Political parties in a democracy?

May 21, 2009, 08.00am IST
INTERACTION: OSHO.


Most people equate democracy with the freedom to choose their politicians, yet you seem to envisage a country which is both democratic and pollution-free, because you see politicians as pollution. How is this possible?


The very existence of nations, countries dividing humanity into stupid parts, is the game of the politician. And this i call pollution. It is poison to humanity. Politicians have ensured that you never become aware what is happening. You choose one kind of poison for five years; for those five years you have to suffer that poison. After five years you are fed up with this kind of poison. You change to another ^ Republican, Liberal, Democratic, Communist, Socialist. They are available in all shapes and sizes.
I do not see democracy as the freedom to choose between the politicians. In a real democracy what is the need of political parties? The real need is to make people more alert, more intelligent, so they can choose individually, not impressed by propaganda.


Why was Nixon defeated by Kennedy? It was the television that made the whole difference. On television, the supporters, the advisors of Nixon, had insisted that he wear dark clothes "so your figure comes out clearly, strongly, because millions of people will never see you in person; they will only see you on the television."


Nixon did not listen to them. He came in a grey suit, and that decided his defeat. Kennedy came in a dark, black suit. When they were together you saw that Nixon looked grey, weak, while Kennedy looked clear, strong.

Television has changed almost the whole political phenomenon. Before television, you were coming in contact with the real person. Now when you come in contact with a person, experts have decided his hairstyle, make-up, the colour of his clothes. They have taught him how to walk, how to stand, how to look exactly into the eyes of the people; what to say, how to say it, when to make a gesture with his hand; when to almost shout, and when to almost whisper. Now it is in the hands of the experts to programme him.


One party exploits you forever, or two parties make a pact and in rotation they exploit you. But your exploitation is the same.


My concept of democracy is people deciding on their own, without any political propaganda from anybody. Choose the candidates you like. In fact, the candidate approaching the people and asking, "Please choose me," is ugly. If he is of any worth, people should reach him and ask him, "Please take this responsibility for us. We want you to be in Parliament."
Then a different quality of people will be coming into the assemblies and Parliament, people who will not have any political leadership of the party. They will be free individuals acting out of their intelligence. They can choose the president, the prime minister ^ anybody. And they will be deciding on every issue according to themselves. People have given them immense respect by sending them to the government; they cannot be exploiters.


A real democracy will choose the wise people. But remember, a man of wisdom is not going to beg you for a vote. He is not going to kiss your children and shake hands with you. He is not going to act on the television screen so that he appears to be the way you would like your president to be.


The wise man is not interested ^ in fact, he will not be inclined to be dragged into this mess. You will have to persuade him. The whole scene changes ^ not the politician persuading you, but you persuading someone to represent you.

(Excerpted from `From The False to the Truth'. Courtesy Osho International Foundation. www.osho.com)