Democracy: Rights, Resistance, and Responsibility

There has always been a debate among the political thinkers regarding the best and ideal form of government. Monarchy, Aristocracy, democracy, socialism, communism has been celebrated by some and criticized by others. Yet, practical and historical experience reveal that no form of government is flawless. Just as every individual possess strength and their limitations, every political system has their advantages and constraints and they are shaped by its leadership, institutions and context. Its high time that we shift our focus towards, not the perfect and ideal form of government but to a government which has the capacity to be the shock absorber, responding to aspirations of people under changing circumstances.

According to Edmund Burke, “Resistance is the medicine of the Constitution, not its daily bread”. So, resistance is important if the constitutional values, civil liberties and public welfare are threatened. It should not become a permanent strategy but it should be only used as a constitutional remedy. Continuous confrontation without any constructive purpose can create instability, erode public trust and can lead to weak democratic institutions. A resistance or protest has to focus on “What we propose” rather than just “What we oppose” because destruction is easy whereas reconstruction of institutions, policy or image is difficult. Criticising a policy and mobilizing public anger and destroying an institution is much easier than framing an institution. Political thinker A. Appadorai in his book “The Substance of Politics” argues that although conscientious individuals who lead resistance are often inspired by highest moral ideals, they must remember that movements may eventually attract those who are less principled and they can exploit the opportunity to pursue their selfish interest. This is especially relevant in the digital world where movements rapidly expand beyond the control of the original organizers and degrade into selfish motives. Gradually, the movements or protest which was initiated to defend constitutional rights are used to seek political mileage, economic or political gain. This ultimately dilutes the real essence and cause of movement thereby shifting the attention away from the original objective. However, restoring the credibility of institution by designing workable alternatives requires long term commitment and effort. So, its high time that we accept and respect opposition as well as constructive engagement.

In contemporary politics, power struggle has overshadowed the role of political ideologies. Ideology was considered as model of political development, shaping policies and guiding frameworks, but today ideological commitments and developmental issues appear secondary while struggle and maintenance of power remain the only objective. Electoral success and preservation of power have become ends in themselves. So, the ruling parties need to recognize and accept the opposition and should not consider it as an impediment to governance. They have to be continuously accountable to the people, respect dissent to demonstrate the confidence in democratic values. Regular and transparent press conferences are important mechanisms for public accountability. They remind the ruling party that each and every policy, decision and action is subject to scrutiny by the people. Acceptance of questions by the public on a proper platform, dialogue, constructive criticism is not considered as the weakness but they are real essence of democracy.

Opposition parties or pressure groups are the most important groups in a democracy even more than the ruling party. It is because democracy thrives on their feedback, questions and constructive argument. They have much important role to play in educating the citizens and creating an informed public opinion. It is their duty to ensure that the protest and movements are issue based and criticism is evidence based and directed towards solutions. Mere criticism of government policies is neither sufficient nor an effective strategy to gain power. The role of opposition is to engage in critical policy analysis, thoroughly examining the decisions and actions of ruling party and identify the shortcoming and policy gaps based on factual evidence. Intellectual preparedness and organizational credibility are important rather than just disrupting the legislative proceedings.  Misinformation, hate speech, violence and short-term gains by ruling or opposition party weaken the trust of the people in democratic institutions.

Citizens also have a huge responsibility in sustaining democracy as well as maintaining constructive and constitutional resistance. It is important for the citizens to be aware of the constitutional and legal dimensions and remain vigilant against the people who are trying to exploit the sentiments. Democratic participation is possible only on the basis of informed judgement, awareness about constitutional and legal dimensions. Constitutional awareness, critical thinking, literacy empower the individuals to distinguish between opportunism and public interest. Democracies can be efficient only on foundation of responsible and informed citizens, accountability of the ruling party, constructive criticism of the opposition and active pressure groups who can safeguard public interest. Therefore, Resistance should be organized in accordance with rights and responsibility.

-Dr. Vandana Mishra