May Democracy Reign Supreme!

Dear Readers,

Most people across the world would be closely following the very entertaining yet highly consequential US Presidential elections over the past week, to see if it will be the blue flag or the red one that will flutter supreme over the White House for the next four years.

Even as ex-US Vice President Joe Biden heads towards victory and President Trump heads to the courts challenging the integrity of the voting system in some states (when this publication went to print), one cannot but reflect on democracy as a form of governance, considering our own nation is the world’s largest or most populous democracy.

I believe that a democratic government bears the ultimate testimony to a people who prioritize and embrace equality, humanity and civility; to a national ethos that respects an individual’s identity and freedom. That this well-intended form of governance has been mercilessly misconstrued and abused for political agenda, is quite another story…

There’s much to learn during these elections, isn’t there? For e.g., Indian elections highlight the massive divide that exists between the literate and the educated. The current US elections underscore a well and truly fractured nation reeling under the pandemic and racial conflict. Democratic nations across the world, more recently, France, Vienna and the UK, have also suffered catastrophically for their democratic philosophies.

But this does not call for a change in governance – it calls for a change in the mindset and maturity of the electorate. Democracy assumes an electorate that is educated, not just literate; one that can comprehend the collective consequence of its political inclinations on national welfare. And that is why, immaterial of who ‘Trump’ets victory and who ends up having to digest the ‘For-Biden’ fruit in the US elections, here’s hoping Democracy reigns supreme!

Have a good weekend!

– Anahita