By: Arenjungla Kichu
A democracy is successful and vibrant only when citizens embrace and reflect in their mindsets, thinking and behavior, and adhere to the basic values of democracy, such as equality, freedom, secularism, social justice, accountability and respect for all. The goals of democracy can be actualized only when they appreciate the opportunities for their desired roles and play proactive roles.
Unfortunately, today, citizens entrust authority upon the government to rule and do everything. Even when implementations of authority are not fulfilled as expected, the government is blamed. Is it the most sensible approach?
With the recent controversy mounting up regarding the recruitment of assistant professors in the Technical Education Department (TED), Nagaland, it has only become overtly important to take a deeper dive into the role of a citizen in a democracy.
The allegations against the department and the appeal to the ruling government to declare the results null and void have been made clear by the Rising People’s Party (RPP), a political party. For many, it may seem like the RPP is looking out for an opportunity to score political points. However, it is necessary not to assume the issue as a petty political fight. In fact, it should bring about a realization among the citizens about how important it is to have a strong opposition in a democratic form of government.
Nagaland turned into an opposition-less government back in 2021, with NPF integrating with NDPP-BJP alliance, while the only major opposition party, Indian National Congress (INC) became almost non-existent. And therefore, the rise of the likes of RPP, in the opposing side, must be welcomed and supported.
Democracy is founded on the principles and values of transparency, pluralism, citizen involvement in decision-making, representation and accountability. The process of governing is most legitimate only when it incorporates all the democratic values. Moreover, it is important to realize that civil society, the media, and the private sector, have equal roles and responsibilities in addition to those of the government.
When a government fails to deliver basic services, a citizen is bound to lose confidence in the government. And it must be noted that, the degree to which a government carry out its functions at any level, is a determining factor of how effective and equipped a government is.
Reflecting to Nagaland’s current scenario, rampant corruption and broad-daylight robbery, even at the highest level is explicitly evident to us. At the moment, there are government employees of various sectors yet to get paid for months; there are poor infrastructural developments on healthcare, education and business, while unemployment rates are escalating every single year. Poverty and hunger is increasing as funds on research and development are almost negligible. And thus, it is evident that the government of the day is failing in providing basic needs to its citizens, but the larger question we should be asking is, what are we, the citizens, doing about it?
Unless every citizen play a critical role and use every opportunity in keeping the democracy run smoothly, a flawed democracy is set to bring misery. A citizen in a democracy must participate in public affairs by exercising his/her right to vote during elections. Each citizen must use his/her vote wisely, for which a citizen should be well informed about the agenda of different parties and candidates.
But participating in the political process alone is not enough. Citizens have to make the democratic system responsive and responsible. Even if the constitution only makes the executive responsible to the legislature, citizens must ensure that the Parliamentarians, Members of State Legislatures and their representatives in Panchayati Raj and Municipal Institutions are held accountable.
Citizens must make use of tools such as Right to Information Act, 2005, effectively. Moreover, Citizens must feel obligated to become informed about public issues, and observe carefully how their political leaders and representatives use their authority. Citizens must make sensible use of different media platforms to express grievances and evaluate the performance of the government, thus producing recommendations and demanding accountability. In the event of any non-compliance from the government, citizens should be well-equipped to respond in constructive, yet effective approaches.
A Citizen in a democracy is more than just the vote. They have to be conscious of both rights and duties and know what to expect from their elected representatives, be aware of the problems in their region as well as of the whole country. Only then can they understand whether their government is taking the right steps for their welfare. Democracy can be strengthened only when its citizens have a clear perspective of their powers and rights, as well as, of others.
A democratic state particularly depends on the quality of its citizens. If citizens do not take interest in politics, a democratic state can also become undemocratic. And perhaps, this could be the fateful direction Nagaland is headed towards. All the evidences point towards, and adds more weightage on the inevitability of a strong opposition party in Nagaland. Opposition and democracy are inter-related and cannot be separated from each other. A strong and constructive opposition is necessary for the functioning of a government in a democracy.
Opposition keeps a check on the ruling government policies and takes interest in the various public policies, where they may or may not criticize the policies and programs of the government. They make sure that the ruling government is kept on its toes, while making sure that the democracy does not become authoritarian in nature and exceed its delineated jurisdiction. In fact, opposition in democracy becomes guardian of public interests.
Citizens must be judicious in their responsibility to ensure the presence of opposition parties in the limelight of a political set up. A democracy without a conscious citizen, and a weak opposition, is nothing but a totalitarian regime.