Yearning for basic civility

We have just completed a month since the stunning results of the national elections were declared, yet it feels as if the election rallies are still going on. The only difference is that they take place now in our Parliament rather than in the open grounds, nukkads and chai shops. I have never been so dismayed as when I watched the new coalition government and the new Leader of the Opposition take each other down in full public view of the entire nation. From the moment they took their oaths and gave their inaugural speeches, there was little grace or decorum displayed. Gone are the days when parliamentarians rose above petty politics and rabble-rousing to address those questions that ought to engage the attention of our elected representatives. Insults were freely hurled and no one listened to the other as answers were given.

If this is going to be the way that serious matters of governance and the genuine problems we all face are going to be addressed, then it is time we asked some uncomfortable questions from all the stakeholders. First, the Speaker and the Chairman of the two Houses must be held accountable for not being firm and fair. Surely, this is not such a difficult task. There is a provision to adjourn the House and call the two leaders to his chamber and sort out the mess over a cup of tea. Come now to the behaviour of both the Treasury and Opposition benches. Their constant heckling and loud sloganeering even as the Prime Minister was speaking was not at all becoming of a mature and responsible bunch of politicians. The speeches of some of the Opposition MPs were heard in silence and were very impressive, but was the same courtesy extended to the other side? In the ensuing din, it seemed as if the Opposition was daring the Speaker to expel them for unruly behaviour, so that they could go out and claim victimhood.

In the Rajya Sabha, matters were fine in the beginning when some banter was also exchanged in a light-hearted manner, but then all hell broke loose. The relentless shouting drowned out any sensible exchange. Most will agree that walking out in protest when the Prime Minster was speaking about the questions they had raised only revealed a childish and immature mindset. Ironically, all this while upholding the little red book that declared their unswerving loyalty to the Constitution. Perhaps they need to be told that holding it aloft all the time is not as important as holding the conventions and laws it contains in mind while in Parliament.

Let us now turn our attention to another election and another set of actors. I am speaking of USA and the almost comical drama taking place there between two equally unsuitable candidates. One who is well past his prime and displays disquieting signs of early dementia, and the other who is full of lies and gas. One shudders at what we are going to witness when the results will be announced in November. Whichever one of them wins, the nation is going to lose. The story of knockout verdicts doesn’t end there. Rishi Sunak has lost in Britain. As in France, other European countries are also taking a sharp turn to the right: a fact that will radically alter the politics of decades and give a new turn to the European Union that we know.

What is behind this crazy turnaround? For one, the days of socialist governments seem to be over. The new generation of voters has little time for high-minded ideologies any more. The hypocrisy that is behind the so-called liberal values they profess has been hollowed out by greed and populism. The young today want money to come into their hands rather than welfare promises. Rampant inflation, which is often the consequence of freebies and doles, high public debts and an open-door policy towards immigration without factoring in the long-term results, in Europe for instance, may have been behind the violent swing towards right-leaning politicians.

I am no expert on foreign affairs so I hesitate to go further, but many of us firmly believe that the world will heal itself only if it follows the path shown by Gandhi, Mandela and the Dalai Lama. These three leaders have never let down their followers because their actions and speeches enshrine the highest human values. We, in India, decided to follow a different path in the first few decades and then, as time went on, we became more distanced from the lessons that Gandhi had wisely laid down. Love all men as equals, care for the last man standing, speak the truth, live the life you want to promote and, most importantly, never deviate from the path of non-violence. As I heard Rahul Gandhi give his maiden speech as Leader of the Opposition, I felt he had said all the things one yearns to hear but soon, the speech swung in another direction. I sincerely hope he will discover the median between the split sides of his personality to chart his political journey. For the ruling government, I have only one prayer: let them become humble and accept that they are not always right. The ability to accept one’s faults is the hardest lesson for anyone, yet it must be cultivated.