By: Raj Shekhar
February 09, 2005

Last week George Bush started his second term as president of United States with his ‘ode to liberty’ speech which was lumped with words like freedom, liberty, fire of freedom and promising to take his “fire of freedom” in all the corners of the world. Watch out! Who is next after Iraq? One hopes that America does not spread this “fire” around the world, but first puts out this fire in Iraq. It appears as if President George Bush is holding the wild wolf by the ears in Iraq, and he can neither hold, nor safely let the wolf go. When this will be over? This is the momentous question as probably even he does not know. Despite believing that Americans will be out from Iraq only after putting down the insurgency and Iraqis elect their government through the democratic process, the world is watching the rare examples of start-up democrats in the Arab world. However, for many, it is simple illusion as for them Iraq is being dragged to the polling booths by the Americans and the British as if to prove the rest of world that Iraqi population is ‘Dying to Vote’.

For most of the Iraqi population, this Sunday’s election would be a farce as they know that this ‘Democracy’ is coming to their streets and cities on the back of tanks and 170,000 foreign troops on their soil. Who would believe in this type of democracy when elections are held under fire or with the same methods of fear and violence which were used by the previous regime? When not only polling centres but the whole of Iraq is unsafe and many people are not willing to vote out of fear of reprisal, Bush’s policy of championing worldwide democracy is about to encounter its first serious reality check this Sunday.

This election is nothing but a simple face saving option for the Americans to show the world that after senseless policy to punish a nation by snubbing the United Nations and displaying a total lack of the international law, they had to go in a mission to replace tyranny of Saddam Hussein with democracy. As there is little sign of the rule of the law and the tyranny has replaced the tyranny; how many Iraqis will dare to exercise their new-found right to vote in this general election remains to be seen.

Sadly in the meantime Iraqis are dying everyday in this process of voting. Democracy will only work for Iraqis on one condition: those in power must work for the good of their country and not for the occupier’s interests.

We are also going to witness other elections beside Iraq, in some states in India- in particular Bihar, Jharkkand and Haryana. One might even question why someone would even be bothered to compare these elections? The issues is not just casting the vote, but who becomes the leader to lead the people to uplift the living standards and moves towards better and to a just society. Elections start in the next few days in Iraq and Indian states as mentioned. Though there are no similarities, one election will be held in Bihar with colorful and experienced politicians and the second one in a wounded nation Iraq. The difference is Bihar and other states will be repeating the democratic right as usual whereas Iraq is being dragged by the Americans and the British to the polling stations as if to prove the rest of world that they are taming a wild beast.

For many people in the western world, the democracy in India remains a shining example of civilized society where the ordinary citizens exercise their rights in a remarkable way by going through a riveting journey in every election against all odds, whereas over the decades Iraqi society has lived under pervasive, politically motivated brutality that has further damaged any sense of commonalty and drained the Iraqis of much of the humanity. Iraq which was forged after the first World War from the Mesopotamian region of the collapsed Ottoman Empire; its people have never had a national identity or a sense of common political interests or purpose.

Even though Saddam Hussein is history now, the country remains a site of volatile conflicts; more vicious than his own regime. In my opinion, the root cause of this degradation of Iraq is not just his personal greed but the way he eliminated the civilized Iraqi society. Hussein ruling by terror, pitted the various ethnic groups like Sunni, Shia and Kurds and their religious sentiments and interests against each other; in doing so destroyed the harmony and civility of Iraq - the land of ancient Mesopotamia which was once considered as the cradle of human civilization.

No doubt, elections are becoming more or less fair in India and under the watchful eyes of the election commission one gets sense of assurance that it will remain a strong force. The lesson of Iraq should remind the voters in Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana who believe in the democracy that just casting the vote is not enough, their responsibility does not end there; they should watch and reject persons who pursuit the politics as career or as a means to acquire personal power and monetary gains. The true purpose of the election process is supposed to be a filtering method where citizens get a chance to take all impurities out from the future government and strengthen the democratic institutions. A bad leader becomes a cause for an eventual downfall and misery of the whole nation and the citizens as we are observing in Iraq: The warning is clear and chilling as we are witnessing the Iraqi situation now. The bottom line is simple and true that electing good people makes difference in good government.

It is worth mentioning here about a rare gem in Indian politics: Mr.Nripen Chakraborty. Sadly, he died at the age of 100. last month on 25th December. Mr.Chakraborty, a life long communist had served as the Chief Minister of Tripura for ten years –from 1978 to 1988. It is well known that when this leader moved into the CM’s official residence, he carried his personal belongings in a single old tin trunk and ten years later in 1988 when Mr. Chakraborty moved out of the CM’s residence in to a room in the MLA’s flat, the only material that went out with him in an ordinary cycle –rickshaw was nothing but the same old tin trunk! Sounds extraordinary exit from the political office? Yes, considering what is happening all over India, not just Bihar or other states, democracy is there but not the leader like Mr.Nripen Chakraborty. He was truly a rare politician representing ‘a few good men’ in Indian democratic arena.

It is sad indeed but maybe we are used to seeing and hearing about other politicians and government officials in high places who consider it normal to acquire wealth through corruption. I hope someday when the voters elect the politicians in Bihar Haryana or Jharkand, they will have a chance to choose person like Mr.Nripen Chakraborty representing the people from all political parties.

Raj Shekhar