Law, Governance and Common People
Democracy has been classically stated to be a government of the people, for the people and by the people. The last means, in modern age, government by the representatives of the people because of the largeness of the country under one government. The people, through their representatives, make law and expect to be ruled by it. So, there is rule of law and not of men, though the government may be composed of certain persons. If there is a conflict, judiciary decides the matter according to law and constitution.
It is said, people get the government which they deserve. It has been observed in several countries that even undesirable persons or even persons with criminal antecedents or even pending serious criminal cases get elected. Then it is said, you get the government you deserve. Sometimes, the position becomes very dangerous or even disastrous. For instance, persons in power, of Texas lobby, attacked Iraq on a pretext, which was found to be false and bypassed even UNO and International Law. This is vanishing point of the jurisprudence. Yet, in spite of huge protests even in U.S. and U.K., majority of the people are supporting their government because they get cheap oil from Iraq. But, it is at the cost of huge human blood, being spilt in Iraq and creating a fertile ground for terrorism, which all the countries claim to fight.
It seems our democracy is suffering from schizophrenia. On the one hand, the people elect their representatives expecting petty gains, and on the other hand, we expect such elected persons to show high standard of public life. Unless the people have determination and courage to choose persons of high standard as their representatives, they cannot expect good law or governance and in no case the latter.
Thus, the ball is again in the people’s court. The question is how are they to play the ball of their life? One answer is “Consumerism”, which is spreading like prairie fire. The result is, even in well-established democracies, international hegemonism leading to reckless exploitation of resources, aggressive wars, terrorism, global warming and green house effect.
This trend has to be reversed and can be reversed, for which is required, huge peoples’ movement for uplifting of their conscience and morals based on sound system of values of life. With David Frawley, (vide ‘Mantras of Rig Veda’) we may suggest that fresh look on our ancient heritage having the largest written material in the world may be helpful here.
We may, thus, hope to have good law, good governance, and good people, the foundation of the earlier two.