No south Asia spring-2
As always, Aijaz Zaka Syed's article made interesting reading.
A marvelous piece on Arab uprising. Indeed, the calls at Tahrir Square will continuously echo all over the world, especially in the Third World countries that are mired in corruption or oppression and in the worst cases in both.
Syed has rightly drawn a parallel between what happened in some of the Middle Eastern countries that were plagued by nepotism, corruption and exploitation with what is happening in India. Although, India seemingly enjoys a vibrant democracy, most of the politicians and bureaucrats in recent times have done everything to amass wealth misusing their power and influence.
Of course, the Arab revolutions will certainly inspire and influence the masses in south Asia. However, you can't equate India with Arab countries. Remember how the electorate punished Indira Gandhi when she tried to curtail civil rights and liberties under the garb of a national emergency. The electorate also overthrew several incumbents for corrupt practices.
The Indian media do play a constructive role, at least occasionally, in highlighting corruption in public life and exposing scams and scandals involving politicians. Besides, thanks to the booming IT industry, the Indian urban masses have not yet faced the degree of unemployment and despair that caused the anger and anguish in Tunisia and Egypt. But the rural people may demand more opportunities and participation. If the double digit growth continues for another decade as expected by some economists, the situation will not go out of hands, provided both the government and the corporate sector understand their responsibility. The situation in other countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh is grimmer and if the rulers continue to oppress and turn a blind eye to the rights of the people, they will certainly come out on the streets.