We are living in a world which looks far advanced and far glamorous than that of our forefathers. We boast of enjoying freedom of expression as well as freedom of thought and action. But how tragic is the scenario of our modern world where people believe that might is right and big powers are busy in subjugating weaker nations. The poor and weak are entrapped economically and culturally by the so-called developed countries. They are deprived of freedom and peace. They are compelled to act according to the political agenda of super powers. They are forced to give up their own ideological and cultural identity and adopt the way of living of dominant powers.
Unfortunately politics is the dirtiest part of modern life in which no code of conduct is followed. Unprincipled politics teaches them to divide and rule. It only strengthens the concept that might is right. This mentality causes economic and political problems in several countries. No doubt it is the fashion of our time to eulogise democracy and freedom of expression but we know how the Zionist and western media distort the facts and compel us to believe in distorted facts. The image of honest and sincere leaders of the poor countries is distorted and we are made to believe that the ideology and faith of people of Asia and Africa is nothing but a bundle of terrorism. Unprincipled politics and faithless society of our time has promoted corruption and selfishness. It is the fashion of the day to amass wealth and multiply bank balance by hook or crook. Politicians are busy in grabbing wealth as they need black money to buy votes.
Politics has become so much dirty that people now think that if the world is to be made peaceful, we need apolitical leadership which can solve the vexing problems of governance and welfare. Apolitical leadership means one which is essentially driven by non-partisan and non-sectarian attitude. It must be value-based and ideological. Gandhiji never practised partisan politics. He could take morally tough decisions of calling off non-cooperation movement after the gory incident of Chauri Chaura. Nowadays political leadership has developed a tendency to pander to majority at the expense of minority interests. They never feel accountable to God and humanity. Without ideological strength and value-based politics no durable and reliable system of accountability can be developed.
The present day cultural and ethical crisis and overall degeneration of cultural standards and human behaviour is perhaps due to the crisis of character in political leadership of almost all the countries of the world, whether they are developed or under-developed. In this context Mrs. Madhuri Santanam Sondhi rightly quotes Therese Delpech who has recently written a marvellous book, Savage Century Back to Barbarism (Carnegie Endowment for Peace, 2007). She says, “Historians no doubt one day would realize that an essential component of international relations may be found in precisely what the forgetfulness is covering up.”
It is a fact that we have forgotten to learn from history as to what happened to those who trampled upon human rights and perpetrated barbarism on the innocent and weak people of their time who were under their subjugation.
A peaceful world cannot emerge and survive unless the moral crisis of the political field is controlled. According to M.S. Sondhi, the moral crisis of the time calls for both intellectual and political leadership to overcome the sense of drift and gaping void at the core of modernity. Adopting violence and murder, opting for security over justice may be short term survival techniques but is suicidal in the long run.
Politics of peaceful world requires honest and sincere persons who are ready to sacrifice their self-interest over public interest. Only God fearing people can rise to such level of self-effacement where the whole humanity is looked with respect and no discrimination is entertainable. We have in our midst such politicians but they are very few and people without character and ideology are thronging this field. How can people without conviction and dedication to higher causes work for creating a peaceful world? May God help us to bring forth new generation nurtured in an atmosphere of high moral conduct. Only such people can succeed to build up a political structure suitable to peaceful world.