Today’s Daily Dose of Thirukkural deals with -
Section 02 - ‘Wealth’
Chapter 39 - 'The Greatness of a King’
Couplet serial number is 384.
Explanation in English:
A good king is the one who governs with good principles, and with virtue, while not (avoid)harming his own subjects in upholding such principles.
Original Kural:
அறனிழுக்கா தல்லவை நீக்கி மறனிழுக்கா
மானம் உடைய தரசு.
Explanation in simple Tamil:
அறநெறி தீமைகள் என்று கூறுபவை தவிர்த்து, அறநெறிப்படி கொள்கைகளை (வகுத்து) பின்பற்றி ஆள்பவன் அரசன்.
The mad.madrasi take in today’s world:
The question of what exactly are the principles of good governance and welfare of citizens is one of the most vexing questions facing the world today. For the United States and the Western Nations, the Communist China is a paramount example of a political system which is suppressing human thought, expression and freedom. To the ruling Chinese coterie the democracy and open society as propounded by the West is nothing but ‘imposition of alien values on Chinese culture’.
But both the USA and China would whole heartedly agree, at least in private, that the hermit nation of North Korea is the worst offender in this regard. While calling itself the ‘Democratic Peoples Republic’, the North Korean regime is neither democratic nor a republic in its true sense (res publica) and certainly not by, for, or of the *people*.
While these are questions of probity as to the way those political systems are organised, with their violation of the modern, accepted standards of human rights and freedom, there can also be situations where those elected might in a democracy can subvert the directive principles and cause hardship to the very people who elected them.
There is the example of Bo Xilai, who seems to have vexed even the wicked. He, his family and coterie have reportedly exceeded even the permissible, acceptable levels of brutality of the Communist Party of China. While not a democracy, the Communist Party of China had entrusted Bo Xilai with the care and comfort of the people of Chongqing, not his or his wife’s alone.
Just to show that a democratically elected government is not a guarantee of good and benevolent governance are the examples back home.
Section 02 - ‘Wealth’
Chapter 39 - 'The Greatness of a King’
Couplet serial number is 384.
Explanation in English:
A good king is the one who governs with good principles, and with virtue, while not (avoid)harming his own subjects in upholding such principles.
Original Kural:
அறனிழுக்கா தல்லவை நீக்கி மறனிழுக்கா
மானம் உடைய தரசு.
Explanation in simple Tamil:
அறநெறி தீமைகள் என்று கூறுபவை தவிர்த்து, அறநெறிப்படி கொள்கைகளை (வகுத்து) பின்பற்றி ஆள்பவன் அரசன்.
The mad.madrasi take in today’s world:
The question of what exactly are the principles of good governance and welfare of citizens is one of the most vexing questions facing the world today. For the United States and the Western Nations, the Communist China is a paramount example of a political system which is suppressing human thought, expression and freedom. To the ruling Chinese coterie the democracy and open society as propounded by the West is nothing but ‘imposition of alien values on Chinese culture’.
But both the USA and China would whole heartedly agree, at least in private, that the hermit nation of North Korea is the worst offender in this regard. While calling itself the ‘Democratic Peoples Republic’, the North Korean regime is neither democratic nor a republic in its true sense (res publica) and certainly not by, for, or of the *people*.
While these are questions of probity as to the way those political systems are organised, with their violation of the modern, accepted standards of human rights and freedom, there can also be situations where those elected might in a democracy can subvert the directive principles and cause hardship to the very people who elected them.
There is the example of Bo Xilai, who seems to have vexed even the wicked. He, his family and coterie have reportedly exceeded even the permissible, acceptable levels of brutality of the Communist Party of China. While not a democracy, the Communist Party of China had entrusted Bo Xilai with the care and comfort of the people of Chongqing, not his or his wife’s alone.
Just to show that a democratically elected government is not a guarantee of good and benevolent governance are the examples back home.
- The Central government
- unrepentant about undistributed, rotting food grains in warehouses; or,
- a rabid fixation about cutting subsidies in cooking gas to households,
- to name a few.
- The State government in my home state of TN
- disparagingly raising milk prices, bus fare and electricity tariff; or,
- the alleged highhandedness in Legislative Assembly by the ruling party,
- to name a couple.
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