Increasingly in the news, I’m hearing how important decisions are being made based on the “Sentiments” of the people. Whether it’s homosexuality (Art. 377), or some mandir issue, or banning some movie or book, or deciding whether to hang someone. The whole idea being, that “It’s what the people want”.
But you don’t just give people what they want! In the words of Humphrey in “Yes Minister”, “Do you for example, give whisky to an alcoholic?”. You can’t just go around doing things because people want them, without regard to law, or the spirit of the constitution, or basic humanistic principles. According to our politicians, if ninety percent of the country wants to kill me (I’m not very sure they don’t!), then it’s okay to do so. Never mind the fact that it’s illegal to kill little old me, who’s never harmed anyone. If it’s based on the ‘Sentiments’ of the people, then it must happen. The people can be made to want anything by suitable means. Look at how the recent election in Tamil Nadu were decided. By a political party promising to hand out rice, TVs, and other benefits. The parties tried to bribe the people, and they succeeded. How the election commission allowed such a horrible violation of electoral principles is beyond me.
What nonsense is this? Democracy can’t be taken so literally as “The rule of the people”. Actually, it’s rule of law. And even law cannot go against the spirit of the constitution, as the Supreme Court has had occasion to show on more than one example.
The facade of banning of the movie “The Da Vinci Code” was the height. We had a treat watching the government of India playing ‘Nanny’. As if anyone could be forced to watch against his/her will!
If you just do whatever people want, you will have a situation where you will endorse the situation in Germany where millions of Jews were killed just because the Germans wanted it. Never mind the fact that they were swayed by Hitler, and actually just wanted what he wanted them to want. If the people wanted it, then it must be good. Absolute crap. Actually, Germany showed us how people can be swayed to do even the most horrendous and insensitive acts. We need laws that are objective and beyond mere ‘Majority rule’. Otherwise it’s not Democracy, it’s Mobocracy.
The right thing is not subjective. After looking at the whole history of civilization over the past six thousand years, we have had occasion to witness what the principles are by which a country must be run, for the people to have the chance to develop fully. If they don’t develop, then that’s their problem. The state hasn’t hampered it.
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