‘Why Democracy Is Struggling in Asia’ was the cover story of a recent issue of TIME magazine. It described how democracy was paralysed in Thailand, with protestors blockading Bangkok’s airports and laying siege to the Prime Minister’s office. South Korea, despite electing a popular government, has witnessed noisy mass protests. Pakistan got rid of General Musharraf, but all it now has is military-controlled democracy. Japan and Taiwan are powerhouses of technology-driven prosperity, but both have extremely unstable governments. Democracy has been restored in Bangladesh recently, but during the semi-military rule that preceded it, its two sparring former prime ministers had both been jailed. China, which is Asia’s most populous nation, is far from embracing democracy. Its communist rulers are so uncomfortable with freedom and openness that they actually censored parts of US President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech that were critical of communism.

The magazine’s otherwise bleak survey of democracy in Asia had a good deal of praise for India. The praise is no doubt well-deserved. When our country elects the 15th Lok Sabha in May, we can be sure that the transition of power will be smooth and New Delhi will not witness any protests or blockades. The military will be firmly under the control of the elected government. And no government in India will dare resort to censorship of the kind routinely seen in China. Witness how the UPA government beat a hasty retreat last month after its own ill-conceived move to control the electronic media’s freedom was widely criticised.

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