Advocate Shamim Ahsan

Advocate Shamim Ahsan, Thane

Civilization made the human beings understand the utility, necessity, and importance of Rule, Ruler and Governance for controlling and to check the unrestrained human behavior and class war prevalent as a result of anarchy and lawlessness.

Resourceful entities with mussel power became the Rulers of tribes and groups within a vicinity that expanded as Territory and ruling class became Kings, Monarchs, Czars and Lords who thereafter became engine of oppression and exploitation of subjects.

Exploitation, oppression and misuse of power by rulers facilitated the emergence of revolt and revolution and the Power to rule got transmitted to Dictators who captured the authority to rule by force.

The history of mankind has experienced the cruel and inhuman administration by the Dictators and the autocratic governance by the Kings and Monarchs. Our past has also witnessed and has been the victim of atrocities by the Ruling Class with different names.

In a very long history of struggle for Power, the Rulers and their governance turned hostile to the masses with the cruel and inhuman laws and implementation thereof over the subjects.

In the circumstances that happened, Democracy as a system of Government was considered to be advisable and suitable for it being popularly called government of, for and by the people. Initially, the results of experiment of system of Government called Democracy indicated remarkable behavioural change in the nature of Rule as against the earlier systems of governance.

History, as is said, repeats. The democracy introduced a new “governing class” of wealthy and resourceful members of society who engaged themselves in corrupt practices, illegal and unethical means for acquisition of power. The new concept of “majoritarianism”. came to be endorsed and acknowledged in the name Democracy.The demerits and defects of earlier systems of Government stood legitimised gradually. Oppression and exploitation have again become the significant aspect of governance.

Disagreements with the policy or questions to ruling class for accountability are being treated as waging war against State. Shelter is being tried to be taken beneath the roof of Nationalism for the justification for misdeeds. The ruling class does not even recollect that it has the constitutional duties to be discharged as Ruler. Arrogance of power and ego of being in power has made this ruling class believe that they shall always stand justified for their misdeeds in the name of Nation and Nationalism with the theory of majoritarianism that supports the philosophy of the supremacy and primacy of majority.

We the electors and voters too are responsible for the rulers being re-elected and not punished for their arrogance and inherent corruption on their part.

The circumstances have again redirected us to the forgotten history and to the stage at which the idea of Democracy was conceived. The state of affairs is in fact critical. Governing people have remained unchecked to injure the very spirit of Democracy.

A noted political/ social thinker G. W. F. Hegel has however given a consoling and soothing effect by propounding a theory called ” Cycle of Political Change” according to which theory, every political system degenerates and gets perverted and this very phenomenon assures a new system or change in administrative behavior of Society.

Optimism supplies the ground for events to take place in positive order and form..Let’s hope for the events and changes to take place in the order that the Democracy, free from it’s evils as experienced, prevails over the system that is being erroneously referred to as Democracy…