Does Democracy Really Work
Last night I was out for dinner with some of my Chinese colleagues and, we got to talking about whether or not people in China could make jokes about their leaders. The general consensus was that, they could not. At least, not publicly. Obviously. Who in China would dare to do this.
So, one of the great tests of democracy was that people in other countries could do so. Look at India, the USA, UK, countries in Europe. Which have democratic setups or, setups that are near democratic anyway. So, we do have cartoons lampooning the party bosses. We do have newspaper articles criticizing them. This is in the great democratic tradition, no doubt.
Yet, I am uncomfortably reminded of George Orwell's animal farm. And, the last parts where the pigs were having dinner with the humans and, where they changed the last line of the animal manifesto - all animals are equal but, some are more equal than others. Pretty cynical book but, what the hell. It's all true!!
Look at the Iraq war. George Bush looks at the war as part of his greater war on terror. Or so, he publicly claims. Yet, what was the real cause? Oil? Contracts? Contracts for whom? Cheney's firms? Vendetta because Saddam threatened to blow up his father? Truths, half truths that we suspect but, never will be told about officially?
So, despite protests from his own countrymen, the war went on. Was this in the best democratic tradition?
Look at Arnold Schwarzzenneger. I can never spell his name. One of his strengths was that he was married to a Kennedy. Dynasty!! Same goes for Bush.
Come home to India. Look at the Nehru- Gandhi dynasty. And now, I read an article in 'India Today' about the sons and daughters of our venerable politicians entering politics. Earlier, they all criticised a small politician called Chautala for his dynastic rule in his home state. But, they all do it now.
And, the corruption. The less said, the better.
Vote rigging. We all know about that.
So, what is democracy? A flawed, corrupted ideal? Or, an ideal system that never had a hope in hell. But, is convenient nowadays anyway for all politician's to use.
But, better than dictatorship, no doubt.
Yet, in the best Animal Farm tradition, some animals will always be more equal than others.