Humanist Politics - 1
1. Radical Humanist Democracy
If we are to consider the powers and ideas that are at work in
countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. it is easy to understand that
they are not stable democracies. The
present global scenario gives us some idea regarding the new wave of
Islamo-fascism taking root in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey etc. They are
astonishingly successful either in capturing power or remaining as the dominant
threat to individual liberty from the democratic point of view. From the
Humanist, Rationalist, Skeptical and Atheistic perspectives, genuine democrats
are always marginalized individuals or communities in these countries. The
situation poses the grave problem of the role of humanists before, during and
after elections as also the ‘how’ of their work as agencies for change. It must
be possible for secular democrats to
create telling impact upon the political losers as well as winners , even while
their work is perhaps limited to the
cultural field . Radical Humanists have long back considered this aspect. The enquiries have led to the concept of ‘Partyless Democracy’ (ie., political activity
without parties )in which activists will go on working to create and spread
democratic values among the voters, continually pressurizing the political
groups and parties . Initially starting as study groups and discussion groups,
the initiatives can take the form of ‘Citizens for Democracy’ , ‘Peoples’
Committees’ etc.. These are not intended as bodies striving to capture power.
Though hoping for Radical changes, these groups won’t form political parties.
The terms ‘Winners’ and ‘Losers’ become unnecessary. The fact is that the work
of education for enlightenment is not a temporary make shift arrangement, but a
continued effort for creative development. This idea is sure to be dismissed at
the first instance itself by totalitarian forces. For them such endeavors are
scoffers, construed as counter revolutionary. However, historical experiences
have taught the human race very many things. The Radical Democratic idea put
forward by M N Roy deserves to be put to test in the unstable democracies. This necessitates a clear understanding of how
our notions of democracy and governance sprouted and developed and whether they
actually are concepts that satisfy the requirements connoted by their
definitions. The entire practice in the western world remains open before us
which can be critically assessed. Perhaps it is better not to re-phrase the original
ideas of Roy and his comrades in my own words. Hence, I am giving below the
relevant sections in Roy’s own words which I believe will contribute to the
clarification of related concepts.
2. Education for an Ideal State
1.
“One of the oldest sages, Plato, attempted to visualize the
possibility of an ideal State. He was the first to formulate a democratic
theory based on the experience of the practice of direct Democracy in the Greek
City States. On the basis of that experience of the politics in the market
place of Periclean Athens, he came to the conclusion that Democracy presupposes
education. Even when democracies were composed only of a few thousand people,
voters could be misled, unless they were educated. This ancient wisdom is even
more true in our time. Those who are trying to give democracy a chance to be
practised must realize that without
education democracy is not possible.”
(1. P.58,)
2. “But experience has proved
that education measured in terms of literacy alone does not create guarantees
for democratic government. What is needed is a different kind of education, an
education which will not be imparted with the purpose of maintaining any given status quo, but with the sole purpose of
making the individuals of a community conscious of their potentialities, help
them to think rationally and judge for themselves, and promote their critical
faculties by applying it to all problems confronting them. No government
promotes that kind of education. The purpose of government education is to
create mental conformism. You have to
sing patriotic songs, salute national flags and read patriotic history as
compiled and edited by governments, so that all people be merged in to a
homogenous collectivity and forget that they are individuals endowed with
certain sovereign faculties and entitled to be free. Hence there is danger in
the demand that governments provide all education, especially in backward and
largely illiterate countries. Because, Democracy will not be possible until people
are taught to remember precisely their critical faculties which governments
naturally fear, and apply them for the administration of their community. And
this is not taught under government- sponsored systems of national education.”
(2
3. “Other ways and means must be found to create
that atmosphere of intellectual awakening which is the precondition for
democratic practice. Such an intellectual resurgence of the people will take
place together with the resurrection of the individual from the grave of the
mass. Only when the monster called the mass is decomposed in to its component
men and women, will an atmosphere be created in which democratic practice becomes possible, in which there can be
established governments of the people and by the people. In such an atmosphere,
it will become possible to practice
direct Democracy in smaller social groups, because to make individuals self
reliant, they must be freed from the feeling of being helpless cogs in the
wheels of the gigantic machines of modern states, which allow them no other
function than to cast a vote once in several years, and give them no idea of
how governments function, so that they cannot even effectively help their
government, if they wanted to.” (3.
4. But once the precondition
is created, that every citizen and voter will have a minimum degree of
intelligent understanding and the ability to think and judge for himself, then
this helplessness and hopelessness of
the individuals will disappear; they can create local democracies of their own.
The voters need no longer remain scattered like isolated
atoms. They can organize themselves on a local scale into peoples’ committees,
and function as local republics, in which direct democracy is possible. Then at
the time of elections, these people will no longer have to vote for anybody
coming from outside; they will not only discuss in their committees the merits
of candidates presented to them for taking or leaving, but nominate their own
candidates from among themselves. To create this condition is the most
important political activity.” (4)
(to be
continued)
Ref:
1.
P.58, ‘ Politics Power And Parties’,
M N Roy,
AjantaPublications,
Jawahar Nagar, Delhi,110007
2.
Pp. 58- 59, ibid
3.
P. 59, , ibid
4.
Pp. 59- 60, ibid
