Saturday, August 27, 2011

On Parliamentary Despotism & the Rise of Democratic Oligarchy

Complacence of the Indian Polity has led to the Rise of a Democratic Oligarchy and has resulted in Parliamentary Despotism. Our elected no longer represent the electorate's interests, primarily due to the electorate's self-induced slumber. However, when the spell of this slumber is broken a stalemate is reached; where the "representatives" do not want to yield to the political supremacy of the Polity, refuse to work in the interest of the People, but merely find it their duty to continue their control of the State, wield their powers without paying heed to the purpose of its grant. The disturbing fallacy then results and eclipses the bright sun of democracy where the means to the end become the end unto themselves. The Electorate on the other hand of such a stalemate seeks accountability, compliance and a return to the call of duties of the State.

History teaches us the drastic fall outs of such stalemates - The American Revolution (primarily a fight against virtual representation, the "No Tax Without Representation" Slogan) and the Indian Struggle for Independence (Purna Swaraj - complete self rule), both bringing about a re-institution of the Grundnorm (narrowly construed as a nation's Constitution).

The current Political Stalemate has now forced us to consider our options, whether to re-institute the Grundnorm, that has served us so well during the era of judicial activism, or retain this archaic machinery only to be reoiled with enactments that bring about transparency, accountability and honesty and weed out corrupt grime that has made the running of this leviathan politically, socially, and economically inefficient.