Governance Update
Misgovernance and role of print media
Mohammad Rubaiyat Rahman
Misgovernance is emanated from the monopoly of political, economic and social power by reducing the country and the majority of its populace to abject poverty and also to pave the thoroughfare for violation of 'three generations of human rights'. Misgovernance ensures the absence of rule of law, withers economic development. The resulting tumors of misgovernance are- corruption, injustice and instability which cause turbulence in the path of ensuring the economic and social rights of common people. Ultimately, the vista of an individual's potentials to change the path of life and enlightenment of human dignity swerve into impossibility like 'a snowball's chance in hell'. Thence, United Nations General Assembly through its resolution 55/96 (December 4, 2001) synchronises good governance to bolster democracy, development and human rights. Furthermore, the 2000 Millennium Declaration conceives 'human rights, democracy and good governance' in its paragraph 13 as one of its pivotal objectives.
Antonym of misgovernance i.e. governance is defined as a 'process of interaction between people and government institutions'. Since there is no consensus in academic arena over a universal definition of governance, the word has been used in many contexts depending upon the nature of area, institution and region. UNDP in 1997 Human Development Report refers that governance comprises mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulating their interests, exercising legal rights and meeting their obligations. Deficit of such would beget misgovernance. In South Asia, as per Monika Barthwal Datta, governance is underlying socio-political dynamics which influence the functioning of: 'role of civil society and it's relation with government'; 'administrative system and culture'; and 'accountability and transparency of public institution'.
The bane of misgovernance and insecurity are the bitter toppings in the daily life of the common people of South Asia. From the emancipation of British Colonialism, after the scourge of Second World War, the states of South Asia have been unsuccessful, in most cases, in properly dealing with the variegated insecurities that entwine its common people. Since the outset of cold war era, the policy makers, analysts, military and political elites of this region have been dabbling their intellectuals in the 'exclusive' arena of balance of power politics, inter-state and intra-state politics and last but no way the least, military-political threats to states under the umbrella of 'National Interest'. It is hardly observed that the think tanks have ever saturated issues that jeopardising the dignity and vista of the common people of this region of daily basis. P.R Chari, in “Security and Governance in South Asia: Their Linkages” (p.14) aptly depicts the reality- '[T]his situation largely derives from a lack of participatory government accompanied by a rapid erosion of political government … a “We-They” syndrome has developed between the governing elites and governed masses.'
If we confine our focus in between the last decade of the 20th century and the outset decade of this new millennium, we would see that during this time span one voice is very stout and dauntless in envisaging how misgovernance is making bulwarks in the avenue of the daily life of the populace. Not as 'tilt to the windmill' but as 'quiver full of arrows'- the print media of South Asia region has been relentlessly citing and highlighting conduits among misgovernance, human rights violations and the crevices of insecurity for the common people of this region.
In India, during the recent 'Delhi Gangrape' brutality, which stirred and numbed the conscience of the entire society from uphill to down dale, the print media has been playing a valiant role in providing inputs for public awareness against gender violence. The chorus of justice is bellowing louder for women's safety and it is again the print media which is uniting the large magnitude of populace to chug out gender safety from the thicket of violence.
In Bangladesh, at the time of 1990's mass uprising, the stalemate of 1996 and during the throe of 1/11, the print media linked the aspects between misgovernance and intrusion of inalienable rights of human being and urged for prompt action to scuttle these. In ascertaining the influence of print media in socio-political backdrop of Bangladesh, Monica Barthwal Datta in her “Understanding Security Practices in South Asia” states (p.69), 'newspapers use their power as information disseminators to influence the policy making environment; to move their readers in certain directions if they can, and to put pressure on decision makers in government.' For further illustration, she cites a series of editorials of 'The Daily Star' published between 2005 and 2007 which conveyed relentless inklings that misgovernance being the stepping stones to insecurity in tandem with violation of human rights in the society of Bangladesh.
Thence, being indifferent to the contribution of print media would be a step of creating a 'missing link' into the chain of 'vigilant guards of human rights'. Even till date, the print media has been delving and dappling itself in creating public awareness and in acting as a forum which stands upon a strong footing for pivotal debates and round table discussions mulling for vista of society. Good governance, transparency and accountability move hand in hand to gilt edge democracy; to provide a leg up to the protection of human rights and it is the print media that can play a modest but thumping crucial role in society like South Asia by foreshadowing its role as potent and indefeasible arsenal in the hands of common people of this region.
The writer is Student of LLM, South Asian University, New Delhi, India.
