The Decor of Democracy
Today a nine phase ballot begins, which will see 800 million eligible voters going (again) to the polls in an estimated 900,000 polling booths around India. Every five years India tops the record as the world’s largest democratic exercise. It’s clear that India’s democracy is a great electoral success.
India is a vast, heterogeneous, multi-cultural, multi-linguistic, multi-religious country. While many countries with less heterogeneity have succumbed to military coups or dictatorship, each election in India over the last 60+ years has confirmed the view that free and fair elections are deeply embedded in the Indian psyche. But what happens in-between elections is where Indian democracy has not done well. Here lies the cracks lurking at the heart of India’s dysfunctional democracy.
The founders of the republic advocated attacking poverty (DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE), bringing up those at the bottom of the social order (RESTORATIVE JUSTICE) and National integrity (EQUITABLE JUSTICE). But the report card on these doesn’t look very promising…
DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE – The Poor about 40% Indians still live below the poverty line. They have been hampered by the inability of the democratic process to bring up the poor.
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE – to those who have be disenfranchised; The Dalits, the Tribals and Women, and those living in rural areas. The 30% of the population at the bottom of the social order may have had many concessions to bring them up, but they’re far from being at a point where they can compete with the top 15%. There is an economic bias towards the urban to the neglect of the 70% that dwell in rural India. Women, who make up 50% of the population, are at the bottom of the bottom of the social order and have few rights whatever their religious persuasion.
EQUITABLE JUSTICE – National Integrity locates about 30% of the population belong to religious minorities like Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Tribal religions. The constitution protects their human rights and guarantees to every citizen the right to believe, practice and propagate the religion of their choice. This has been challenged by communalists who believe that everyone should be part of the majority religious persuasion.
Added to the above issue, India’s population is growing at the rate of 20 million every year and doubling every 50 years (India has added over 600m to its population since independence). Any gains made in the above are obviated by providing basic things like food, water, power, education and health care for the growing population. All of this is compounded by the lack of infrastructure such as roads, transport and the ubiquitous corruption from the lowest strata of society to the highest and the blatant criminalization of politics. These challenges alone are enough to make one feel dizzy.
What is a Christian to do?
Remember our heritage – The Church has been involved over the last 300+ years in Nation Building. I have identified several areas where Christians have made a significant contribution to the building of the Nation which I outline below. I call it ‘the mosquito effect’ – where the effect of the bite of the small mosquito is out of proportion to its size.
1) Languages – about 70 of the over 400 languages which belonged to a few elite were made available to all through Bible translation.
2) Education – Christians started the trend of educating the masses. In the early years 75% of all education institutions were Christian. Even today, 5 of the 10 most sought after colleges in India are Christian.
3) Health – Christians started hospitals and treated outcaste strains of society like Leprosy patients and the mentally sick. Over 75% of early hospitals were started by Christians.
4) Bias to the poor, outcaste and women. Christians have given dignity and worth to this group throughout India, even today almost everybody the world over knows about the work of Mother Teresa. A recent article in the London School of Economics related democracy to the impact of Christian missionary education of women.
The indirect impact of Christianity
On the Indian Renaissance – All this has had an impact on sensitive people from other religions like Raja Ram Mohan Roy in the early 1800s who along with William Carey and Lord Bentick the Christian Governor General at the time abolished Sati (widow immolation), to Mahatma Gandhi 100 years later who insisted that every Indian should read the Sermon on the Mount.
On Indian independence and the constitution – In the early years of the Indian National Congress Christians were represented way out of proportion in the population. The Indian constitution is essentially based on Christian values.
Spiritual transformation has to go hand in hand with the above. Unless people are changed from the heart there is no possibility of lasting change. If you educate a rascal you get a clever rascal, you don’t get a saint.
The country’s politicians are calling for an end to corruption and to development. These are all important issues but the true purpose of government is JUSTICE. RESTORATIVE justice, EQUITABLE Justice, and DISTRIBUTIVE Justice. Our for-bearers struggled boldly over these issues.
Pray that such things as the above which are enshrined in the constitution through and impact of the Gospel in India will not get destroyed or overshadowed with other issues.
Continue to work for Nation Building What will happen in the next two months is uncertain but we know that God is in control, and whatever happens as the psalm says – I will rejoice in the Lord, I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God the Lord is my strength (Habakkuk 3:17,18):. Yet a little while, and the coming Christ will come and will not be delayed those that are justified by faith must live by faith (Hab 2:4). He makes my feet like the feet of a wild goat. He makes me tread in high and craggy places (Hab 3:19).
By Raju Abraham
