Indian Elections – 5 issues that matter

With all the election fever going around, I thought it’s time that I put in my views about what I would most like to see changed in the country on a priority basis. I know that there are a lot of things that can be improved, some of them easy to change, and some of them hard. Some cost money, and some don’t. But without further ado, here are my top issues.

The List

True Freedom of Speech

India is a very free country. When I read about situations in various parts of the world, it seems to me sometimes that we are more free than much of the west. However, we are yet to achieve true freedom of speech.

I’ve lost track of the number of times a person has been attacked for “hurting religious sentiments” even though the remarks made were quite justified. If someone says that the bridge to Sri Lanka that was depicted in the Ramayana is a myth, he is busted for wounding people’s feelings. The Da Vinci code was almost banned because it “hurt the religious feelings of christians.” A book questioning the existence of Shivaji was almost banned.

This is utter nonsense. First of all, no one forces people to walk into a theater or read a book. There must be more tolerance of the opinions of other people as long as they don’t fling their opinions in your face. I wouldn’t want the Da Vinci Code to be broadcast in public – but if you don’t want to watch it in the theater, then don’t! If you don’t want to read a book, then don’t read it. But don’t ban the book saying that it hurts people. Adults don’t deserve to be treated as children by telling them what to read or watch.

Image Credit: Rosh PR

Similarly, Bloggers should get the same rights that Media People have if they are expected to shoulder the same responsibilities. Barkha Dutt’s recent attack on a blogger (Download the original post on Wikileaks) shows that she doesn’t give bloggers the same rights that she expects herself. As readers can judge for themselves, the original post isn’t really abusive.

Overall tolerance for people’s right to say and express themselves in whatever way they want is relatively lacking in the country. If people are offended, they shouldn’t listen.

More respect for the privacy of people

The recent IT amendments have really wiped away all expectations of privacy. To make matters worse, there was absolutely no debate whatsoever and the whole thing was passed in a slipshod manner. In this country, people still don’t appreciate that people must have a right to privacy. The prevailing logic is “If you have nothing to hide, then you shouldn’t be ashamed.” – Not so. I have nothing to hide, but I’m a private person by nature. I like to remain anonymous. I don’t want surveillance cameras tracking me on the street.

Some years ago, I refused to give my ID to Airtel when I went to cancel my Internet service. Nothing to hide, I just didn’t like the idea of having to prove who I was. According to them, I must have some ID or the other. But I don’t drive, I didn’t have an electric or a phone connection in my name, and they wouldn’t accept my PAN (No photograph). Does that mean I’m less of a citizen? Does that mean I’m a terrorist? I told them that I was leaving the city and that I was merely performing a formality by canceling my account with them. If they don’t want to do it, that’s fine – They agreed to finally cancel it without an ID.

I also believe that Universal ID cards are a threat to privacy.

Repeal of Article 377 (Homosexuality)

While this doesn’t directly affect me, it pains me to live in a country where people don’t have the right to live as they please as long as they don’t hurt anyone else. Closely connected to the expectation of privacy, the government has no business telling people what their sexual orientation should be.

The logic of “it’s not Indian culture” fails when one tries to identify what exactly “Indian culture” is, and why we should all follow it.

Zero tolerance of Moral Policing

This is really a no brainer. I have a strong suspicion that all moral policing is done to garner attention for political ends. Beating up women in a pub to “Protect Indian Culture” is the limit. Once more, people need to be more tolerant and learn to leave others alone. No one is anyone else’s keeper. There is arrogance in the stance of a person who claims to be protecting Indian culture. They assume that they’re right and that others are wrong. It can’t be condoned or tolerated.

The faster administration of Justice

Courts in India need to be more accessible to everyone involved including those in the rural areas and cases should be dispensed with more speedily. “Justice delayed is justice denied” should be the motto of the government. Increased funding to the Judiciary and a higher Judge to population ratio are essential.

Summary

This list contrasts with what most of India is demanding, namely better infrastructure, clean roads and the reduction of corruption. However, in my opinion, none of these threaten the foundation of India in the way the issues listed above do. In order to ensure a strong and firm footing for democracy, issues even more basic than clean roads need to be addressed.

There are people who feel that things like Free speech are secondary to good infrastructure. Does that mean that they would rather be under a dictatorship that provided all these amenities? A dictatorship like China perhaps? These people should also learn from history and realize that the the most gory incidents in the world like the Holocaust were the result of intolerance – not the lack of basic amenities.

True freedom is what I ask for. Of all the countries in South East Asia, India is one of the closest to realizing it.