Let me tell you about democracy in India. First, you need to know that it’s a parliamentary system with two houses, both elected. There are a wide variety of parties, both local and national. This means that a coalition government is almost assured; that is, no one party will have enough members of parliament to have control. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. The largest party at the moment is the Congress Party of Nehru/Gandhi. They won the last election and took over from the Hindu nationalist BJP party. There are communist parties, Muslim parties, and parties that are limited to single states.
The states have their own governments which are also often multiparty coalitions. There are huge differences in the states with regard to education, services, and standard of living. Some states are virtually feudal systems ruled by the people with the strongest militias. Others are politically sophisticated with well educated electorates.
Two things are major determinants of how well the state and national governments function: corruption and religion. Corruption is a major problem with civil servants expecting “tips” to sign papers or process them. Criminals can “buy” the opportunity to run for office in many parties. One can run for office as long as he is not convicted, even if under indictment. Religion has become an issue, and it often relates to caste and community. There is no sense of community as it is experienced in the US. The community in India is your caste group or religious affiliation. And, people do tend to segregate themselves into areas even in multi-religious towns.
The parliamentary system means that people really vote for a party as opposed to an individual. The person elected pretty well has to vote the party line or he can be kicked out for indiscipline. Representatives do not have to live in the areas they run in.
Now, for some fun. The elections are a riot. There are cars, trucks, even bicycles with loud speakers on them that go everywhere shouting political slogans. They can also be dangerous, people still get killed for political activity every election. Sessions of parliament can be very rowdy with people walking out, throwing furniture, attacking other members physically, and lots of yelling and screaming.
The best part is that this democracy is maturing. There are efforts to get rid of the corruption, and the population is becoming more and more educated and politically aware. It will be fun to watch as the economic development continues how the democracy develops as well.
Anyone interested? I can add a gratuitous picture of an Indian cat.
gratuitous is good.
I can’t believe how much I’ve learned lately about the political systems in other countries here in the past week or so. Italy, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, India. And Jerome and Welshman keep us posted on the UK and France. I’m really loving this.
Thanks for the information outlanddish on India
I work with now, and in the past, with some wonderful people from India. Since they are here we talk US politics. Now I have a different perspective on how their democracy works.
Is throwing stuff in parliament an Asian thing?
Also, why did you relocate to India?
I moved here for spiritual growth.
But, I’m a psychologist and also have a degree in sociology so I love to watch people and politics.
I don’t know if throwing things in parliament is an Asian thing, but it does seem to happen in this area of the world. I think rather that the elected representatives are not always the most civil. There is still a tendency here to think that physical strength is the most important thing. That’s why politics is rough and people die every election. The throwing of things does seem to be decreasing though. Maybe because they are now televising the parliament sessions and people can see what the jokers are doing.
So impressive that you summed up the entire Indian political system in six paragraphs! I wouldn’t know where to begin with the US system or even for my state. Thanks so much for the insight. Wouldn’t it be great to have a similar diary on other member’s countries, too?
I laughed till I cried at this–sounds so familiar:
“Criminals can “buy” the opportunity to run for office in many parties. One can run for office as long as he is not convicted, even if under indictment.”
have a similar diary on other member’s countries. too?” you asked.
Well, there is a similar diary that you might have missed, by Fran.
Thanks, Athenian!
is hold elections over a two week period, taking polls to the people, thumbprints, etc. Not perfect, but contrast it with the US system which is designed to limit participation in the political process to the top 25% income tier.
Theoretically, employers are required to give employees 2 hours off to vote, since the polls are open for 12 hours on one working day.
To a low wage earner whose one way public transportatin commute can easily be up to 3 hours, this is not really helpful, even if the employer willingly gives the 2 hours, the more common practice is that low level employees who insist on it are terminated for an unrelated reason.
In the “election” events last fall, the “early voting” purported to ameliorate this, as even the top 25 is increasingly finding itself in the uniquely American position of having 2 or 3 jobs, and some states even opened polling places on Saturdays. However, lines were so long at the early voting stations in many areas that the effect was more cosmetic than anything else, which was doubtless the intention.
Whether in India or the US, however, the principal challenge of the get out the vote squads is that the poor are in many ways more politically sophisticated than their better heeled brothers, and cherish no foolish delusions that any politician of any party is going to significantly change their lives.
They know that no politician is going to get them a living wage, a right to housing, or medical treatment as a human right as opposed to a commercial product.
None of that would be pragmatic.
That’s a shame, too, since it could have kept the window for a political solution open a bit longer.
While India does hold elections over a period of a couple of weeks, the voting in a given area is only one day. The staggered voting days are to permit increased security; so that ballot boxes won’t be stuffed or stolen, not always successful I might add. The more rural and feudal areas often have repolls following voting irregularities.
But, you are correct that most people do not expect that elections will change much in the quality of life. They believe that most politicians are in it for the money they can get from people who want government approval or protection for something.
I might also add that the police are state forces with local stations. The officers and lower levels are all rotated to try to prevent corruption. They have few vehicles and resources and are also charged with keeping up with the entry and exit of foreigners who stay longer than three months. Some efforts have been made to separate them from the state politics with varying success, but they are often accused of being in the pocket of whatever political party is in power.