Mutual back slapping aside, now that we have the type of government we wanted, let us show the world that we deserve it. The intention is not to sound patronising but to remind us all that we have had such opportunities before which came to nothing because of the mistakes we made. Hence this reminder. We are not altogether unfamiliar with democracy and the parliamentary form of government. Neither are we . unaware as to what makes democracy work. Where we seem to falter is in the day to day practice of it. Our patience seems so brittle when it comes to listening to the other person s views and having heard it. tolerate it for whatever its worth

The shape of our government provided for in the new order of things is not perfect. There are always loopholes in any constitutional provision about forms of government. Should we exploit them to create crisis in functioning of our government and thereby weaken the system as a whole? Or should we try and build on the positive aspects of the new form of government and make up through practices the gaps that exist in the form?

At the risk of repeating the obvious it has to be said that democracy is much more than a form, an institution, a set of legal principles or an act of the parliament. It is a culture, a way of running a society and in a profound sort of way. an attitude of the mind. It is a way how we behave within the family, with our neighbours, in our work place and last but not the least, how we behave politically. We will have to learn to distinguish between conscientious, as compared to conveninent. allies and build partnerships on principles and not populist positions. For we cannot afford to forget that in democracy along with freedom comes responsibility. It is in the fine-tuning of these two inseparable elements of democracy that its stability and effectiveness lies. We must face the fact that in demanding freedom our record is far more impressive than in exercising responsibility.

So far the parliament has set a good trend. In the competition between the desirable and the possible, our members have shown commendable sense of responsibility and have given us a blend of it all. that gives our revived democracy a very good start. Our parliamentarians will now have to set a new standard of our politics for the future generation to emulate. Any future lapses, especially of the shoe waving kind should be removed with the stringent of measures.

The role of the political parties can hardly be overstated in the new circumstances. Their public utterances must become more and more rooted in facts and their line of action far better thought out. not only in terms of immediate party gain, but more so in terms of national interest. It is crucial that political parties begin to exercise greater inner party democracy so that they themselves become training grounds, as they must, for the democracts of the future.

The mass media must play a more responsible role in this context We cannot be oblivious of the fact that there will be partisan views. But even while presenting such views truth does not have in lx thrown to the winds and opinions do not h.m to be divorced from facts.

The real test of our democracy lies In the future. In how we practice it. More importantly, it will depend on how we use the collective wisdom of the people to provide for them a decent living which constitutes their fundamental democratic right