The Preamble of our constitution states India is a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic. Sovereign? True. Democratic? True. Secular? True. Socialist? No. I can very well imagine Dr. Man Mohan Singh and his team sharing a hearty laugh.
People’s Democratic Republic of China still claims itself to be a Socialist nation albeit with a clause – in keeping with changed political and global realities.
Chairman Mao-Ze-Dong, who was the founder leader of Peoples Democratic Republic of China is now only a historical relic. While the Comrade was at the helm, China couldn’t move ahead on a developmental path. Prosperity out of reach with millions impoverished and also shackled. An iron curtain blocked outside world from out of its reach. Today’s close ally U.S could not go anywhere near China and the magnitude of the enmity between the two knew no bounds. Individual freedom and freedom of speech and expression suppressed and the dissenting voices curtailed and many who stood up to the authoritarian tendencies kept behind bars or silenced forever.
Mao gone, then appeared a new avatar (incarnation) Deng Ziao Ping, a comrade upon taking up the mantle deviated from the path of Mao and preferred an open global approach to take the country to the developmental path. The erstwhile enemy USA found a new friend in China and vice-versa. U.S took pains to advocate for China’s permanent membership in the U.N Security Council and succeeded in its efforts. Strategic, economic, educational, industrial ties took a hopeful turn and in the global arena the new found bonhomie between the two nations was watched by others with incredulous eyes. The role, the then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger with his “Ping-Pong” diplomacy played is of historical importance.
Deng more than a leader with socialist views, though China still swears by it is another matter- was a man of pragmatism. For the overall progress of the country he summed up his theory with these famous words “Be the cat black or white it should be able to catch the mouse”.
Those who followed Deng chose to follow him, still follows him. See for instance incumbent President Hu Jintao’s influence in America is more than that of Gordon Brown, the PM of USA’s “has been ally” Britain. See, how equations turn upside down.
Though economic freedom is a reality in China, the demands for political freedom still far from the reach of the citizens. Dissenting voices are still silenced, the demand for more democratic freedom still falls on deaf ears and we still recall the horrible memories of 1989 Tian-Man-Square carnage which was a wild cry for more democracy. Those who were imprisoned and are still imprisoned still languish in jails. The very sight of huge tanks rolling over the challenging young students is still stamped upon the psyche of citizens across the world who watched it with helplessness and also mounting rage.
The same was the case with the erstwhile Soviet Union, about which we are very much aware of. Glassnost, Peristroika,Gorbachev,Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin were historic inevilability.
Primarily this article is not meant to dwell more upon changed scenario in China, the erstwhile Soviet Union or for that matter any other so-called socialist nations. Anyhow, let me go into the gamut of both socialism and capitalism.
Socialism is a system based upon the state ownership of the transport, electricity, irrigation, education et al. Precisely the overall infrastructure and equitable distribution of wealth to the satisfaction, prosperity and happiness of all.
Economic self-interest and profit motive both inherent in human beings find no place in a socialist system. All the needs are attended to by the state and competitive spirit is out of question in a socialist system.
On the contrary capitalism is a system based upon the private ownership of the means of production and hence self-interest, profit motive and competitive spirit are the guiding forces.
Both systems have ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, both merits and demerits, about which we are conversant with.
For instance, the self-interest, profit motive and competitive spirit drive people to be greedy and at the same time make each desirous of improving his/her living conditions, huge bank balances so as to create conducive circumstances for his/her children siblings or parents to make their lives self-sufficient. But, most often self interest has no limits and the competition among the citizens for more savings and luxuries lead to unfair methods, means to earn by hook or crook. And those who trail far behind in the mad race stumble, even fall along the way. The concentration of wealth in the hands of a few creates a new class and those with less fall in another class or category, leading to clashes. Furthermore moral values and ethics gradually go under leading to sexual anarchy, drug abuse, free sex, all characteristics of a permissive capitalist society. Hence, the repeated demands for regulatory mechanism by certain economic pundits, social-scientists and independent thinkers rather than opening up the whole sectors.
Socialism also has its own demerits. Most important one being with the concentration of all powers in the ruling elite in course of time, the ruling elite itself with the all out support of the army and security forces turn out to be a class of its own paving for authoritarianism and totalitarianism and the declared objective of a socialist system of bettering the lives of all citizens loses its direction. Suppression of those who rise against a powerful ruling combine with an iron fist forces the citizens to live under perpetual fear. A humane and compassionate approach vanishes in thin air. Those who dreamt of world of liberty, equality, fraternity and prosperity are relegated into oblivion. Thus an exact opposite result will be the outcome in the end.
Some people who still believe in capitalism hopefully and who are recognized as world’s biggest billionaires keep a benign approach to the suffering humanity. One among them is this year’s world’s 2nd biggest billionaire Bill Gates.
Melinda, wife of Microsoft founder and mentor Bill Gates the former is the co-founder of Melinda Bill Gates Foundation was in India two weeks ago. She in the course of a journey to U.P to learn about the problems of starving women and children and to make them aware of the indispensability of breast feeding their children from day one of each baby’s birth instead of waiting for three days to keep the baby free from diseases and for imparting further knowledge to them met UP Chief Minister Mayawati and discussed the modalities of donating US $ 55 Million for the cause of the impoverished and to sign MoUs gave a lengthy interview to N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of Hindu.
She dwelt up to the details of the foundation now with a capital of US $ 53.5 including the contribution of another philanthropist billionaire Warren Buffet, Berkshire Gift of US $ 22.5 billion to extend help to the HIV/AIDS treatment, anti-poverty programmes, women-empowerment, education to the have-nots across the world, especially the hapless ones of African and Asian countries.
She in answer to question of N.Ram explained her and her husband’s massive interest in science, technology and bio-technology which could also lead to the betterment of poor, ailing people world wide.
Soon after her engagement with Bill Gates, the first and foremost thing they did was to fly to African countries to see and study poverty-stricken, starving Africans and it was a touching and heartening sight to witness the perishing African brethren.
They continue their mission with all sincerity and dedication and here the dividing line between socialism and capitalism gets blurred.
Negative points overcloud plus points under capitalism, I know, But…………
Whichever ‘ISM’, left or right, a humane, compassionate approach is the need of the times.
As Raskolnikov the protagonist of “Crime and Punishment” of Fyodor Dostoevsky told a poor girl named Sonia “I didn’t bow down to you, I bowed down in front of the entire suffering humanity”
Such an approach alone could save the teeming millions across the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment