Obama, Post Election

We are always cursing our Indian democracy.
Some days back I had compared Obama's and Mccain's post election performance with our own poll candidates and of course our people came off worse.
Saibal Basu, 1982, compares the history of America, 230 years and ours 60 years, to give us a better perspective.

Radheshyam

Mr. Sharma

In response to your gushing admiration for the recent presidential U.S. election process, conspicuous with the absence of violence and mayhem followed by a graceful acknowledgement of defeat by Mr. McCain, I would like to bring to your attention a few facts of history.

It took the U.S. nearly 230 years to elect a black president in a country that on national average is nearly 20% black. Elected black representatives in both the U.S. Senate and House of Congress are also very sparse to non-existent. Also prior to this historic victory, Senator Barrack Obama was the only black Senator in the U.S. Senate. In India we have had minorities elected to the nation’s highest offices including that of President, Governor, Speaker of the Lok Sabha etc. There is also no doubt that had the U.S. economy not taken such a sudden downturn fuelling widespread anger against the current administration the election outcome could have been quite different. Bad economic news actually helped Obama. In bengali there is a saying which you may know – karo poush mash, karo sorbonash! Obviously Mr. Obama has reaped the harvest of discontent!

As far as poll violence is concerned, let us not forget that it was only a few decades ago that minorities (Native Americans, African Americans) had no voting rights even when they had sacrificed for the nation in wars. Non-Europeans could not acquire citizenship. In many parts of the U.S., more so in the south, voter intimidation, vandalizing homes and black churches, arson, physical violence, police brutality, dog bites etc. were just a few of the methods directed against minorities during polling. Also, let us not forget about the repressive poll tax which only the African Americans were required to pay from their already meager incomes. The state of Texas repealed the poll tax only in 1966!

As far as security is concerned, let there be no doubt about the elaborate security arrangements made for both the candidates and particularly for Mr. Obama. The security personnel are not dressed in battle fatigues or any distinctive colour (like the Black Cats) but in business suits are armed and carry advanced communication equipment. And most importantly the people seen shaking hands with either of the candidates have been prescreened by security. The apparent ease and coolness with which the candidates mingled with the public is all just show – it has all been pre-scripted and prescreened and hardly spontaneous as might appear.

I know that politics and political candidates in India leave much to be desired. However, let us not forget that India has been a modern independent nation for only 60 years. India embarked upon the democratic path through the exercise of universal adult franchise from its very first election – not in stages, not group by group, caste by caste, religion by religion as happened in the U.S. The country has stuck to this political framework (except for a few years during Mrs. Gandhi’s rule) in spite of many threats and challenges. India also happens to be located in an unstable geopolitical environment surrounded by non-democracies and ‘stuttering’ democracies or transitional democracies. India on the other hand, with its enormous diversity, burdening population, illiteracy, poverty etc. has not only left it’s democratic traditions intact but in fact strengthened and institutionalized that democratic framework. It is very easy for a wealthy nation to be democratic but much much harder for a poorer country to remain so.

Saibal BasuICSE - 1982