May Divali’s Light guide both Voters and Politicians

By Dr R Neerunjun Gopee

As far as I can remember this is the first time ever that Divali and Aapravasi Ghat Day are almost coinciding, taking place this year within a day of each other – and but a few days away from the general election due on 10 November. Although the one is a celebration (of the return of Bhagavan Sri Rama to his kingdom Ayodhya) and the other a commemoration (of the arrival of the first batch of indentured labour from India), both occasions carry a common message of sacrifice undergone by the respective protagonists.

“Aapravasi Ghat Day should remind us of the broadly similar narrative of people who were lured away from their homes and families to toil under the harshest of both working and living conditions. They too struggled to survive, and almost half of them never returned to be reunited with their families again, and those who remained had to overcome further hardships so as to improve their lives. For many still, however, this is yet to happen. This is because the true Ram Rajya, which our political leaders have frequently alluded to while campaigning, hasn’t really taken place across the board. Not only because they have been bickering among themselves for a start, but once they were installed, they became self-centred…”

Thus, Sri Ram was banished to the forest for fourteen years with his wife Sita instead of living a princely life as ruler. This ordeal was compounded by a further, hard struggle to bring back his wife from Sri Lanka where she had been kept captive by the demon King Ravana. He had used deceit – disguise as a sadhu or holy man — to abduct her from the compound where she and Sri Ram had settled in the jungle while the latter was temporarily away.

Incidentally, Ravana was a highly educated and pious man too, but that didn’t prevent him from committing this heinous act.

Aapravasi Ghat Day should remind us of the broadly similar narrative of people who were lured away from their homes and families to toil under the harshest of both working and living conditions. They too struggled to survive, and almost half of them never returned to be reunited with their families again, and those who remained had to overcome further hardships so as to improve their lives. For many still, however, this is yet to happen.

This is because the true Ram Rajya, which our political leaders have frequently alluded to while campaigning, hasn’t really taken place across the board. Not only because they have been bickering among themselves for a start, but once they were installed, they became self-centred. Instead of humility, the arrogance and spoils of power clouded their previously avowed vision for the people.

Our leaders too are highly educated and do not miss an occasion of publicly displaying their piousness.

Let us hope that this fortuitous coincidence of a celebration and a commemoration make them commit themselves – for the times demand it even more forcefully – to the genuine spirit of Ram Rajya, which serves as a benchmark for an ideal form of governance ensuring progress, prosperity, and peace. In Ram Rajya, there is no room for discrimination, the poor are not marginalized, and the rule of law prevails. People act out of free moral responsibility and self-discipline, inspired by Ram’s own practice of austerity, generosity, kindness, justice, welfare orientation, and the ability to care for and plan for his subjects. This consciousness is deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people – under the inspiration of true leaders.

They wholeheartedly strive to establish a polity that seeks to fulfill the legitimate expectations of the people in an environment of peace and prosperity.

Thus, Ram Rajya gives context to what one would expect, namely that there are sources of higher wisdom that can serve as inspiration to everybody but in particular to those who take on the responsibility to be national leaders and to serve the people. A strong dose of the humility and compassion of Sri Rama should be the hallmarks of such leaders.

These traits should infuse the promise to do politics otherwise – faire la politique autrement – that we have heard of time and again. Since a wind of change seems to be blowing, let us hope that for a start, it takes a sweep at the topmost level of the country’s deliberations, namely its Parliament. If it materializes, may it freshen and at the same time illuminate the parliamentary minds that will give direction to the country’s affairs. 

We can only look forward to better days ahead if the level and type of discourse in the National Assembly match the pledges being taken as we approach the election. Instead of the violent argumentations and threats that seem to have become a routine there, one would hope for discussion and dialogue pitched at high levels but not necessarily high decibels. Further, now that the debates are televised live, adherence to norms of common courtesy would serve as an example in particular to the impressionable younger demography who are now sold out to social media where all this material is available to them as well.

As people listen to the political broadcasts and take cognizance of the manifestos of the different parties taking part in the coming elections, they are having high hopes but also a certain scepticism about the ‘goodies’ to come. There is much apprehension about whether it will really be possible to deliver on all of them.

The electorate and the country are up against formidable challenges across all sectors which need to be faced, and sustainable solutions found. The package of measures being announced may appeal to the constituencies they are aimed at, but what we have to ask ourselves is whether they are sustainable in the long term when we know that we have a level of debt that has already exceeded the norm. People are not that naive, and there are questions being asked about where the money is going to come from to fuel the ‘largesses’ announced? Eventually, from their own, taxpayer’s money of course, and the common man too seems to be seeing through the political game.

Many are those who are beginning to question the practicality of what is being dangled to capture their votes and are starting to ask the searching and relevant questions. It will be in the interest of all parties and that of the electorate to address these queries being raised. Light must be thrown on the state of the country’s finances and its economy so as to present before the people a more realistic picture of the country’s affairs. Along with that, there should also be presented at least an outline of some solid, concrete measures that they plan to take in both the short and medium terms to put the economy back on its rails. Additionally, make the country recover as quickly as possible its democratic credentials which, according to the Mo Ibrahim Index, are sliding downwards.

Truly, may the light of Divali guide both voters and politicians…

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 1 November 2024