- By Dr. S. Indira, Associate Professor &
M. Balaji, Research Scholar, Dept. of Philosophy, Pondicherry University
Gandhi is universally known as the most renowned theorist and also the
practitioner of truth, love, non-violence, tolerance, freedom and
peace. He was very much concerned with the nature, poor, deprived,
and the downtrodden and he has intended to alter the evil political,
social and economic systems of the people. Mahatma Gandhi struggled
to inculcate the sense of self-respect, self-confidence and
self-reliance to promote the power of decision-making among the
people. He said that, every individual should acquire the capacity
to resist the abuse of power. He said that although he did not want
to be reborn, yet if he had to be, "I should be born an untouchable
so that I may... endeavor to free myself and them from that miserable
condition."1 Removal of untouchability, Khadhi and Hindu-Muslim
unity were to form the essential ingredients of Indian swaraj
(independence). Already in 1920 Gandhi had positively rejected "any
religious doctrine that does not appeal to reason and is in conflict
with morality."2 He abhorred blind following; his morality consisted
"not in following the beaten track but in finding the true path for
ourselves and in fearlessly following it."3 He saw exploitation as
the essence of violence and so he insisted on the sharing not only
of political power and social respect, but also of economic
opportunity; in a free India the poor must enjoy the same power as
the rich, who must understand that their desires above and beyond
the bare necessities were to be accommodated only after the
essential needs of the poor were satisfied; a violent and bloody
revolution would be a certainty one day unless there was a voluntary
abdication - sharing for the common good - of riches and the power
that riches gave.4 Gandhi has suggested that decentralized
democratic political system is the only means to resolve the worldly problems.
Political Decentralization:
Political decentralization aims to give citizens or their elected
representatives more power in public decision-making. It is often
associated with the pluralistic politics and representative
Government, but it can also support democratization by giving
citizens, or their representatives, more influence in the
formulation and implementation of policies. Advocates of political
decentralization assume that decisions made with greater
participation will be better informed and more relevant to diverse
interests in society than those made only by national political
authorities. The concept implies that the selection of
representatives from local electoral jurisdictions allows citizens
to know better their political representatives and allows elected
officials to know better the needs and desires of their
constituents. Political decentralization often requires
constitutional or statutory reforms, the development of pluralistic
political parties, the strengthening of legislatures, creation of
local political units, and the encouragement of effective public
interest groups. The rationale of decentralized governance is also
derived from the drawback of centralized decision making at the
macro governmental levels. Being away from the basic spatial units
such as hamlets and villages and with power concentrated at the top
of the space in a pyramidic power base the state and the union
government power structures draw representatives from well endowed
sub-regions and sections of the community.
Forms of Government:
There are so many forms of government practicing around the world. Due to their
socio-economic and political situation particular country uphold the
certain form of government as suitable to them. The forms of
governments are somehow differentiated among them. These are
Anarchy, Capitalist, Communist, Dictatorship, Federal government,
Monarchy, Republic, Revolutionary government, Totalitarian state,
Transitional, etc. Among these forms of governments, democracy as a
form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the
people, but which is usually exercised indirectly through a system
of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed. We
can divide democracy as various types; main types are Direct
Democracy, Indirect Democracy (Representative democracy) and
Grassroots democracy. Grassroots democracy is a type of democracy
emphasizing trust in small decentralized units at the municipal
government level, possibly using urban secession to establish the
formal legal authority to make decisions made at this local level binding.
Democracy
Democracy is essentially a form of government, based upon the fundamental
assumption of equality of all individuals and of their equal rights
to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. The literal meaning of
the term democracy is rule of the people or the power of the people.
It is in fact very comprehensive concept. It is a political ideology
to one, a form of government to the other and a way of life to the
third. Democracy is a confusing concept, and a debatable doctrine.
There is however no system of government more popular and prevalent,
and yet the more controversial. "In its totality, democracy
therefore implies that any democratic structure entrusted with the
task of development and administration is expected to be not only
democratically constituted according to the principle of election
but should also reflect people's free will and function according to
the element of democracy both in their constitution and in their
day-to-day functioning."[i]
Thus the idea behind democracy is that it involves a large number of people in the
decision-making process. It bases political authority on the will of
the individuals who by a process of co- operation make decision that
are binding on the whole community. Democracy has very deep roots in
Indian political history. perhaps it is India where democracy
started functioning first. We can rely this fact through the
existence of olden institutions of India like Samiti Sabha, and
Viditha in the Vedic period. Afterward, the existence of many
republics during the time of Gautama Buddha, Shakyamuni's and
Thiruvalluvar advocacy in favor of democracy, his stress upon
development of democratic institutions and notable suggestions made
by him in this regard strengthens India's assert to it.
Values of Democracy
As a form of government democracy has very deep and people welfare oriented
values of whole society. These are as follows,
Life: A person's right to life can't be violated except if your life or the lives of
others is threatened.
Liberty: This includes personal freedom, political freedom, and economic freedom.
This is the freedom for people to gather in groups. They have their
own beliefs, ideas and opinions. People also have the right to express their opinions in public.
- Personal Freedom - the right to think and act without government control.
- Political Freedom - the right to participate in political process.
- Economic Freedom - the right to buy, sell and trade private property and the right to
employment without the government interfering.
The Pursuit of Happiness: As long as you don't interfere with others you have the
right to seek happiness in your own way.
Common Good: Working together for the welfare of the community or the benefit of all.
Justice: All people should be treated fairly in both the benefits and the
obligations of society. No individual or group should be favored over another person or group.
Equality: Everyone has the right to Political, Legal, Social and Economic Equality.
Everyone has the right to the same treatment regardless of race, sex, religion, heritage, or economic status.
Diversity: The differences in culture, dress, language, heritage and religion are
not just tolerated, but celebrated as a strength.
Truth: They should expect and demand that the government not lie to them and the
government should disclose information to the people. The government and its people should not lie.
Popular Sovereignty: The power of the government comes from the people. The
people are the ultimate authority over the government.
Patriotism: The people or citizens show a love and devotion for their country and
the values. They can show this by words or by actions.
Democratic Development through Decentralization
According to Gandhi decentralization of political power is the basic requirement
for the success of true democracy. For him a decentralized democracy
based on non-violence must consist of groups settled in small
communities or villages in which voluntary co-operation is the
condition of dignified and peaceful existence. For, it is the only
way to realize the value of democracy from the grassroots level as
it will enable the people to participate in taking and implementing
decisions without a rigid and strict control of any higher
authority. Moreover, it is the only alternative to reduce the
interference of the state in day-to-day affairs of the people.
Gandhi never believed in half-way house democracy, or disinterest
decentralization. He does not advocate decentralization only because
of its economic and political advantages. To Gandhi decentralization
envisions and upholds the cultural or spiritual ideal of simple
living and high thinking. He does not hanker after raising merely
the standard of living; he wants to raise the standard of life.
Simple living and high thinking is the ideal the very foundation and
essence of Gandhian approach to decentralization. Gandhi is opposed
to all kinds of concentration of power; he says centralization is a
menace and danger to democracy. Concentration of power in his view
distorts all democratic values. So he thought that "possession of
power makes men blind and deaf; they can not see things which are
under their very nose, and can not hear things which invade their
ears."[ii] Thus, his linking for decentralization originates from his urge for the
shrinking of the state and the deepening of the roots of democracy.
He therefore asserted that "If India is to evolve along non-violent
lines; it will have to decentralize many things. Centralization
cannot be sustained and defended without adequate force"[iii]
In other words centralization as a system is inconsistent with
non-violent structure of society. Moreover, he was convinced that
moral progress was possible only in a decentralized set-up. So he
wrote, "The end to be achieved is human happiness combined with full
mental and moral development. I use the adjective moral as
synonymous with spiritual. This end can be achieved under decentralization."[iv]
Here the perfect democracy based on the individual freedom. The
individual will be the architect of his government. The law of
non-violence rules him and his government. He and his village are
able to defy the might of a world. In this structure composed of
innumerable villages, there will be ever widening, never ascending circles.
By the Gandhian conception of democratic decentralization, the higher units of the
government get their strength and power from the lower units. As a
result, the panjayat has to be the basic unit of democratic
decentralization and the higher units will have to tender sound
advice, give expert guidance and information, and co-ordinate the
activities of the village panchayats with a view to increasing the
efficiency and skill of administration and public service. These
village panchayats have some important functions. The functions of
the village panchayats would be very wide and comprehensive covering
almost all aspects of social, economic and political life of the
village community. Education, Recreation, Protection, Agriculture,
Industries, Trade and Commerce, Sanitation and Medical Relief,
Justice, Finance and Taxation these are the functions of the village
panchayat. Therefore, Gandhi wants village panchayats to perform a
variety of functions covering practically all aspects of the village welfare.
Ahimsa, Satyagraha, Swaraj, Swadeshi, Sarvodaya all are the instrument to
achieve decentralized political structure. Individual freedom and
empowerment ensures in this decentralized democracy. In this society
there is no place to hierarchy and any other variations. Gandhian
conception politics of democratic decentralization is very much
important and relevant to the present day situation of the political
as well as social field for welfare of the world. Comparatively the
concept of democracy is the best to governance, especially Gandhian
model of decentralized democracy is very suitable to create equality
and paternity. So it is called democracy of with in democracy. The
system of Panchayatiraj has enormously helped to implement
successful democracy. This is giving great opportunity to villagers
to participate decision making and governance process. Gandhi's
concept of political decentralization not only helped to people in
the field of politics and also helped to social and economic. This
is the method of all round development of the people. This is the
Gandhian political ideal as based on ethical and spiritual grounds
raising real democratic values. In the state of Gandhian enlightened
anarchy, there is no place for injustice, immoral actions, any kind
of variations based on caste or religion, possessions or
non-possessions, sex etc. Equality and paternity only remaining
there and people are enjoying their life peacefully.
References
- Harijan,1948, P.48
- Young India, 21/vii/1920; 1922ed., p.173
- Gandhi,EthicalReligion(Madras1930), p.36
- Gandhi, Constructive Programme (Ahmedabad 1944), p. 18
- S. Bhatnagar, "Panjayati Raj in kangra District", New Delhi, Orient Longman. 1974, p. 182
- The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. XX, p. 505
- Harijan, 30-12-1939, Vol, VII, p.391
- Ibid
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