Of Politics and Ethics

Bishaldeep Kakati

The word 'Ethics' is probably one such word that must have been present in the hearts of one and all, especially for a secular country like India. But unfortunately this particular word has lost its existence to such an extent, that people now doubt whether they could apply this word in any way possible. If one hovers around to look at the political scenario prevalent in and around the country, the noticeable fact is that almost everything that is happening around the political sphere is more or less a mixture of selfish desires stirred in a solution of unethical stuffs. And even when the citizens wish or desire to taste or enjoy ethical stuffs, they are always served with all those bitter and unethical things that always make them lose hope and with that directly or indirectly the craving for progress and development have sadly disappeared. Thus that is the core reason as to why people have forgotten the word 'Ethics', or the particular word has lost its relevance in the current scenario. However, the one concerning fact is that if ethics loses its value in any particular field, then that field would definitely impose a negative attribute towards the proper evolution and shaping of the society, which is of course an alarming thing.

The conspicuous fact is that the regime in a sovereign is directly or indirectly dependent upon the political aspects present in and around the territory. And that is why the importance of 'Positive Politics' is an indispensable part, especially for a democratic country like India. However the scenario in India is such that whenever the denizens hear the word 'Politics', they always get a negative vibe in their minds. And for that the burgess cannot be blamed, because such is the condition of politics in India, that more than bestowing positives, 'Politics' has always been one of the major causes of people's anger and anguish. It is indeed sad but the fact is that the largest democratic country in the world experiences an apathetic political scenario. But if one carefully analyses, one would of course realise some staggering facts.

The subject 'Politics'(different from Political Science) although is not present in any academic curriculum, but it is a subject that is more or less designed, manipulated and shaped according to the needs of the politicians. And when politicians shape this subject called 'Politics', they manoeuvre it according to their own wish, for their own benefit, rather than giving importance in formulating politics for the development of the society or the country as a whole. And because 'Politics' cannot be taught to the politicians in any educational institutions, they become wild misusing this subject, without the fear of being punished. But an exactly different scenario would have prevailed if these politicians were made to learn and understand this course in some institutions, failure of which would have barred them from entering into politics. And indeed if one takes the current scenario and the actions of politicians into consideration, sending the politicians to special institutions is indeed necessary. Thus this mandate would ensure that politicians learn or properly realise their primary duty to serve the people and the nation giving due importance to the wishes of the masses. And a thought on this must be given by the citizens.

The preliminary chapter of 'Politics' starts when the politicians give mind blowing and impeccable speeches, making hundreds of so-called promises to the people in order to win the elections. The middle chapter can be divided into two parts, where in one part the innocent people in hope for development make these politicians win and in the second part, these politicians after winning presume themselves to be the supreme authority, sometimes even acting superior than the Constitution or the Judiciary. And in the final chapter of the subject 'Politics', the politicians do exactly the opposite of the things they promised to do, betray the people and seldom lend a ear to the cries, hollers and the pain of the common people. Thus after the tenure of 5 years, if they feel that their performance was poor, then they would again act as a dedicated student, promising the people to do good, to bring happiness to them etc so that their positions in the administrative offices are not snatched by someone else. This might seem awkward and weird, but this is the bitter truth of politics in India.

However, in the subject of 'Politics', it seems that a particular chapter of great importance is unfortunately missing. And that particular chapter is 'Ethics in Politics'. And since most of the politicians don't like this word 'Ethics', so the people must force the politicians to incorporate the chapter of Ethics in their own composed subject. Thus, if that happens, then the deplorable scenarios created by the politicians could be changed and the society could be revamped for good. But the question that arises here is: whether a mere theoretical chapter of ethics would be enough to refurbish the awful politicians?

The reality is that a politician before taking over the responsibilities of leading a state or a country must swear by the Constitution and other necessary vitals. But this swearing often loses its value, as politicians have this tendency to sometimes even disturb the basic structure of the Constitution. So rather than incorporating a theoretical chapter on Ethics, the people must make the politicians read and understand 'Ethics' as a substantive law, where if they go astray from their promises or fail to serve the people or the country, they must be subjected to proper punishments. And that is probably the only way to make the politicians realise their duty to give due importance to the needs and desires of the people, or else people have clearly noticed how democratic protests have almost failed to change the rigid behaviour of the politicians. And since government is of the people, by the people and for the people, so the people should force the politicians to incorporate ethics within themselves before moving forward to make them win the elections.

Frontier
Vol. 51, No. 39, Mar 31 - Apr 6, 2019