Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Democracy! Would we enjoy it?

I guess I have started a common interest towards the politics in these few days that I have stayed away from Maldives. I guess I missed my chance to vote this time and would have added one more vote to the Presidential System. Not that I support DRP or any other political party. It is just that the Presidential System suits Maldivians much better than the Parlimentary and the Maldivians have decided the best for my likings.

But the real question I would like an answer would be whether we would be able to experience the true taste of democracy! People say democracy would not be achieved without pain and are we ready to face it?

First of all in my point of view, we are not. The only main fact being that our economy is not strong at all. We do have some frozen, fresh or dried tuna to sell to the international market and which is highly dependent on the nature and the climate change. The current depression which most of the scientists believe is from the El-nino near the equator in the Pacific Ocean! So obviously that sector is not strong as it sounds. Besides, being highly conservation based fishery and the rest of the countries around Maldivian waters don’t consider it, our economy would definitely suffer and would not be stable at all!

Next is obviously some thing we market: Tourism. Highly dependent on the nature, the atmosphere in our neighboring countries! And we can’t dependent on it at all?

What else do we have? Nothing! Nothing at all! No agriculture, nothing to trade, nothing to sell…

You might ask why it is linked to democracy. Hmmm when people fight for democracy as it now happens, people take the advantage of our economy and our treasures to sell out to the public. The public is really bought by politicians like India and Sri Lanka. I am not criticizing the Indians neither the Sri Lankans like Imadh Solih who studied in India like me. But the thing is people mind could be bought so cheaply without a strong economy and this would ultimately lead to internal fights and demonstrations. People are so opposed to the government and they could be bought near the election period with some money or some brilliant idea which has no ground at all!!

For example: Usual employee of the government gets around MRf3000 with over time allowance. If the politicians give him a 1000 buck or promises for a better housing regime, people would move to it. People would buy it. Politicians say books should be free of charge and hospitals should be free of charge? Why? Because our economy is not that strong the people would have a tendency to buy that idea.

But ultimately it cannot be implemented in real time basis. We do not have such a strong

economy to produce such free services. And the politicians who have their own priorities would never think about it. It is just votes they need even though our economy collapse…

Economy of a country is not a toy to be played with!!