Citizen’s Activism: Thy Name for Citizen Empowerment
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest”…Elie Wiesel’
By Colonel Satish Singh Lalotra
With the first quarter of 2024 having whizzed by, and second one too in full swing it is hard to lose sight of the fact that citizens the world over have been in an overdrive to throw out the yolk of restrictions on fundamental freedoms imposed at an ever-growing pace even in countries that believed to be immune to authoritarian temptations. The biggest such protest that has whacked the very vitals of a country in recent times was witnessed in Israel where the masses as well as the supreme court of that country narrowly voted to overturn a law passed in July 2023 that prevented judges from striking down government’s decision they deemed unreasonable.
Opponents had argued that Mr Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to remove the standard of responsibility open the doors to corruption and improper appointments of unqualified cronies to important positions. In a way these restrictions on the civil society have spurred on the contrary, ‘Citizen’s activism’ wherever such ham-handedness has come to light. Welcome to ‘Citizen’s activism’, the ultimate power that has vested within itself such humongous energy which has swept away best of governances the world over found on the wrong side of public sentiments. Civic activism aka citizen’s activism refers to the social norms, organizations and practices which facilitate greater citizen involvement in public policies and decisions. These include access to civic associations, participation in the media, and the means to participate in such like activities that are considered essential for functioning of public institutions in an accountable and transparent manner.
Citizen activism is that panacea which rears its hydra-head shape from time to time often goaded on the back of public participation in the form of ‘General elections’ which our country is just passing through. Unlike totalitarian regimes who hinge on the whims and fancies of the governing lot of the day, contrarily the democratic dispensations have to constantly keep the welfare and interests of its masses at the center of their eyepieces lest they falter at their own peril; only to give way to the so called ‘Citizen’s activism’ for redressing their grievances. This, an alert and responsive government will always abhor. There have been sterling cases of ‘Citizen’s activism’ spanning both space and time zones , among them the Chiquitano people of the Bolivian lowlands, the fisher folks of India’s Buldelkhand, and the members of citizens UK in central London.
For centuries, men and women like them have shrugged off the exhaustion of long days spent earning a living and raising families to join with their communities to discuss, organize, and take part in concerted action in order to ameliorate their lot. Extrapolating the same idea on a bigger plane i.e. of India’s size this concept of Citizen’s activism takes an entirely different hue often with positive outcomes. In fact ‘Citizen’s activism’ is a direct catalyst of ‘Indices of Social development’. Larger and more vociferous the activism, better the chances of social cohesion and integration of the society in the national milieu. It has been seen and understood that the time and space constraints of a geographical entity( NE India in our context) along with a particular cause gets nullified due to it being taken up from a different quarter of a country by this single public outcry known as Citizen’s activism.
The May 2023 Manipur riots, rapes and pillages that went unheeded by even the ruling dispensation due to political expediencies got an earful in the parliament as well as on the streets of India which set the moral compass of the country on to its right direction; forcing for an equitable justice to the affected lot of that state in as much way possible. With the country having entered the so called ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ which when translated into its English version, resonates with the central theme of ‘Citizen’s activism’. Otherwise how can the Azadi (freedom) be expected to reach every doorstep of an Indian if he or she doesn’t partake into this concept of ‘Citizen activism’ that itself is a part and parcel of a democratic process?
It has been the wont of western world to call India a ‘Flawed democracy’, since as per them the fruits of democracy have often been uneven in nature and usurped by the few having clout of money, muscle power and connections. Is this concept as touted by the western world not true in their context? Has there been a uniformity of wealth distribution in those countries? Very often these fruits of democracy are obfuscated from the views of the general public by evil machinations of a select few forcing the masses to forge new ties to take on these select few who in cohort with the state play truant with the hapless public of the country.
With the country already having breezed past 77 years of its independent existence with democracy as its cherished form of governance, it is no brainer that at the core of this form of governance lies the concept of ‘Citizen’s activism’. As per the Election Commission of India, over 20 million young Indians in the age group of 18 to 29 have been added to the voters list that are as of now exercising their franchise to elect the next Lok Sabha whose term is ending in June 2024. It is these young voters who are the potential bulwark against a totalitarian thinking in a democratic form of governance and the so called ‘Standard bearers’ of Citizen’s activism. If we cast an eye in our neighbourhood we would find an abundance of theocratic and totalitarianism thinking in countries like Pakistan, Myanmar and China where such a noble concept as citizen activism missing. But here ends our basking in glory. ‘Democracy is the name we give people whenever we need them’—the French playwrights quoted about France in the early 1900s. Does the same concept resonate in India too? May be it does albeit in a mild manner.
The present ‘Festival of democracy’ (read general elections) being enacted once in five years features an admirable number of citizens casting their vote. It outsources governance to elected helmsmen and allows citizens to spectate for the next 5 years. The very core of casting a vote is in fact an indirect way of citizen’s activism. It expects the governing body of a nation to resonate its aspirations. Citizen’s activism evinces a dynamism and genuine godliness from its citizens. Be it the 1999 super cyclone of Orissa, the 2001 Gujarat earthquake or the Chennai floods of 2017, citizens spontaneously rose to aid their fellow beings oblivious to personal hazards and least concerned about government participation. Is this an aberrant social behavior or a part of ‘Reactive citizen’s activism triggered by monumental tragedies like the ‘Nirbhaya incident’ or a devastating tsunami of 2004 resulting into a spontaneous outpouring of outrage or empathy that extinguishes its flame once the protest or disaster relief ends?
For instance there is partial improvement to rape laws by the establishment of fast track courts and framing of so called ‘Vishakha laws’ against sexual harassment consequent to Justice Verma committee report, but public pressure flags and streets become empty once the issue dies down. Similarly, India has one of the most responsive disaster warning systems in the world all along its eastern and western coast but rudimentary drainage problems continue to plague us. In actuality elections are a contract through which the voting public agrees to pay the minority elected to deliver public services. Therefore the public or citizens must bear the burden of checking and verifying fulfillment of the contract through the term.
As per the worldwide Gallup poll of 2016 on civic engagement India stood in the bottom half at 29th position, versus 61 for the US, 60 for Australia and 54 for the UK. I am sure nothing dramatic would have happened in the last few years to catapult India to a respectable position as far as civic engagement goes. Indians were not always like this way though, and this is a substantial departure from the tradition. Citizens of yore were themselves actively involved in administering public resources in the true spirit of democracy. For instance there are continual references to Mauryan India, where local administration of specific matters at the village level were performed by ‘Gramiks’, autonomous of the ruling class / king drawn by and from the local community. Forging change requires pressure from the citizens, since everybody loves to bask in the realm of ‘Status quo’, and the ruling class is not above this human frailty.
Success for a citizen’s movement in a democratic republic is simply the narrowing the gap between people’s aspirations of public services and actual outcomes delivered through good governance. A citizen’s activism should display development through three (3) axis—quantum, spread and depth of civic engagement. ‘Feet on the street’ in a sustained manner and indefatigable in its very being will take this concept to its logical end. Vibrant civil society calls for a reversal of common public attitudes –social apathy and disdain for politics. In fact finally ‘Citizen’s activism should lead to Citizen’s empowerment since both complement each other. Only an active citizen could be an empowered citizen and vice versa. Feeding the hungry on a given day of the year or sponsoring a child’s education only goes so far. It is good for the individual’s soul and assuages the guilt of plenty in a land of grave disparities. But does it galvanize the socio –political governance to institutionalize a better society? I leave it to discerning reader.
