'Duddocracy'

'Duddocracy' is a form of corrupt democracy where the electorate and the elected consist of duds. It means government of the duds by the duds for the duds. The epidemic of ''duddocracy'' becomes rampant and serious when dozens of deadwoods enter and dominate the political system. Many deadwood politicians, past senility and blessed with Parkinson and Alzheimer's illness, become policy makers of the party they lead. They come to be known by the Russian title 'Supremo'. As some one remarked the Lord of death forgot to take them off their seat on this planet or that they survived escaping his notice.

This act of God is taken as a license to create havoc on society by releasing waves of polluted thinking from their infected brains. Really they are a menace to society and posterity. The number and proportion of such 'duddocrats' or deadwood politicians depends on the level of political consciousness of the people of the country concerned and the character of the politicians whom they encourage to enter the fray.

These deadwood politicians generally are individuals with two feet in the grave and the head inside their pants.Their thinking is clouded, confused and cantankerous except for self aggrandizement for them or for the party they lead. Of course they have a great role in coalition politics and they can turn the apple cart of democracy in any direction they want. Their nuisance value is so great that the stronger components in the coalition are scared about their potential for havoc. Often the latter succumb to their demands and pressures. The deadwoods bargain, fret and fume and ultimately walk out in protest if their demands are not conceded. But it one asks for their contribution and past performance the answer is invariably a big zero or next to nothing.

Their energy is unbelievably colossal and never wanes when it comes to bargaining for personal benefits. In this process the best friend and weapon they acquire and adore is stupidity. They do follow principles. The main principle is absence of principle. They honor the principle of consistency. The only difference is they are consistently inconsistent. Their enterprise and capabilities merge to the brim when they bargain for ministerial berths in the cabinet. Here leaders with two feet in the grave and head in the pants will be bodily lifted in a stretcher and made to speak and argue. That requires tremendous skill.

If the largest party in the coalition advocates for the same formulae for determining the number of ministerial berths to be made available to them, the crisis would deepen. If rigorously applied to all components of the coalition, it would create the eventuality of finding several ministerial berths in other democracies outside the country concerned.

The simple formula they present is that each group should be given one post in excess of what others are given. That is the logic which takes the strongest in the coalition to look for berths in foreign countries. Unfortunately the process is never ending and in the process there is threat of withdrawing or backing out and causing a political meltdown. The insatiable lust for power is at the back of all such demanding formula and the poor people in whose name they are elected, and their interests, are forgotten and left to their fate. This is the offshoot of the wonderful philosophy of 'self before service'.

The leaders battle for plum portfolios forgetting that they are with slum dog capabilities. The common man, whose interests they profess to serve, often wonders, when, if at all, such squabble for posts, privileges and power will end so that he can have a peaceful time for enjoyment. He sometimes wonders whether there should be a big bang to wipe out the existence of such political deadwoods dominating the political scene.
Time alone can solve the problem