For the common good

Shabana Azmi

 

The year gone by was dominated by some very interesting ideas in public life: the issues of accountability and activism became intertwined. Which meant that probably for the first time, Indian democracy saw its citizens act independently of political lobbies for social justice and going through an independent route; the Jessica Lall case is a prime example. The Right to Information has given each citizen unprecedented power to question political authority and seek answers from the establishment.

 

But should we be satisfied? Obviously not. Much needs to be done, and continuously so. Let me give an example. We, the residents of our ward in Juhu are trying to set up a model of local governance in this area, beginning with the municipal elections. The residents have come together to nominate an independent candidate. We have vowed to keep the election expenses within Rs 1 lakh as determined by the Election Commission, though it is a ridiculously low amount. And we want to ensure that the process is totally transparent. Most importantly, we are trying to involve, directly, the middle classes who have traditionally been abhorrent to the idea of voting for local elections.

 

In fact, it is often said that the middle class has increasingly moved away from the concerns of the hoi polloi, specially in the post-liberalisation era. I do not entirely buy this notion. There is a section among the middle class which wants to participate in public life but does not know how to. The RTI is one way of making that happen but there are number of other ways. And in all of them, the media has a huge role to play. Media is run by the middle class, so the media has a double role to play — even if it means media activism, which has lately come into focus. I am totally in favour of the media playing more than the role of a watchdog because in a democracy a media is indeed the fourth estate and it is as strong as the other estates. The public needs the media for information and as a partner for demanding and achieving better governance at all levels.

 

The other important issue is that of the divide between development and displacement. I must insist that development cannot, I repeat cannot, take place without bothering about those displaced. This is not a moral stand. It is a practical and logical point of view. If development is for the greater common good, then that must include those who are displaced. In fact, those displaced must be the first beneficiaries of development. And that should be more than just cash compensation. It must be inclusive, taking into account the needs of those displaced.

 

The next big issue we need to think about is that of the minorities, which the current government has been able to bring much more sharply in the public arena. Affirmative action is a necessity, at least to begin with. The shocking findings of the Sachar Committee deserve to be addressed. The Muslims in India need help. But the condition of Dalits in many parts of the country is no better.

 

On the subject of Muslims, let us not assume that they are not getting anywhere. We must not encumber the Indian Muslim within the ambit of Islamism. The hold of extremists on them is diminishing. Islam is not monolithic. It is practiced is 53 countries and in each it has acquired local roots. So it is in India. The Muslims in India are a unique lot and because India is a thriving democracy, the Muslims are far better off here than in many other parts of the world. The President, all our Bollywood superstars, industrialists like Azim Premji — they are all Muslims. Indian Muslims must aspire to become like them because unlike many other countries, they have the scope to aspire and even achieve what they want to in the Indian democracy. What we need is education. The Prophet said so many eons ago that if you get education in China, go there. But, here a section of the Muslims are looking only inwards. That cannot continue.

 

Lastly, women must come to the fore and must take an increasing part is public life. In fact, the more women come into public life, the more the idea of power relations, as we know it, will change.

 

India is increasingly becoming a power to reckon with. A world power. But global power also means that the effects of that must reach all sections of the population. We cannot be a great power with one half languishing in the shadows. A global power means maximum utilization of democratic and constitutional mechanisms and hence the promotion of the greatest common good. That is what I would like to see in the year and years to come.

 

The writer is an actor and social activist