RURAL DEMOCRACY: SELF RULE OF GANDHI POLICY!

Rural Democracy: relevance of ‘Swaraj’
reminded at Swarajyapura
Many countries in South Asia continue to live in abject poverty, hunger and ignorance. Development policies tragically are focused to catch up with the developed nations, and a class of super rich has been created in those countries including Sri Lanka while the gap between them and the poor has increased many folds. Land grabbing and eviction of the poor from their traditional dwellings are now accepted norms in the name of economic development and the heart broken peasantry are left helpless, as they become victims of pervasive corruption at all levels of governance cleverly manipulated to suit multinational conglomerates. Money and muscle power decide elections and the rulers, and the poor and the rural areas are marginalized, giving impetus to many forms of extremism. Although some countries have demonstrated a level of imperfect electoral democracy, none of them has true democracy in which all people can be confident of equity and justice, and can pursue life-goals without fear of deception and discrimination.

In Sri Lanka, dissatisfaction of governance and disproportional bias towards development of urban areas have given rise to social unrest at various times since the independence, and in the extreme mould, violence has been adopted by some groups demanding equity with the rest of the people in the country. Many other South Asian countries have already experienced or are likely to encounter violence in the future as a weapon by the disgruntled to bring about societal changes. It is important to recognize any potential threat, which can cause societal disintegration as real, and formulate a new system of governance that is home grown and relevant to ground conditions to avoid the prospect of the impending disaster.

The Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Sri Lanka is convinced that realistic change to the present gloomy situation in this country and also to the imminent social problems in other South Asian countries can only come when people, especially those who are numerically in the minority or remain outcast from the main stream majority, regain trust and confidence that they too have equal rights and opportunities. According to Mahatma Gandhi, such a change in our society cannot be achieved by a Western style democracy which "in practice, is only a government of the political party that secured the majority of the votes". Change can occur only by adopting village Swaraj that stands for the welfare of all. In other words, a functioning democracy based on human dignity guided by truth and non-violence is what is required. The Mahatma Gandhi Centre is also convinced that the Gandhian philosophy of Rural Democracy is more relevant today than ever before, and therefore, it is pursuing an active programme of supporting community initiatives and people’s participation as measures for empowering people and fostering inter-ethnic harmony.

Mahatma Gandhi may have had a foresight of what was in store for the countries, including Sri Lanka, that opted to pursue in the path of the West Minister parliamentary governance. He must have been very clear of his thoughts on rural democracy (Swaraj) as a viable model for the needs of the subcontinent, when he visited Sri Lanka in November 1927. The prescription was seriously taken by the people of Dummaladeniya (now called Nainamadama), after he stopped over at this village, and to mark the Mahatma’s visit, the people named a part of the village Swarajyapura. Although there is ample evidence of the Mahatma’s visit to this village - the young girl who garlanded him recounts the incident in her late 80s, from a wheel chair and many, including J. R. Jayawardene had been impressed by Mahatma’s Swaraj philosophy in his early political thinking. The ‘Swarajyapura’ is less known to outsiders.

The UN has declared The 2nd of October 2008, which marks the commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, the International Day of Non-Violence. The Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Sri Lanka, considers it befitting to commemorate the Mahatma’s birthday on the 2nd October at ‘Swarajyapura’ (located along the A3 Colombo-Puttalam Road, between 42nd and 43rd Km posts) and remind the people about his message of peace and non-violence for humanity by embracing rural democracy.

The main event will commence at 5.00 pm and Dr. Rashpal Malhotra, a Gandhian and Director General, Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh, India will be the key speaker. A number of representatives from the SAARC diplomatic community in Sri Lanka and parliamentarians from the area are also expected to attend. The special feature will be a musical concert by Daham Pahana group, with flavorings of Mahatma’s Bajan, dedicated to global peace and non-violence, calling for spiritual values to guide humanity.

The Mahatma Gandhi Centre,
Sri-Lanka
courtesy: www island.lk