Governor speaks on Future of Democracy at Radhari Singh Dinker Memorial Lecture

GANGTOK, 23 April: Governor Balmiki Prasad Singh spoke on “The Future of Democracy” at the Ramdhari Singh Dinker Memorial Lecture before a packed audience in New Delhi today. The lecture was chaired by the Senior Parliamentarian, Dr. Karan Singh, and was also attended by the Governor of Bihar, Devanand Konwar, a press communiqué received from the Raj Bhavan informs.
Ramdhari Singh Dinker (September 23, 1908 – April 24, 1974) was a Hindi poet, essayist and academic of great repute. His patriotic and inspiring poetry earned him the title “Rashtrakavi”.
The Governor’s address focused on the evolution of democracy as a form of people’s government and whether it has been able to live up to its founding ideals. The address drew from the experiences of three events in the recent months: the Arab Spring; India Against Corruption; and Occupy Wall Street.
According to Mr. Singh, these three disparate events signify both, a yearning for democracy and a disillusionment with it. He said in his address: “It is quite evident that in several democratic countries, citizens have expressed disapproval of the way of working of the key democratic institutions like National Parliament, States Assemblies, Civil Service and Local Self Government bodies. Yet people continue to believe in the virtues of democracy and clamour for it even where dictatorial or monarchial dispensation prevails… Are alternatives to democracy being contemplated both in democratic countries and authoritarian ones?”
The recent anti-corruption protests in India have highlighted the inefficacy of our democratic system to curb corruption and provide succor to the marginalized sections of the population. Democracy has also failed to address the concerns of the poor and the rift between the rich and the downtrodden stands wider than ever before. In this charged environment of disenchantment with the existing system, Mr. Singh said, “…‘million mutinies’ are taking place almost on a daily basis in India. The need is to go for ‘million negotiations’ that would ensure that government, market and civil society work together for the empowerment of the poor and the dispossessed.”
In this context, the address also questioned “whether India’s democracy can rise up to the task of effecting improvement of its service delivery systems; accommodate the dispossessed and marginal communities in its policy making systems; and impart them skills to become beneficiaries of market mechanism? Is it possible for our democracy to enable us to invest more in the country’s long future? We have shown imagination during the Freedom Struggle and in the early years of the Republic in solving our major problems. Can we do this now as well?”
The future of democracy has been pushed into uncertainty owing the threat it faces from rising public dissent as also from religious fundamentalism and authoritarian rule. However, the lecture prophesied that “the democratic ideals of liberty, equality and justice will continue to be the guiding lights for mankind. And yet, it is realistic to hold the view that democracy cannot sustain itself on its own momentum.”
The Governor’s address concluded on an optimistic note with the assertion that “Democracy needs no astrologers. The time has thus come for political leaders, jurists, enlightened citizens and others who are concerned about the future of democracy to look closely at the challenges facing democracy in their country, and devise ways and means to remedy the short-comings in the working and structure of democratic governments.”