“And they would not believe me precisely because they knew what I said was true.” – James Baldwin 

Critiques of the government do not seem to hold value anymore, when accountability I believe happens to be a pillar of democracy. When we take away the very idea that the government belongs to the people and is of the people only, we are left with nothing but an apathetic system fueled on power, corruption and greed. We as humanity have only failed to keep that idea intact and thus brought upon a reality that I can only tell stories off knowing there will be some that label them as “fables” ; while I secretly hope that someone out there will understand that because it is the truth that is not trusted. 

I will now quote a scene from the movie – Dictator ( 2012 ) : 

“Why are you guys so anti dictators, Imagine if America was a dictatorship. You could let 1% of the people have all the nations wealth; You could help your rice friends get richer by cutting their taxes and bailing them out when they gamble and lose; You could ignore the needs of the poor for healthcare and education; Your media would appear free but would secretly be controlled by one person and his family; You could wiretap phones; You could torture foreign prisoners; You could have rigged elections; You could lie about why you go to war; You could fill your prisons with one racial group and no one would complain; You could use the media to scare the people into supporting policies that are against their interests.” Need I say more or are you ready to imagine a world where your government operates like this. 

To begin with the goal of a dictatorship there must be certain seeds sown into the soil in which there will be traces. There needs to be faith built within the people, an image created and an agenda found that will fuel those in power and burn those that doubt it. Any questioning of the state shall be deemed as “anti-national”, how dare we hold those in government accountable in the system built for us. When the agenda spreads, with it spreads extreme hatred which is a force to be reckoned with. Nelson Mandela once said “People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” That very hate can be used as a catalyst, coal being shoveled into a fire of prejudice as the people of the country fight among themselves in debate of distinguishing the very thing set out to destroy them. 

To make that simpler lets understand what fascism is, it’s nothing but a political system with a powerful leader, control of the state, extreme pride in the country and race where political opposition is not allowed. Is that ringing a bell yet? Lets dive into something a little close to home. For over 12 years now the ruling party has been in power, this is not to say there is only one problematic political party that’s ruled this country before but when one needs to explain their grievances they will come to the party currently most accountable. Personally I’d say we’re steering headfirst towards a Kakistocracy. 

This is a country where colleges are shut down due to religious insecurities, festivals ruined due to cultural pride, a government that preaches for people of certain communities to reap off the vote banks, organisations fueled on sentiments that are outwardly built on terror and unless the independent organs of the government stay unbiased, there will not be a hope to see democracy waver through the flag as it is hoisted. 

As I write this, knowing that there are people who were shot, murdered, and jailed for these very words, it only reminds me of our inability as people to believe in other possibilities simply because it should not be the truth.