What is your views on Mahatma Gandhi's politics ?
By Kevin
@excellence7 (3698)
Mauritius
May 15, 2008 12:32pm CST
The great Gandhi used non-violence as a principle to win and he attained success. Do you think the principles of Mahatma Gandhi can be applied in nowadays politics? Are the principles of Mahatma Gandhi still valued in the world?
3 responses
@tigertang (1749)
• Singapore
15 May 08
I think it depends on the situation. The Mahatma is rightly idealised in India because he managed to get Independence from the British through non-violent means. Although India's Independence was in actual fact not that NON violent, things could have been worse and unlike China, India has managed to remain a functioning democracy where it's people, even the poorest peasents have the right to tell its politicians to get stuffed. And now, India's economy is growing so there are reasons to celebrate.
People who followed his examples have done well. Look at Nelson Mandela who managed to get South Africa free of arpatheid with minimal bloodshed or Martin Luthor.
However, we have to look at the context that the Mahatma worked in. He lead 300 million plus Indians against 100,000 Englishmen. The 100,000 Englishmen could not rule the 300 million Indians because the 300 million outnumbered them and simply refused to cooperate. Imagine if the situation had been reveresed. In Tibet, the Dalai Lama is trying Gandhi's techniques but it's 6 million Tibetans against 1 billion Chinese, and unlike the gentlemanly British who could not stand the sight of their own people behaving badly against non-violent protestors, the Beijing government has no qualms shooting unarmed demonstrators, even to the International media if need be.
Secondly, the Mahatma's economic policies were a disaster. They encouraged India to become "Self-Sufficient" and India was shut out from the global economy for decades, keeping people poor and forcing them to swallow inferior goods. India has started boom ever since it opened its economy.
@excellence7 (3698)
• Mauritius
15 May 08
I agree with you but frankly Mahatma Gandhi's principles were indeed justified for that time. And the British had to accept defeat because the whole Indian population were motivated to chase out the British and following the Mahatma's principles, it was a success! I would have really wish that all politics in the world incorporate Gandhi's principles in their governments.
@tigertang (1749)
• Singapore
17 May 08
I don't think I was being desrespectful to Gandhi. If I was, I appologise. I think the Mahatma did a fabulous job and coming from Southeast Asia, I owe a debt to India's independence movement because if India had not fought for Independence in the manner that it did, the British might still have tried to keep onto their colonies in Southeast Asia. However, they were so worn down by their failure to keep India, they were willing to let their other colonies go without that much of a fight.
However, I do stand by what I said when I argued that he was right for his times and situation. He could do what he did because of where he was and when he was opperating. Non violence worked against the British and he was leading the majority. Nelson Mandela used non violence brilliantly in South Africa because the Blacks outnumbered the Whites - there was no way they could have killed everyone to keep the majority down if they simply did not want it to be kept down.
This is less effective when you are in the minority though. Dalai Lama has been pursuing cultural freedome for Tibet in a Non violent way but geopolitics are such that "righteousness" loses out to a billion consumers and cheap labour.
@iftikharsumn (1471)
• Pakistan
18 May 08
I have heard about gandhi but don't know about his politics,
