Tracing democracy, violence in India and Sri Lanka<\/p>\n
Democracy And Violence in India and Sri Lanka
\n Dennis Austin
\n The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Council on Foreign
\n Relations Press, New York, 1995.
\n 101 pages
\n $14.95<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): With its free press, independent judiciary,
\nsecular constitution, nonpolitical army and more than 540 million
\nvoters, India is the world's largest democracy.<\/p>\n
Democracy is a remedy for violence. But, surprisingly,
\nviolence has become an integral part of a land where prophets of
\npeace -- Lord Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi -- were born.<\/p>\n
Many wonder why Mahatma Gandhi -- the father of the Indian
\nnation, leader of India's unique non-violent freedom struggle
\nagainst the brutal British colonialism and promoter of harmony
\nbetween Hindu and Moslem communities -- suffered a violent death
\nat the hands of a Hindu fundamentalist. Gandhi's political heirs,
\nformer prime ministers Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi,
\nwere both assassinated due to political reasons.<\/p>\n
Judging from print and electronic media reports, one may
\nconclude that violence bedevils Indian society. The media portray
\nIndia as full of bandits and mercenaries in remote districts,
\ncaste violence, communal riots and communist violence (Maoists);
\nnot to mention the separatism, terrorism and gangster politics.<\/p>\n
These reports are undeniable facts. But, given its 900 million
\npopulation, the complexities of its caste system, religions,
\nregions and languages, those incidents are but a drop in the
\nocean.<\/p>\n
Likewise in Sri Lanka, a tiny, democratic, tropical paradise
\nin the Indian Ocean, whose population is predominantly Buddhist,
\nviolence is not only frequent but brutish and widespread. The
\npresent bloody war between the Tamil Tigers and government forces
\nis a glaring example.<\/p>\n
So, why is there so much violence in the cradles of non-
\nviolence? How can there be a \"violent democracy\"? Is there any
\nrelationship between democracy and violence? Can democracy
\nencourage violence?<\/p>\n
These are the questions that Prof. Dennis Austin, a
\ndistinguished academic at the University of Manchester, United
\nKingdom, grapples with in his book Democracy and Violence in
\nIndia and Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n
The central theme of the book, in the author's own words, is
\n\"the relationship between violence and democracy in South Asia\",
\nwith a focus on India and Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n
South Asia, home to the world's largest Hindu and Moslem
\npopulations, is frequently referred to as Asia's only remaining
\ntroubled region, due to its extreme level of violence.<\/p>\n
Violence is not exclusively South Asian problem. In almost
\nevery society, the evil of violence exists. In America, the land
\nof liberty and democracy, there are over 150,000 gun deaths
\nannually and some 200 million guns in circulation in a lethal
\nmarket (page 2).<\/p>\n
In Europe, violence has grown out of separatism, immigration
\nand other social issues. But there is a difference in the degree,
\nProf. Austin says, between Western society and South Asia.<\/p>\n
\"Issues of crime and violence have troubled Western societies
\nbut not their politics,\" he said.<\/p>\n
So, what is at the root of the political violence in South
\nAsia?<\/p>\n
The answer might lie in the pluralistic societies of India and
\nSri Lanka, where people are divided by religion, caste, language
\nand region. In addition, the Indian subcontinent is full of
\nminorities and majorities.<\/p>\n
The crux of the problem is that many of the political parties
\noften exploit these differences for their own gains. The
\nsensitive nature of these differences are extremely emotional,
\noften resulting in mass-scale violence.<\/p>\n
In many cases, according to Austin, the violence is not
\nagainst individuals but against entire communities or groups.
\nThis, in turn, invites state violence in the name of quashing
\ndisturbances.<\/p>\n
In spite of the widespread violence, both India and Sri Lanka
\nare constitutional states, where free and fair elections are held
\nevery five years.<\/p>\n
Austin divides his study into five chapters, three of which
\ndeal exclusively with India and one with Sri Lanka. In the first
\nchapter he tries to explore the origins and nature of violence in
\nboth countries.<\/p>\n
The present study, Austin claims, is an assessment of 50 years
\nof democracy in both countries. In fact, it's a pure academic
\nanalysis of recent events based mostly on secondary source
\nmaterials.<\/p>\n
Having gone through the book, one may feel that proper care
\nhas not been taken in the accuracy of names, places,
\nabbreviations, editing and proofreading.<\/p>\n
For example, it is stated in the book that the Janata Dal
\ncoalition won the 1977 elections (page 11). Actually, the party
\nthat won the 1977 elections was the Janata Party, not Janata Dal.
\nSeveral names have wrong spellings (Himachel Pradesh and Ram
\nRajiya), and the names of the MCC (page 41) and CPM (page 15) are
\nwrongly mentioned.<\/p>\n
However, the mistakes do not dilute the content and quality of
\nthe book.<\/p>\n
Given the volatile situations in Sri Lanka and India for its
\nupcoming general elections, Austin's latest book is worth
\nreading.<\/p>\n
-- V. Anjaiah<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tracing-democracy-violence-in-india-and-sri-lanka-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }