WHAT IS THE BEST FORM OF GOVERNMENT FOR OUR COUNTRY?.

The world, during the cold war times, when the USA and erstwhile USSR were at loggerheads, it was the form of Government which was in conflict. While USA trumpeted Democracy as the best form of Governance with ‘liberty’ as the byword for its people, USSR wanted to prove to the world albeit behind its Iron curtain that it’s form of Government is the best.

Communism itself was founded with near perfect Ideals. Karl Marx took into account the needs of the labour class (Which was a predominant group at that time) and conceived a form of Government which promised to fulfil the dreams of the working class. According to communist philosophy, the State was to provide the people with their daily needs such as food, clothing, shelter, education, health assurance and so on. In turn the people are expected to work for the State whatever it wanted an individual to do. This symbiosis was conceived as offering the people ultimate happiness.

Why then did Communism fail?. It assumed that peoples’ needs are limited and man will be basically happy if his day-to-day needs are met. Liberty was not a requirement envisaged by Karl Marx because it was unknown to the working class. A lesson was to be learnt that basically man is not satisfied with his day-to-day needs. Once the basic needs are met, man moves on to the next stage of wants. Moreover the Government is to be run by men & women who are not beyond the human traits such as greed. Communism would have probably survived if the rulers were immortals whose wants are nothing but the welfare of its people.

On the other hand USA promoted ‘Liberty’ of its people as the fulcrum of its Government. So the Democratic principles of ‘rule of the people, by the people and for the people’ caught the fancy of the people. It offered people unlimited desires and looked for ways to provide the means to achieve them. America was hailed as the land of opportunities. Contentment was a bad word. People desired and the State went on complying with the desires. Therefore, Democracy will succeed as long as the State can fulfil the wants of its people. But man’s desire is like a fire. It is ravenous and consumes everything on its way. The signs of fatigue of the US government is becoming very apparent.

So Communism failed and Democracy was not the solution. Somewhere in between then?. Our own first Prime Minister thought of ‘Socialism’ at that time of Independence, which is a mix of both. Socialism survived in India for only 40 years after independence. For 40 years, the Indian brand of socialism bred inefficiency, corruption and red-tapism. It gave rise to a political system based on sycophancy and opportunism. Instead of the envisioned welfare of its people, the system suffocated its masses. Proper correction mechanisms were not envisaged in the Constitution. It widened the religious, class, caste and regional divides instead of narrowing them.

Then came the ‘Liberalisation’ and ‘Globalisation’ from the 90s. Suddenly the Indian people could visualize a world in which they would be very much a participant. It offered masses variety in goods and services, multiplied their wants and fattened their purses ably aided by the IT revolution. People hoped that Governments and Public Sectors that continued their old ways would be swept off in a competitive scenario and the political species will be endangered. The rich people of the country saw an opportunity to get richer. So far the liberalisation carried along the hitherto lower sections of the society and increased their purchasing power. The means adopted for these are however are questionable.

But Liberalisation is far from giving our people respite. Government is far from efficient. The much needed reforms in electoral system has not come about thanks to some of the vested interests. The justice system has a long way to go before the people can get justice. Little has been done in Education and Health sectors. The problems due to Poverty and Population are to be addressed sincerely. Communal and Regional divides are great threats. Terrorism is on the rise. Law enforcement agencies have to be directed to serve to earn people’s faith. Populism by Governments and ruling parties is to be banned. ‘Reservations’ are to be rationalized. In the Central and State Governments, we lack Statesmen with wider vision and who are welfare motivated. Whatever be form of Government we have, it is ultimately the person at the helm who can make a difference. From nowhere came the Mahatma and shook the British Empire to get us the Independence which was no mean feat. People get swayed, but it is the visionary like the Mahatma, who can guide and redeem us.