New Delhi: President A P J Abdul Kalam today (March 21, 2005) voiced serious concern over "dubious means" adopted to cobble up numbers to form Governments.
His remarks assume significance in the backdrop of recent political developments in Jharkhand.
Observing that polling processes have been, of late, under "severe strain" with fatal violence, he said, "Let us be honest to ourselves."
The arithmetical compulsions of incremental numbers and the alleged tradability of certain legislative seats, won perhaps through means allegedly dubious and undemocratic, have many a time created doubts on our democratic system in the public eye."
The President was speaking in the Central Hall of Parliament after giving away the Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards to Prime Minister Manmohan, Union Minister Arjun Singh, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh.
Kalam said when politics degraded itself to political adventurism, the nation would be on the calamitous road to inevitable disaster and ruination.
Democracy is defined as "government of the people, by the people and for the people." But in fact it is the rule of the majority. Hence democracy means "mobocracy" because the government in a democratic structure is guided by mob sychology. The majority of the society are fools; wise people are always in a minority. Thus, finally democracy is nothing but "foolocracy". (Please Click here to read the complete article.)
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"Human beings have still not been able to form a human society, and have still not learned to move with the spirit of a pilgrim. Although many small groups, motivated by self-interest, work together in particular situations, not even a small fraction of their work is done with a broader social motive. By strict definition, shall we have to declare that each small family unit is a society in itself? If going ahead in mutual adjustment only out of narrow self-interest or momentary self-seeking is called society, then in such a society, no provision can be made for the disabled, the diseased or the helpless, because in most cases nobody can benefit from them in any way... in that case there always remains the possibility of some people getting isolated from the collective. All human beings must attach themselves to others by the common bond of love and march forward hand in hand; then only will I proclaim it a society." |