MORE ON DEMOCRACY AT NA

Naradaa’s friends have started talking about his frequent disappearances.

‘Where are you vanishing suddenly without any notice and then suddenly reappearing? Last time, you were telling about implementing democracy in your ……. what is the place called ….Naradaa’s Abode….NA, correct?

‘There is no democracy, there is only NA … isn’t that right?’ another one.

‘So you keep going out to find out how to solve our problems of NA?’ yet another. And so on and so forth….

Now, let me tell you this. My Shish is not giving me any assistance. Last time I asked Shish to give ideas. But he is avoiding me nowadays. So I have to get ideas from somewhere for which I have to be on the move….

‘ Oh, so you are blaming me for …’ Shish appeared from somewhere.

‘Yeh, of course. Otherwise, you give me some ideas now. Don’t think that I am boring or harassing you. Why you have started avoiding me?’

 Shish was very forthright. ‘The more I think of it, Sir, the more I am convinced that we do not need democracy. Neither we, nor our people will be able to handle it. The same thing as I said last time you asked me.’

‘But Shish, unless we try to do it, how do we decide that it is not good for us?’

‘Ok, let me ask you a question…. You said that in democracy, you must have an opposition. It is not very clear to me why?’

‘Because, if there is no opposition, it is not democracy. It is dictatorship! If there is no opposition, the party that rules can do anything they want, no? Even if it is not good for NA?’

‘That they can do even if there is an opposition. If there is a voting, it will be only the ruling party who will win because they have majority.’

‘You are wrong. There are other agencies, like media….’

‘ Oh, you know what happens on those media debates. If there are seven panelists, all of them speaks together and try to outshout each other. Normally, I don’t understand anything what they say.

‘And the ruling party members also can oppose what they are doing, sometimes.’

‘That is only theory. Haven’t you read about the entire opposition walked out on some issue or other, as happens most of the times?’

‘Walking out is part of democratic process….’

‘If the entire opposition walks out, where is the debate? No, Naradaaji…. I do not like this kind of democracy’

‘Then what kind of democracy you want?’

‘Once the elections are over, the elected guys should think of only NA. Not about the party. In some place I read, that the speaker should always take independent decisions, not as per his or her party diktat. It should be the same with elected members. They should discuss about what people want, not what their party wants…..’

‘There is something in what you say. But if what they want is what people want?’

‘It should be the other way. What people want should be what they want and do’

‘Aren’t you a bit confused there? Both are same, no?’

‘Now you are trying to confuse me…. And then, the elected members should only be paid for the days they attend the discussions. If there is a walkout, the pay should be cut. That should be the rule in our democracy here.’

‘But they would work even during other days, no?’

‘All right, let us concede that they would. So you can have a two-part pay. For discussion days and other days. Those details you can work out.’

‘But there will be chaos…. If everyone starts thinking for themselves and expressing and acting according to what they think, there will be chaos…’

‘That is the problem you have to solve. After all, you are the one who keeps going out and you are the one who talks democracy. If you have doubt about something, make one more trip…. Also, I have read what happened to your friend when his household had introduced democracy.’

‘So, you have been reading my earlier blogs? Did you read about potatoes and the chips….’

‘Yes, of course. I think you must go to your friend’s place again and find out how democracy there works. We will think of democracy at NA only after that….’