and create panic so that they can cover up the failures.


People are throwing their house hold waste on the road side because the municipality is not providing facilities for collection from houses and making arrangements to dispose them. These birds which are normally seen on the waterfront find it easier to find their food here without much effort. Neither the public nor the municipality is held responsible for the proper disposal of waster. The court has ordered that any one found disposing their waste will be punished by a fine and imprisonment. But who bothers in democracy. At the time of municipal elections those contesting elections come to each house and promise that they will do many good things but once they are elected they become municipal members and chairman and the people who voted for them will become public. In democracy elected members are not accountable for not keeping their election promises.
This is a mobile book stall operated by a government department to increase the sales of books and reading habits of people. Many such buses are operating in Kerala. The only problem is that no one visits this book stall and buys books. This is a pet project of a minister who has ventured to spend huge amount of tax payers money. Neither he nor the department is responsible for wasting public money. Democracy allows minters and government departments to spend large amount of tax payers money in useless projects and they are not at all responsible.

17 comments:

  1. that book idea is cool, if only people would use it...ugh on the trash pick up and the waste that is covering the roads...how terrible...and the lies about the dam...ugh...hard to trust any politician these days....

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  2. there r many loopholes in our democracy and the especially the way our govt works..
    one u explained above is one of them.
    an awesome and equally thoughtful read.

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  3. That's about the same way it is here..always making promises and never keeping them..hope you have a nice week..Susie

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  4. I agree with what you say. The Mullaperiar issue was blown out of proportion. Coming to waste disposal, I wonder why there had been a clash between Municipal Workers and the Administration and why things were not sorted out in time. There had been reports from TPuram and Thrissur also As regards the mobile library, it should be stationed near some public place where footfalls are the largest. But as you said, who bothers.

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  5. I feel like i'm reading about Nigeria. No accountability at all...

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  6. this so so true and disturbing...

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  7. Democracy has to be by the people and for the people. But now it is by the politician and for the politician. Well said Joseph Sir. Keep Posting.......

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  8. Hi Joseph,

    I missed your first post on democracy. I just read it now and I agree with your points.

    If you think democracy is flawed in India then the same is probably true elsewhere. In the UK, what we are increasingly seeing is an elective dictatorship. The big decisions are actually made by a small group of people including the prime minister, his closest aides and some top civil servants. There is in fact very little democracy at the heart of government. These people are more influenced by economic and geostrategic considerations than actually trying to make the lives of their citizens better. That's why, for example, everything is being privatised including the roads. The gap between the rich and poor is getting wider and wider by the day.

    It's actually laughable when Western politicians say they are intervening in other countries because they want to bring democracy there. Democracy is simply a fig leaf for regime change. Western politicians actually fear democracy - real democracy. That's why they have engineered so many coups in various countries in the past. Real democracy works for the interests of the people, not for big multinational companies.

    I still think democracy is "the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." It has to work for the people, rather than for corrupt and unaccountable elites.

    Regards,
    JI.

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  9. for the failure of democracy people who do not vote are also responsible.
    nice post

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  10. Hi Joseph
    There is a saying that "Politics is the last refuge for scoundrels". It was said in a lighter vein by a British politician long time ago. But how true this has turned out to be. It is no longer the last refuge - it is the first and foremost profession for the criminals, the dishonest,the scoundrels,the corrupt,the deceivers. The result - huge & unnecessary expenditure of the public exchequer, diverting peoples attention through lies & canards,undisposed waste & refuse on roads. This is the price we pay for democracy !

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  11. Ruling by fear is reprehensible and it is used across the board by every government. We need to keep bringing these injustices to light ... like you do, Joseph.

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  12. a meaningful post. The state of affairs in most of the states in India.

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    1. Joseph, I visited Srinaga in kashmir, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi recently, so I really understand what you say and mean. " If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind." John Stuart Mill

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  13. Thank you for giving me such a lot to think about. A lover of books as you know, I find it strange to learn that the wonderful resource that is the mobile book stall is so under-used.

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  14. So whoever worrying for not wasting money over book buses must think about whats the use of money if there is no cultural knowledge.? some people only knows their collage and then UK or US to earn money. Being a wise man is not only earning money and worrying about government wasting money. What do you done for bringing the habit of reading back to your life or to your kids. Nothing. So try to appreciate these type of good moves from government, atleast they are wasting money for a good cause.

    The book selling bus is a great idea to bring the habit of reading back and its value cant be calculated by the volume of people entering in to the buy or utilizing it. Even a sale in a month or two is changing a person's ability to view the world in a different angle.

    And we have a fair amount of fund allotted in the yearly budget to nurture cultural activities. if we really worry about the money we pay as taxes they we must also think we owe Government as a part of their national debt. Each citizen have a debt of 29725.00 as per the records. So do we pay more taxes than applicable to less the Debt of govt,.?? Oh Come on !!!

    Excuse my bad English. Thanks . Suman

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    1. Hello anonymous,

      I am unable to reply to you since you are posting as anonymous. I would love to know who you are and what you are.

      Best wishes,
      Joseph

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