Human Rights and Democracy

Ever since the organisastion of societies in different				remove any obstacles. There are bound to be
forms came about, conflicts in the manner of				differences as to the methods for reaching the goals
assuming, conferring or exercising of authority and				but the basic idea that others too are genuinely
rights and contingent duties for the accepted ideals				interested in the goals must be understood. In this
have been considered in great detail by eminent				context, democratic norms are not merely for just
thinkers. Accordingly, concepts like democracy,				political settings but are applicable to other areas of
liberty, equality, fraternity, state, nation, privileges and				human activities as well. They invest in the
forms of governments ranging from absolute				community a sense of belonging together, to
monarchy to militarism to democratic functioning in				understand others' point of view so that harmonious
different mores have been analyzed, given shape and				working together for welfare of all is the concern of
systematically followed by different peoples in				all. The aims are laudable. It is not mere head counting
different climes and times in different manner. The				to settle vexatious disputes. It is putting heads
greatest legacy of the 20th century has been to				together to find solutions to complex problems and
disseminate information on these aspects of civilized				assure that dignity, fairplay and justice would be
life to those who aspire to carve out for their				ensured to all. It may sound platonic but it is true that
communities, the finest ideas and ideals that the best				very ignorant people have been inspired to raise
minds have bequeathed to posterity and for which				themselves to very great heights through proper
successive generations of mankind had struggled and				lead given by their committed leaders. When
shown the pathway.				Abraham Lincoln declared that the then civil war
Democracy				would decide the great issue that all men were
In fact, the connotation of the word 'Democracy'				created equal, he laid down a noble norm implicitly
itself has undergone great changes from the very				followed by people elsewhere too. People like Gandhi,
early times to the present. For the purposes of this				Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and a host of
article, we will confine ourselves to the generally				others had this passion for serving the common
accepted modern usage of western liberal approach.				people. We find in all the newly independent countries
Similarly 'Rights' -acquired, conferred upon or claimed				in the post-second world war era, people clinging to
to be of divine origin - has many attributes. Here,				the liberalist ideals and democracy of the European
too, we will follow what has been the outstanding				hue. And to overcome violent means to sustain
contribution of British Parliamentary evolution's gift go				democratic practices, states have carefully
humanity as a whole, once again nurtured by such				incorporated in their constitutions the basic principles
great turning evenings of history as the French				which would guide the people in active participation in
Revolution, American War of Independence, liberalism				community life.
of different hues down to the claims of the				Having stated that in a modern, secular state people
proletarian revolution, Afro-Asian-Latin American				come together for advancement of material and
resurgence and traditions of modern democratic				other benefits, we shall briefly state the rights
states in general, which by mutual consent between				required for such advancement and the means
the governed the government, have in theory at				whereby they could be furthered. We need not go
least, accepted certain rights as indispensable for the				into the details of governmental machinery as we
functioning of the state.				shall assume that people had chosen what has suited
Unity of mankind				them best. There shall be no discrimination based on
The world today largely presents a different picture				race or language, religion or any divisive force to
from what it was at the beginning of the 20th				disturb the balance. Rights, accordingly, would be
century. Enormous and incredible changes brought				qualitatively stronger and greater than mere quantity.
about in various facets of life due to scientific				The position of different states with reference to
advancement have touched upon the lives in all the				education, resources, constraints of the past, the
continents, though in varying shades. Similarly				cobwebs of centuries will be different. Still, the
information on the way of life of other people, now				beauty of democracy is that it preaches not just a
instantaneously reach all parts of the globe giving				political accommodation of diverse elements but a
scope for reaction, assimilation, adoption or				social and cultural emancipation together with better
adaptation. Man appears to be truly moving towards				economic advancement. To enjoy the fruits of
the common goal of "One World', a very distant but				science and technology, no social or religious past
distinct perspective of a Tamil bard who had said				deadwood need stand in the way. That is where
several hundreds of years back, "The whole world is				democratic spirit, democratic outlook, a democratic
mine, all are my brethren."				concern and democratic way of life would go a long
The economic prospects of globalization of not				way than any other political system which could
merely trade and commerce but educational and				arrogate to itself the right to tell citizens what they
employment mobility and opportunities, the				must do.
tremendous scope of reaching out almost anywhere				Human Rights
in all areas of human endeavour, have given rise to				Human Rights postulate, therefore, the attitude on
globalization of thinking on human values as well. Gone				the part of the people that would enable them to
are the mere talk about something happening in				blend the fine values of the past with the fine
distant parts of the world. Along with many great				elements from contemporary world, wherever good
strides in positive advancements, negative thinking				things could be absorbed. They would be embedded
leading to catastrophic events attempted by nihilists,				in the basic structure of the constitution as rights to
terrorists and anarchists also pose a change to				be enjoyed by the people. The following are
modern states and citizens in not just protecting their				indispensable in the domain of rights.
narrow domains but to think in terms of global				1. Right to Health Care
security, growth, prosperity, sharing and a concern				The right to good health needs hardly to be
for the entire humanity, unprecedented in dimensions				stressed, though surprisingly overlooked. We often
in earlier times. And as the micro will show the path				come across even in the relatively well-informed
for macro or the micro and macro have together to				government circles people gathering for an occasion
tread cautiously to elude different forms of violence,				provided with bottled mineral waters while those
it is easier to understand the implications of a				whom they are supposed to govern do not have
well-knit individual unit of modern state to pay				access to clean drinking water. If this condition
attention to the human rights to its citizens, with a				prevails for water, one of nature's bounties, which
view to appreciate similar aspirations of people				must be made available to all, one can imagine
everywhere so that collective protection becomes				situation in other basic health factors. We hear
inherent starting point of all civilised states to come				governments spending billions to explore space and
together to enrich humanity. On the assumption of				go to moon but not much is done to slake the thirst
viable modern states and citizens striving for				of citizens! If health starts with water, then what of
harmony and global peace, inevitable interaction				other medical facilities? Healthcare should be society's
between national and international events, we shall				concern: more so in the emerging nations where
now concentrate on human rights in a democratic				money is had for any number of fancy schemes.
form of state.				Waster, clean environment, food, healthcare are
Modern States				indispensable tools for building a better society. We
Organisation of modern states was not a smooth				cannot perpetuate inequity and inequality even with
task. Even in the past and medieval times, monarchy				regard to drinking water and health problems. To
or any other type of government involved use of				invest in human resources is to reap the benefits for
force to create, sustain and often enlarge the domain				all. The tragic sequence of events in Somalia is but a
of the state. Philosophers from the time of Socrates				reminder to the conscience of mankind. Opulence in
down to Bertrand Russell in modern times have dwelt				one part of humanity and utter poverty to the point
at length on the consent of the governed,				of destitution in this age of advanced technology
participation of the governed, opportunities of the				makes nonsense of scientific progress and universal
governed, enlargement of the scope of the				humanism. So in this subsection under health, we
governed in the process of government for the				suggest that all the basic needs from waster to
betterment of individuals and institutions, societies				clothing to housing to recreation form an integral first
and the world at large. Many modern states have				step to distinguish man from animals. No effort should
attempted to incorporate in their political constitutions				be spared to declare this as "right" as distinguished
the noble ideals of different nations so that the				from philanthropy or charity or humanitarian cause.
benefit of collective wisdom is shared and applied in				To live first as decent human beings, basic health
detail to avoid pitfalls encountered by others.				care for all must be conceived, developed and
In brief, we have to assume that a modern state				sustained.
has to be concerned with appropriate rights and				2. Right to Education
duties of the citizens who constitute the state. After				Man is distinguished from the rest of the species but
all, governments are but reflections of the people				his capacity to learn and progress. Democracy is a
composing the state. As the heritage of humanity is				form of government assuring equality and liberty for
common, as indeed scientific and literary delights have				all the citizens and it would be a mockery if a large
been shared, so too the political values need to be				number of people go with proper education. Many
imbibed by people to look forward to a betterment				oriental traditions are rich in literature but
of their lives. For we have not reached the stage of				unfortunately until fairly recently education, the right
people as a community without the burden of the				to be literate, the right to have access to knowledge
instrument of a state, which essentially has to have				was limited to a few. We are not here concerned
some coercive powers to enforce the collective				with sociological reasons and surmises. We are
ideals.				concerned with the present and the future and if we
This brings us to the complexities of the modern				can go the moon, certainly we can make our
organisation of state itself. It is occasionally possible				brothers and sisters read and write, develop skills
for a small state to have a sense of great identity in				which would be true liberation. Educational rights
language, religion, culture, way of living, economic				should not be exclusive for the privileged alone.
moorings, racial characteristics and a desire to live				Educational opportunities must be had by all. It is one
together under the banner of a state. But even very				means by which the individual recognizes and
small countries do have problems with minorities of				develops one's capabilities. We may also note that in
various descriptions and, therefore, care is to be				many newly emerging states gender injustice, that is,
taken to ensure that rights are had by all who are				denying womenfolk to good education is denied.
members of the body-politic. If even the small states				Education alone would pave the way for true
with great cohesion do encounter such problems,				advancement of the society. Education is a great
nothing need be said about multifarious constituents				equalizer. It clothes men and women with right
in larger states where diversities are the order due to				attitudes, right conduct and right thinking. Education,
historical and contemporary factors. Nevertheless, the				general or technical is not a superficial acquisition. It is
story of the past sixty years or so, ever since the				as important as fresh air and water for betterment.
founding of the United Nations with all its				It is not a gift by a society or a government. It
shortcomings and glories, the mergence of				should be made the inherent right to gateway to
nation-states in large parts of Africa and Asia from				knowledge. And from knowledge flows all other
the clutches of colonialism and imperialism, the story				benefits. To deny education is to deny civilization: to
of the majority of human population to rise from the				deny values: to talk of democracy without assuring
ashes of the enormous burden of the past in its				the citizens the right to be educated is a travesty of
varying and suppressive legacy of the past, to look				justice. Education is the most liberating influence on
forward to a better life, is a pointer to the need for				individual and society. Education truly is the guiding
assigning dignified human rights to a democratically				spirit for the success of democratic way of living.
functioning state. We have enough evidence to state				3. Right to Employment
that such human rights in a democratically embedded				It is true that there are many problems confronting
state have led to all-round development of the				any society to provide all the citizens appropriate
people and an urge towards extending such benefits				employment opportunities. However, science and
to every group of human beings with a view to help				technology have grown in such great dimensions,
realize the value of not just an inherited legacy but				that the potentials of employment are staggering
the norms of material comforts enjoyed by				indeed. What is required is a socially conscious will to
advanced nations.				equitably apportion the work required for smoothly
Religious differences				carrying out the functions of society. There are
So we are concerned with the problem of a modern				practically no limits to which the human mind is
democratic state but have to address the problem				capable of devising measures, if the need arises, to
of religious differences as well. For, there are many				overcome any obstacle. When such is the case, the
modern states where one religion is declared to be				problem of lopsided opportunities must be addressed
an official one. We will assume that we are				to. When nature's constraints in food production could
concerned with those states only to the extent of				be overcome by scientific application of remedial
these giving rights to religious minorities. There have				measures, is it too much to expect the best minds
been many states paying lip sympathy to some				to sit together and find that a situation is created
religion or the other, without really caring much for				whereby everyone can have 6 to 7 hours work per
the metaphysical needs of the people. We shall				day instead of unequal longer hours for many, no
assume that it is largely left to the individuals to cater				work for some etc.? It is a question of planning, not
to themselves without being bothered by the state				throwing our doles or curtailing some benefits but to
about the pursuit of their religious beliefs. Also we				look at humanity in a collective manner: without
have a number of states coming out with the				discrimination and the recognition of spotted talent.
concept of secularism, though the term is interpreted				Here again, it is a question of proper application. If
in different fashions. For our purposes this is very				men could split atom and harness the energy for
important because we are largely interested in giving				constructive purposes, they could easily split the
norms for a democratically inclined societies where				inertia and lethargy and mindset of the past to usher
rights include the right to practise one's religious				in a rosy future where productive forces can be
inclinations without being disturbed by the members				taken care of by the collective efforts of all. Planning
of the rest of the society or from the instruments				is not necessarily an evil word: it is not regimentation.
of the state.				And certainly it is within the realm of possibility for
This is not some idealistic norm as the events in				people to understand that many for ever should not
Israel and Palestinian states of any number of other				live at the cost of a mass of impoverished population.
tragically juxtaposed communities longing to find				Work is life; idleness is death. Work is positive:
security and harmony would indicate. We are not for				idleness is negation of values.
a moment suggesting that theocratic states have				4. Political Rights
in-built opposition to other religious practices. But we				Mere guarantee of political rights is not enough. It is
do know that by and large, many countries with				undoubtedly true that political rights are hard won but
strong religious base do not come forward to accord				they are harder still to be sustained and passed on to
liberal permission for citizens with different faiths to				the future. The assumption that political rights such
practise theirs without interference.				as equality and liberty, voting and elections would
Secularism				ensure permanency in the system is naïve. Any
Accordingly we are concerned with a modern,				right has a corresponding duty. If people are invested
democratic, secular state : this is a contemporary				with political rights, they have to be clearly told about
theme. A few words on modernism would not be				their duties as citizens. Political rights are like
out of place. Here we mean largely the socially				two-edged weapons. Ignorance or indifference of the
accepted ideals of transition from some outdated				people would lead to disaster. Political rights of
conceptions of the past and a passion for looking				modern times largely rest upon the assumption of
forward to fresh, rational approach susceptible to the				equality of opportunity and status for all. This equality
good changes coming from anywhere without				presupposes a number of variables but for our
necessarily sacrificing what a people consider as				purpose, it is enough to state that political rights have
intrinsically indispensable for their need to protect				no meaning if they are just enshrined in paper. They
their cultural or other identities. In this sense				require constant application by the people. Technically
secularism not merely indicates a non involvement of				we can have a plethora of rights but when people
the state with reference to religious beliefs and				are so disillusioned with the system, they do not care
practices of the people but would enforce that such				even to exercise the most elementary freedom of
an approach is had by all the members of the				right to vote. Unaware of the tremendous sacrifices
society, whether in a majority or minority religious				made by the forebears to gain these rights,
milieu. Secularism would imply that people reach out				indifference and cynicism of a people not appreciating
to others to form a state, fully knowing that				their rights would invite disaster.
individuals have the right to hold on to their cherished				5. Economic Rights
values. Secularism implies that these differences do				This brings us to the most important right in a
not affect the progress of the state and its people				democracy. Economic rights are not much talked
as a whole towards betterment of their material				about though various 'isms' and theories are put for
comforts and other cultural pursuits so that the				to bring about changes in the economic condition of
purpose of coming together, subordinating other				the people. Liberty of equality or any type of political
variations, is fulfilled. It also encourages all its citizens				right is meaningless if a section of people to be for
to understand that the beliefs and behaviour of				ever consigned to penury . The problem is deeper
others in respective religious spheres should be				than mere ideological approach. It involves human
respected, appreciated and at no stage ridiculed,				values as well. Should there be a large number of
denigrated or slighted. Secularism has this great				people in despicable condition while some, by chance
positive impetus to impart so that harmony is				or choice, could get away with all the benefits of
cultivated as a mater of course and with due regards				economic freedom? There is no need to be evasive
to the attitude of others.				about the answers. What must be understood is that
Accordingly, a modern state has a given territory,				there must be equity, opportunity for all to work and
people, a constitution to lay down the norms of				earn, curbing of exploitation, sharing of the gains of
relationship that fundamentally should subsist				productivity by all, the right to retiral benefits, a
between the government and the people, a				dignified wage etc. There are realizable potentials.
government as an instrument of state's sovereignty				Technology is so developed it would be idle to
to implement the policies and programmes of the				pretend at this age of globalization of economic
people. This requires an explicit laying down the rights				activities there should be lack of employment
of the people -and correspondingly the duties as well				opportunities. What is required is a passion for social
- so that this living together can serve a better				justice. Economic rights must include proper wages,
purpose. The framers of the constitution must take				holidays, right to advancement in the career, retiral
into consideration the unity or diversity of the people				benefits and finally a dignified old age. Again these are
and should forge values which would hold them				not day dreams. Some of the wildest dreams have
together. Without the guiding principles, there would				come true. It is not too much to expect the
be discordant notes. With specific guaranteed rights,				collective wisdom of mankind to evolve conditions
the government of the state and the people know				suitable for optimum working conditions and a
the respective duties and obligations so that any				respect for the right to work.
threat to harmonious balance is averted. All modern				6. Social and Cultural Rights
constitutions, therefore, contain regulatory provisions				When health care, housing, education, employment
for the governance. We shall now look into the need				and economic rights are appropriately guaranteed by
for appropriate definition of human rights in a				political rights, it would just be a matter of time
democracy.				before social and cultural rights are fruitfully conferred
Democracy, not merely a political tool				or enjoyed. The greatness of democracy is that it
While this much abused word 'democracy' has the				can be a great instrument in transforming the society
potential of distorting even good intentioned ideals, it				from slumber to The greatness of democracy is that
cannot be denied that despite many difficulties, it is				it can be a great instrument in transforming the
the best devised form of government. The reason is				society from slumber to The greatness of
obvious. There has to be a sense of understanding				democracy is that it can be a great instrument in
true democratic norms. Democracy is not merely a				transforming the society from slumber to
political tool to bring together people for economic				wakefulness, from inertia to dynamism and from
betterment but it enhances the quality of the life of				darkness to light Political theory and thought have
the people by enabling them to pursue individual				been enriched by great philosophers and their
course of life to the full and integrating it with those				practice have benefited millions.
of others so that collectively benefit is shared by all.				Conclusion
This is a safer method of government, for in this,				A democracy, if made to function properly, is a great
the rights to discuss, dissent, disseminate views are				tool to humanity to overcome many obstacles in the
recognised and larger the participation of the people,				form of inherited burdens of the past or difficulties in
the better for the state as a whole.				implementing the best from the present. To sustain it
Common ideals inspire people to come together and				we require an understanding and genuine will to
in order that this togetherness leads to enhanced				confer and practice human rights. Democracy and
quality of life, there should be vigorous efforts to				human rights go together.