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In "Why Democracy Matters," the author first describes
the ancient form of democracy and then goes on to discuss where
and how the Indian polity falls far short of perfection. Since
Independence, Indian democracy has come a long way. From the
single-party system predominantly led by the Congress to the
multi-party system, it has witnessed many changes. The author
sees coalition politics as a clear transition from majoritarian
rule and calls it "pluralitarian" rule. In today’s
democratic set-up, different parties have different ideologies
depending upon caste, religion, region, class, gender, etc. In
pluralitarian government, she says, systemic bias towards
minorities is likely. Notwithstanding this fact, she agrees that
democracy is the least oppressive system in existence and
suggests a proportional representation electoral system along
with the present system to deal with the aspirations of
minorities.
The right to
religious freedom has always been a hot topic of deliberation
among scholars. It is even more significant in today’s
communally charged atmosphere. The author has taken up this
issue in a chapter that discusses whether democracy and religion
are compatible. First tracing the origin of the term
"secularism" to Christianity, she goes on to argue the
secularist policy a state should follow and finally concludes
that the right to religious freedom should pertain to
individuals rather than to groups as "special privileges
accorded to religious groups may actually conflict with the
interests of individuals belonging to oppressed groups."
On the contrary,
in a chapter on multiculturalism, the author has defended group
rights for cultural minorities. She says that as cultural rights
are based on the principle of the right to equal consideration
and respect, the individual in each group turns out to be the
primary beneficiary. However, whether minority or group rights
promote the economic welfare of the individuals concerned is
debatable.
A chapter dealing
with environmental issues stresses the need for rights
pertaining to the preservation of the ecosystem. The author sees
these rights as individual rights in a global context. All over
the world, people have been expressing concern about the
deteriorating condition of the global environment. The World
Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg
recently, also showed its commitment to reverse the continuing
degradation. Apart from problems relating to this aspect, animal
rights, smoking-related politics, reproduction technologies and
genetic engineering have been dealt with in detail. Gandhian
values vis-à-vis ecology makes for an interesting reading. The
book also discusses the famous environmental movement Narmada
Bachao Andolan that forced the World Bank to support a
commission on dams to review all major irrigation projects in
the world.
The last chapter,
"Towards Greater Federalism," deals with the Indian
democratic structure. From time to time, various parties have
been raising the demand for the review of the Constitution.
Whether India should have its Constitution on the lines of the
US-style Federal system is subjected to debate. However, the
author as well as most of the analysts find the existing
parliamentary system quite effective and suggest a few
amendments to make it more federal.
Written in an
easy-to-understand language, the book has discussed the latest
issues relating to Indian democratic set-up in detail. Students
of social sciences and organisations dealing with human rights
may find it useful.
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A
successful form of government is not known by how it deals with the
majority but by the way it treats its minority. All countries in the
world have different minorities. Be it the world’s biggest
democracy or the largest one, it is the duty of a state to protect
the fundamental rights of its citizens, the majority as well as the
minorities. It is in this context, the book under review attempts to
discuss the relationship between human rights and democracy.
