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| Kathmandu, Thursday February 13, 2003 Falgun 01, 2059. |
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Power
of capital in politics
Gradually but
systematically democratic norms and values are undermined by governments in various
countries, including in the western countries, known as the harbinger of freedom and
liberty. Powerful corporate and companies are virtually running governments. No government
in capitalistic system can implement policies that are detrimental to the financial
interests of corporate. They are behind the cabinet reshuffle and policy change of
governments. Now legislators in America and Europe cannot exert as much power as the heads
of big business houses and industrial bodies because of their control over the production
of weapons and their distribution. Most of the ministers and legislators, with some
exceptions, are linked to such groups directly or indirectly to win the expensive
elections.
We can imagine the
power of capital from what happened recently in a city of UP, India, in the case of an
independent MLA, Raghuraj Pratap Singh, charged with anti-national activities. He was
arrested on the complaint of Rajendra Yadav, but now, the key witness in the case against
the MLA, has been murdered in broad daylight, though the administration was fully aware of
the danger for his life. The murder assumes special significance because he was the
witness against a powerful politician, regarded a law onto himself in the Kunda region of
the state. Moreover, he belongs to the ex-Maharaja family of Pratapgarh in UP. Our concern
here is not to show whether the politician deserved detention, or it was a political
vendetta on the part of Chief Minister Mayawati. What we want to show is how capital
influences politics in the capitalistic system. Because the detainee belongs to the
ex-Raja family, there are many in the BJP who want him to be released immediately, despite
the fact that there are serious charges against him. His power could be gauged from the
fact that in 1998 parliament election, the election commission barred him from entering
his own constituency, fearing his mere presence in the region could derail the law and
order system. This case only exemplifies how the politics in the state has become
criminalized.
Now he is in jail but
he can exhibit his power in the region on the strength of his unlimited capital. He can
still influence the state and central ministers. It is only a matter of time before the
politician is released from the jail. R P Singh’s case only reveals how economically
powerful people can buy the state machinery to fulfill their designs. Such powerful
politicians can hire the armed criminals to eliminate any persons they do not like. This
particular instance points to the danger that lies in the implementation of democratic
values in true sense. It is again due to economic disparity that untouchables and Dalit in
India still cannot caste vote freely during the election. Either others cast their votes
or they are prevented from reaching the polling booth if it is known that they are going
to vote against the elite class. Some years ago, when Chaudhary Charan Singh was the Prime
Minister of India, voters from weaker section in his constituency, Bagpat in UP, were
driven back by the people of the Prime Minister’s community to ensure that they did
not caste votes against him.
In this 21st century
too, whether in India or Nepal, or for that matter even in America and Europe, corporate
heads manage to carry out their strategy in national election. It does not make much
difference whether the majority is with them, as long as they wield economic power. It is
again the power of the capital that in most of the countries majority of the people are
against their governments, but the latter continue to perpetuate the anti people policies
on the backing of corporate bosses and industrialists. In Britain, over 80 percent people
oppose Blair’s policy on Iraq, but he continues to ignore their voice because a
powerful industrial lobby backs him. Similarly, in Turkey and most of the Arabian
counties, the governments are dependent on the support of arm dealers and powerful
industrialist for their survival, as the people are utterly frustrated with their
subservient policies.
In our country too, it
is hard for the ordinary people to win election, as they have no access to capital.
Moreover, the ordinary people, exploited for long, cannot make distinction between friends
and foes. Even the people with criminal background can get elected, if they spend money.
It is because of the power of capital that democracy has remained only in slogan not in
practice. In addition, people cannot change their rulers as and when they find them
insincere, corrupt, and becoming a party to smugglers. Once they get elected, the
politicians think themselves as the masters and owners of the people and the country.
Their arrogance is sharpened with their economic influence. In our country, everybody
knows the condition of the politicians of major political parties before the People’s
Movement and now. However, there is no way to checkmate them from resorting to immoral
practice for personal interest.
We will have to live in
a false world, as long as the power of capital is not crippled. It means without having
minimum economic disparity in society, the slogan of democracy will never become a
reality. The power of capital can be minimised either by massive implementation of
development programmes in the backward areas or by arousing higher awareness among the
people. Though democracy gives equal freedom to haves and have-nots to utilise the
provision of constitution, there is no way the ordinary people to compete with people
having strong economic power.
Our twelve years’
experience also reveals the fact that democracy cannot reach to every nook and corner of
the country, if the people are not aware and economically self-dependent. Moreover, the
power of capital deprives the weak of equal opportunity of justice. The poor cannot expect
justice in today’s expensive legal system. On the other hand, people like R P Singh
in India’s Pratapgarh district can be released anytime and dictate their terms
without fear from inside the jail. In our country, until some time ago, people were in the
illusion that the arrest of politicians like Chiranjivi Wagle, Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta
and Khum Bahadur Khadka was a prelude to catch bigger fish later. However, one after
another they are released and now people have realized that their arrest was not for
cleansing the system, but just to befool the people for sometime, then make them resigned
to their helplessness. Their release has again left an impression that the power of the
capital can influence judiciary as well as bureaucracy.
Things are not bright
today, but we should not be pessimistic because in the end, democracy will replace
dishonesty. It is nature’s law that after every climax, there has to be a downturn.
The power of the capital has almost reached its peak, and so it is bound to come down in
coming days. It is in this sense that we can become hopeful of better days for tomorrow.
Till some more time, we have to live in a false world where in the name of democracy;
dictatorship is imposed on the helpless people. It is a good sign that people, from
America to Africa, have started realising that in the name of human rights, freedom and
democracy, bad people are ruling them, and so they are showing resistance to the onslaught
of the capital.
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