28 March, 2024

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Identity Politics & Intelligent Democracy

By Waseem Hameed –

Waseem Hameed

We, the homosapiens, have individual elements and collective elements. Individual elements are the characteristics an individual possess which are relevant and necessary to interact with another homosapien to establish peace and carry on with the noble meaningful functional purposes that may fit for your life or, simply respecting individual sovereignty. The collective elements are the identities that could manifest within you so that you may belong to a group. You can belong to so many groups such as age, religion, social class or caste, culture, deaf hood, dialect, disability, education, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, gender identity, generation, occupation, profession, race, political party affiliation, sexual orientation, settlement, urban and rural habitation, and veteran status. Identity politics refers to the tendency of sharing identity political alliance instead of traditional party based politics.

Then there is the radical collectivists. Radicals based on identity politics as both recent and past historical evidence indicates that they are dangerous to any society. Everyone is entitled for their beliefs, but no one has the right to impose their beliefs on someone else forcefully. That is just a Na! Certainly no one has the right to take authority in to their own hands. This is what radicals do and not forgetting that they represent a fraction of the community. They are people with anger and full of ignorance who doesn’t understand the long term implications their actions may cause. They should be stopped! They say it is for the development and progress of the country but it has been nothing but power maneuver of the hierarchies to occupy a place for dominance.

If you are a feminist, you could interpret a scripture to support your claim. If you are a misogynist, you could interpret the same verse to support your claim. Likewise the violence you interpret in a religion is solely because you are a blood thirsty, revengeful and filled with idiotic, imbecile, outdated ideologies. We should not tolerate such stupidity! Especially when it is obvious that these radicals represent only a fraction of it and all they are is a mouth piece to their identity trying to gain a place for dominance in the society. This is why ignorant, hate filled and evil leaders get corrupted. What amuse me the most is that how as a society of religious fundamentals could let such fraction of bacteria to cause so much disrupt to the entire country?

This is where intelligent democracy comes in. A research, led by David Dunning, a psychologist at Cornell University, shows that incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people’s ideas. This is the prime reason for the incompetent individuals occupying position of power and dominance. But how do they occupy such positions of power?

They occupy such power of positions when the voters don’t understand the importance of intelligent democracy or doesn’t possess the skills to judge competence. This is what the ancient philosopher Socrates argued about the flaws of democracy by comparing the society to a ship. The book narrates further that he questioned Adeimantus that if he would select randomly anyone or someone with competence in seafaring to run the ship. He further argued why do we think that any old person would fit to run a country? Obviously this is what’s happening in Sri Lanka. Older incompetent people with outdated ideas are running the show. The power hunger greed has taken over the souls they’ve had and they genuinely do not care for the citizens of Sri Lanka. Power is bad when it is in the hands of a person who needs to reevaluate their moral character.

See, it is obvious that whoever gets the power can possibly get corrupted. People who represent themselves as saints could also get corrupted once the positions of dominance are acquired. Fighting for the power and dominance is not new and it has been there since ancient history and not just with humans but also with every living creature. But moral values differentiate us from animals.

What we need is a system that who so ever get the positions of dominance would not be able to engage in corruption. A system western democracies have adopted and look where they are now? They got plans to colonize Mars, we are still here fighting for identity. We need a system that would take accountability of anyone’s incompetence actions so that all of us would not be guided by fools and so that all of us would not end up in Hell.

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Latest comments

  • 2
    0

    Private property, especially the control of the means of production and their distribution by the few, is the source of social crime.
    Parliamentary democracy is increasingly delivering countries (especially with economic problems) into the hands of fascists.
    The role of money in elections is too strong. So representatives need to be elected from among the people based on shared needs.
    At least 50% of the population are relatively poor peasants. Who represents their interests?
    The system of parliamentary democracy is heavily loaded against the oppressed.

    • 1
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      SJ

      “The system of parliamentary democracy is heavily loaded against the oppressed.”

      Therefore let us consider forming a “Dictatorship of the proletariat” totally/completely loaded against the oppressed.

      Tony Benn’s Democratic test:

      1. What power have you got?
      2. Where did you get it from?
      3. In whose interests do you exercise it?
      4. To whom are you accountable?
      5. How can we get rid of you? (Important of all other tests)

      Is there one political system that satisfies Tony Benn’s test?

  • 1
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    “See, it is obvious that whoever gets the power can possibly get corrupted. People who represent themselves as saints could also get corrupted once the positions of dominance are acquired.”

    Good example the present President and Prime Minister and many in the Cabinet.

  • 3
    1

    Are believers in Islam really Homosapiens?
    \
    I very much doubt it from their behaviour!

    • 1
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      That’s the whole point of this article. behavior is not based on a religion its individualistic. religion just helps you to have order for the chaos.

    • 5
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      They are Mohommedans. Brainwashed mindless followers of a stone age warlord (warlord is the kindest description given the perverted racist actions conducted).
      The contrast is between a Prince who gave up everything to serve mankind vs a begger who through manipulation and luck gained everything and indulged in his perverted fantasies.

  • 1
    4

    Dear Liyanage!

    I agree with you. The alleged Homo- sapiens of Minuwangoda mob and people like you come under Homo-sapiens then we do not want to be in that lot. You can give any name and it won’t help you develop.

  • 3
    0

    That will be fine.
    /
    How typical of these selfish self-centred animals?
    Just a month after wiping out 300 praying people in cold blood, they they are already complaining about the understandable, limited backlash that caused some property damage but no lives lost. You can’t be saved.
    /
    You people who believe in Arabian tribal myths, in common with your Jewish cousins, still walk on all fours and still have tails.
    /
    So you won’t be able to be Homosapiens if you wanted.

  • 2
    2

    Whoever primates of Muslims are immaterial.They have rejected so called Koran saying is mattered most. Anyway They are descendants of south Indian dalites prostitute plus Afgan soldiers base born lot. Came here as refugees after collapsed of Delhi sultanate rule in south India. Their destination was East Indies or Indonesia but due to volcanic eruption & followed Tsunami situation Landed here. Their conductors Gujarati & south Pakistani marine traders got temporarily staying authorities from our kotte kingdom. but due to arrival of Portuguese marine traders with their spices collectors Kerala lot Malabar had to leave our shores & refugees stayed here. For Matta people ( Marathi plus Afghanistan soldiers) given Kandyan king in south East, Now act like owners of this land just as Libian refugees gone to Europe more recently. Everywhere Muslims are descendants of refugee lots. In Myanmar story is same. Bengali refugees from Bangladesh in British Era now claim citizenship rights. But Myanmaries teaching them good lessens. Likewise we have to teach them good lesson & chase them to original places in south India or father’s land Afghanistan. Suicide lots killing innocent people should be chased out.

    • 2
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      How about you lot , the children of yakshini kuveni ,a pickled offsprings of Yakshayas and Nagayas . The traders who arrived later showed them how to dress. The Tamils were in Srilanka before the Singhalese ,who were a superior class. When you see those kasippu binging mobs you can see for yourself ,where you belong.

      • 0
        1

        As per Ramayanaya Tamils were not even in south India even after Lanka separated from India.But Yakka were here but not nagas. Yakka were descendants of Makkuva tribes come here from south East Africa. Now called Mozambique. Vedda too were descendants of same lot. when coastal line populated in full few migrated to interior called vedda. Vedda means gone as per ELU. Others are here in coastal lines and the other part of Island. In four thousand years or so ago few Hibrew tribes came here from middle east. got mixed with Coastal line lived people. Saharan lot mistaken them as lot live in Katunayake Area & Batticoloa Area & freed suicide attackers. But those are wrong places. They live in south & south west coastal lines. Do not say exact locations for security reasons.

  • 0
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    Waseem

    I agree with you. The laziest and easiset way to get into power in a democracy is pick on a numerically small group of people and blame all society’s ills on them, stoke xenophobia of one group against another (does not matter which group, as long as they have a target “enemy”), and then collect money from those who have gotten agitated. Come in to power, abuse the privileges, minimize accountability for actions and groom your children and relatives to perpetuate the cycle of xenophobia and greed.

    This is waht has happened in Sri Lanka, India and most other democracies, including the US and UK. Except in those western counries the legal system still does care about the regular citizens, and serves as a check against gross abuses (true Trump et al are testing it to its limit).

    I feel very despondent for Sri Lanka’s future. Singapore had a dictator who kept the xenophobes at bay by jailing, intimidating and torturing them. Also it was basically a city, not a country. Malaysia kept its Tamil minority rather impoverished and under-educated, while pampering the malays, and scape-goating the chinese. They stayed functioning because of the authoritarian power of their leaders. Sri Lanka has neither an authoritarian, nor a wizened leader who really cares about the country. We only have power hungry, greedy opportunists who see only short-term profit, and not long-term success of our country.

  • 0
    0

    Nagananda Kodituwakku is offering a solution to the problems faced by all Sri Lankans. He appears to be honest and clean. He is also a victim of present setup. Why not all of us for a change elect him to clean the system? he is no businessman, or involved in any corrupt practices. He is litigating on behalf of citizens. Why not give him a chance? Forget the 226.

    • 1
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      ideal person to be the next president in my honest view. Rohan pallewatta and dhammika is not suitable now. we need to get the system right and he is our guy. but he is having a bad strategy. he wont win if he goes like that.

      • 1
        1

        Aney how sweet. However, what the majority voters of this country requires is a proper clean up of the racist stone age Mohommedan cult
        Given that the cowardly sinha blood cardboard heroes were hiding in their cupboards for month after the Mohommedan Kaboom and that they were scared to send kids to schools bacause they thaught Mohommedan kiddies will do a kaboom in the classroom there is serious underlying issue within the mohommedan cult which the so called moderate mohommedans are unable to clean up. Because of this we need a clean up to done from the outside and for this we require Gota and the National Agenda of the Venerable Galagoda Aththey Apey Hamuduruwo.
        Mohomoddans went Kaboom (a strategicly too early ejaculation of the Taqqiya) now it is clear to everybody that Mohommedanism is a clear and present danger to the future of the country. We are done with Nagas and Farmers it is time for a 7-11 manager to manage the 24-7 problem of Mohommedanism.

  • 0
    0

    Thank you Author.

    The reason parliamentary democracy ‘appears to be failing”

    – because we have race/religious parties being allowed/elected in our country pausing fundamental challenge to the notion of democracy ??……you can serve all with this basis because there will be no representation for at any one time.
    – we have since 1970 until 1981 an open introduction of killing opponenets by the same identity politics/parties because they could not make there case to the voting public ‘democratically’ any longer.
    -The elected did not know whet they were being elected for??????a missing ‘job scope’ for a member of parliament even to be allowed as a candidate?????? hence we have what we have today. A complete mockery of a parliamentary system.
    -The above scenario of the missing job scope was so crucial/critical in a developing nation where the guidence/collectiveness/nationalism/patriotism all to be nurtured through the ability of the elected MP to serve his people thinking out of the box??? they instead spent time promoting their party causes??????? that is what happened in Jaffna – we have TNA with blood in their hands being elected to represent constituents to deliver exactly what and to whom??
    – We have a situation democracy was used for various fantasies such separatism/devolution of power when this suppose to elect qualified to navigate the nation through difficult choices for development until we get there?????? blind leading the blind at gun point the consequence we live today…….then again we too needed the right neighbours who will not prostitute our children for their regional inadequacies opportunistically???

    • 1
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      this separation by identity doesn’t stop. it starts from religion, then color and then gender and sexual orientation and it just goes on never ends. what is obvious is that what ever it is the radicals in every identity group is fighting to power and dominance and the outcome to achieve that is always chaos. there is no peace has been an outcome of this. i mean any sensible person could understand this. it really doesn’t matter which identity group it is, the outcome is always chaos. why? because grouping by identity is technically wrong but rather is should be by individual sovereignty.

      There is a way to find a solution for this. I might write another article once i have collected my thoughts properly.

      oh and please this is not aimed at any particular group. that is not even in my interest. just taking the historical evidence to highlight this and share a general perspective.

      if you are still thinking your collective group identity comes first than your own individual sovereignty then you need to re-think about your moral character. because the outcome of each identity politics is NOT peace. Obviously

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