Is India Mature Enough for Democracy?

The blatant horse trading going on between political parties, prior to the imminent no-confidence vote in parliament, once again brings into focus the question: are we Indians mature enough to handle a democratic system with universal franchise?

The system of requiring a simple majority of votes in the house, in order to attain power, has displayed time and again that, in this country, it is seriously flawed. It has become particularly insidious in the past decade, when the Indian public has become so disenchanted with its leaders that elections usually boil down to making a choice between the lesser of two evils. In the process, no single party manages to get a majority on its own. Then the desperate game to gather the requisite numbers begins in earnest. Disaffected members of rival parties, as well as independents, are literally purchased like cattle (although some cows would take objection to this unflattering comparison). And the ones being bought are well aware of their bargaining power. The price is usually a cabinet berth, or chairmanship of a public corporation. As a result, the most incompetent, corrupt - and even criminal - individuals end up as ministers.

It does not require a leap of imagination to anticipate how these third rate charlatans will use their newfound power. The only thing the public can be certain of is that its welfare will be the furthest thought in their minds - if it occurs to them at all.

The reason democracy does not really work in India is because we, the people, pay only lip service to it. Those of us who are intelligent and well informed have discovered long ago that they cannot expect anything from their government. On the contrary, the government machinery with its myriad of licences - and the resultant bribes - is a millstone round their necks. Thus, we learn very quickly that we must fend for ourselves. And, come election tine, we do not bother to vote because we don't care which bunch of jokers get elevated to "honourable" status.