DEMOCRACY, SUSTAINABILITY AND THE POWER OF "WE"

Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg address had eloquently outlined the principles on which the edifice of a democracy is built "all men are created equal….and that Government of the people, by the people, for the people." It is generally accepted that these principles are not just limited to the United States, but also equally applicable to any democracy in the world especially India, which is considered to be the only nations in the world with representation of so many communities in the helm of affairs can be leader in sustainability movement. So the public is indeed the Government and the elected representatives are their nominees in running the administration on behalf of the people.

Unfortunately, the Governance is getting increasingly alienated from the people. The corrupt and the powerful have in many cases usurped the power and have been dictating terms and the people are at the receiving ends. There is a day light robbery of our natural heritage and most of the people choose to turn a blind eye due to the fear of inviting wrath of these unscrupulous criminals.

Of course there are a few people like Amit Jethwa, who had used the Right to Information Act (RTI) to find information about the illegal mining around Gir Forest Reserve and had singlehandedly fought against the perpetrators of this crime. Unfortunately, he was also felled by their bullets right in front of the Gujarat High Court.

Month and years will pass on to get the culprits to the book of justice which is so indifferent in our judiciary system. In a country where it takes ages for a case to get heard in various courts, justice is not only delayed, but also throttled if the aggrieved party is unable to pursue it with doggedness. In such a scenario, there are not many people to take on the corrupt and wrongdoers. The unscrupulous criminal elements exploit this reluctance of people and continue with their nefarious deeds

Of course some say that there have been more audacious murders – right inside a court premises – I feel debating about the audacity of the crime or the fearlessness of activist or the seeming inability of the police in tracking down the real culprits has sidetracked us from driving important lessons from this tragic incident. Hence the murder of a fearless activist results in demotivating the already dwindling number of activists. 

So what do we do?

Do people stop raising their voice out of fear for their lives? Do we get cowed down and keep quiet when there is loot of our wild heritage?

Obviously not.

Any man, however powerful and courageous he may be, will find it difficult to face a large number of enemies. A lion heavily outnumbered by hyenas is forced to leave the kill. Strength lies in numbers!

It is important for us the Sustainable Development Specialist in making at BIMTECH (Birla Institute of Management Technology) to get organized with knowledge and skills to take on the challenge of the mighty and the corrupt. In the past, people have been threatened of physical assault in the field. In such situations, it is important to not lose our mind, but to immediately look after our own physical safety and then plan an alternate approach. One may feel that he/she retreating from the field when challenged is akin to losing a battle. Your ego may be deflated. However, please be reminded that you may lose a battle but the goal is to win the overall war.

There are many persons playing important roles in saving our wilderness areas by working behind the scenes. For them, the satisfaction of seeing the goal come to fruition is more important than public adulation. I have seen lot of youngsters tempted to hog the limelight in print and electronic news channels by using information gleaned through the RTI Act. It may give you two seconds of glory, however anything that is not planned well can hurt you as well as the cause.

Please remember that aggressiveness is a state of mind. It need not be displayed in our physical interactions with the "enemies of sustainability". We are all committed individuals. Our life is important. However, we don't have to give up our commitment towards preserving the last tracts of vanishing sustainability. I am just asking you to change our ways of doing it. Let us be the Change Agents for the sustainable world.

These days it is easy for us to network. Please harness the power of the "we". Instead of rushing headlong all alone please act as a group. Of course if you want to look like a hero in the eyes of the common man, then it is a different story. I don't think trying to create a flash in the pan is the right approach. It is important to follow a cause that you believe in and follow it to its logical conclusion.

 This will be the logic behind establishing the Sustainable Development forum – to nurture and use the power of the "we". Shri Wajahat Habibullah, Chief Information Commissioner concurred with this view. He told me that it is likely that individual activists will continue to be targeted. The remedy is through social audit of an area or project. Instead of an individual, a group of people can come together and seek a social audit under Section 2-J of the RTI Act. This Social audit can be conducted under media glare and take the corrupt people headlong.  

I would like to request all of you to keep the overall goal and at the same time look after your safety. After all, getting committed and passionate 35 students at BIMTECH  to Study Sustainable Development Practices (SDP) program was never an easy task these days.