Participation in Nation Building By Dr. L. Jawahar Nesan The Educated Chamber

Dear People and Fellow ECs,

The term 'nation' encapsulates many things as it wholistically represents an embodiment of a multitude of different components and elements that help evolve a nation. Does the term refer to a piece of land that has a defined geographical boundary? Does it refer to only a group of communities who are confined to a particular piece of land? Is it a fellow feeling amongst the people who live in a defined boundary? Is it simply a feeling of nationhood? It is not such a simple concept that can be confined to any one single factor but it includes all of the above. It units different people, different communities and different regions and collectively foster all as a one single entity. Literally, one can not physically unite lands or different regions to form a nation. If people of different regions, different origins, and different languages intend to unite themselves into one and to be identified as belonging to one state, then the whole union becomes a nation. The word nation creates a sense of unity and belonging within people. Therefore, it is the people who make a nation and build it up to their desire. The visible structure of the nation is constituted by the geography, people and other physical infrastructure and resources. The invisible structure of the nation is constituted by the people's desire, vision, activities and contribution that give effect to the functionality of the nation. For instance, if people's desire or vision is such that the current nation be split into several nations, and they act and contribute in that direction, then that nation no longer exists as one single nation. This indicates that it is the spirit, desire and vision of the people that give effect to the nation. This means that people's desire, spirit, thinking and subsequent participation create nations. People must effectively participate in all areas including economy, society, culture, education, arts, politics, science and technology, health, and sports. The nation, after its creation will be sustained only when people participation in nation building is continuous, adequate, and complete. Inadequate and incomplete participation will only suppress the nation and its growth. Participation can be said to be inadequate if the system discourages the effective participation of all sections of the society in building the nation. It is incomplete, if it has been denied to any particular section.

In India, the participation is incomplete and inadequate because 85 percent of the people are prevented from building the nation. If a certain section of the people mass is denied participation, that section would not only lose its potential opportunity to contribute to its nation but also it would not progress economically, socially, and educationally, which in turn, will impede the national growth. The best example to illustrate this fact is the contribution made by the US blacks in sports and music fields. For years, the injustice inflicted up on them did not allow them to contribute to the nation in any respect, but once opportunities were accessible, they were able to contribute to the nation and conquer the whole world as uncrowned kings in the fields of music and sports. That depressed and racially discriminated community has emerged as the owner of the multibillion-dollar music industry and created wealth to the nation it belongs. Had they been forbidden to do so, the nation would have first lost its prominent place in these two areas, and secondly, the plight of millions of the blacks would have remained the same forever. Thus the nation would have been deprived of enjoying the wealth and pride that this discriminated community had created and simultaneously, the national treasury would have been scrapped by continually offering subsidised social security schemes to those disadvantaged communities. This, while impeding the national growth would simultaneously have reduced the growth and the well being of the privileged communities. Thus everyone who formed a constituent member (citizen) of the nation would have borne the consequences. However, the progress of the blacks and their participation in nation building was one of the factors that saved the USA from all these negative impacts. It shows that all these negative impacts could be avoided and cutting edge advantage could be achieved in all fronts if a nation is participated completely and adequately by all constituent communities.

Participation therefore is critical if a nation is to be successful. It shall not be discriminated; each and every section of the society must be given a fair and equal opportunity to participate. Democracy provides such opportunity only when the societal system is free from discrimination and provides equality to all different sections of the society. In the absence of such a good social system, democracy could well prove dangerous to the progress of both the nation and the disadvantaged community. The democratic system contradicts itself by encouraging equal participation on one hand while concurrently encouraging feudalism and capitalism on the other. So long as the social system ensures equality to all people, feudalism and capitalism will not affect the progress of the nation. The deprived community is set free to improve its participation in a democratic set up, however, it could well be obstructed by the feudalistic and capitalistic power as induced by the same democracy. The feudalistic tendency is set to have derived its source from the societal system that is being inherited with the attitude of persecution. Having faced with this blockade and none other means seem to be visible to redress it, one could easily conclude that the only feasible way to achieve equal and effective participation is that the deprived people prepare themselves ready for the change. Because, the social system change is unlikely to happen as it requires the change of the dominant communities who take the advantage of the democratic freedom. The dominant community will never intend to change as it enjoys the cause of the current societal system. The change of depressed communities in preparing itself to acquire their shares of 'participation in nation building' using the same tool of democratic freedom is the only available means to overcome this problem.

India's constitution provides a package to the depressed communities to participate in public services, education and legislature. Besides, at the state level, there are some provisions offered to the other underprivileged communities (e.g. Backward Classes) in public services and education. However, participation in legislature is the key to make advancements in other areas like education, public service, and business, which has been constitutionally made available only to the depressed classes. The basic aim of this provision (i.e. reservation) is to safeguard the economic, educational and social well being of the depressed communities by enabling them participate proportionately in these development areas. The question of whether this provision has served its purpose must be answered negatively. Being so, what is the purpose of having these safeguards? Why the safeguards though constitutionally reinforced did not enable the depressed communities participate in the nation building?

The constitutional provision of 'reservation' was meant to accelerate the participation of the deprived communities in nation building activities including education, employment, politics, business and so on. In contrast, it is not a compensatory or concessional scheme as majority of the Indian people used to perceive. How can a nation compensate a highly populous community for being persecuted for thousands of years? No treasury of any nation would suffice to compensate economically a majority community. Because the compensatory needs are so high that it cannot be done unless the whole nation is indebted to that community, which is impractical. This would create another problem of deprival of the dominant minorities, which would mean only simply repeating the history. Neither is the 'reservation' strategy a concessional scheme that provides opportunities to the deprived ones at relaxed poor standards. Because, the opportunities are so less compared to the competition for them that exists within the deprived communities. For instance, if the students of the deprived communities have to score the same marks as those of the uppercaste students to get admission into a medical college, then, how could the reservation be considered a concession scheme? Deriving candidates with skills and knowledge in par with the uppercaste candidates for a few opportunities out of a pool of a large mass that is fifteeen times bigger than the population of Malaysia is more practical and not a surprise. In contrast, the candidates getting opportunities through reservation are stamped as incompetent and inefficient simply because they achieved those opportunities through reservation. This notion is completely untrue and a fallacy. This false image had obstructed the depressed communities to truly participate in building the nation and reap the consequent benefits.

Although reservation is a form of participation, it can not form a substitute for participation as it limits the deprived ones to participate in strategic issues and other non-reserved areas such as society, culture, arts, science, business, and sports that shape the nation. No constitutional provisions can be established to make the deprived ones effectively participate in these areas. In specific, participation in society and culture gives the authority and status for a community to influence the ever-changing profile of a nation. To effectively do this, the deprived communities, unlike their traditionally forced and self isolation, should come forward to actively involve in the society by controlling the way, the policy, and vision by which it progresses. Such control will only be practical when alternate paths are shown at a time when the society faces conflicts and problem. Therefore, besides the reservation, the depressed communities should participate in the areas that influence shape the nation.

Whether or not the people have the competency, it is their right to participate in nation building activities. This theory is not only limited to the depressed community but to all components of a society that represents a nation including the backward classes and forward classes. This will ensure an equitable participation to all communities where, the communities will have their proportionate participation in shaping the nation to the changing demands and will have the respective share out of the developments. Since it is equitable, proportionate, and does not warrant persecution of any individual community, what could obstruct the people to simply adopt the concept of 'participation in nation building'? It allows the depressed ones to execute their share of participation while undiminishing the share of uppercastes, but enables both to actively participate in an equitable way.

Therefore, I invite all Indian communities to shed their difference in acquiring opportunities and embrace the 'participation in nation building' approach being led by the Educated Chamber. It is the only way ahead to ensure everyone's interests, security, success, and prosperity without undermining and suppressing the others.

In Mission Dr. L. Jawahar Nesan