The two most abused terms in a democracy are “national interest” and “national security”. They are used to curb citizens’ rights and to pull wool over people’s eyes. We should not forget that everything Hitler did was in what he considered to be ‘national interest’ and yet he took Germany efficiently and determinedly on a path to ruin. The rise of Hitler in the inter-war years was possible because the silent majority in his country saw in Hitler’s ascent a manifestation of the ‘national German pride’! Similarly, the dilution of Article 370 in 2019 was done in the name of ‘national interest’ and ‘national security’. If the dilution was meant to facilitate Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)’s integration into the national mainstream, why did the government hold on to the Kashmir-specific Public Safety Act (PSA)? Here, in Goa, Section 144 has been imposed citing the excuse of ‘terror threats’. The reality is, for authoritarian governments, the biggest threat comes not from external enemies but from its own citizens. This is when elements in the jurisprudence such as Section 144, PSA and Section 124A, dealing with sedition, come into play. While the British Empire used the sedition law to curb free speech during India’s independence struggle, the present government is using it to silence and harass those with divergent opinions, including writers, activists and protesters. Britain repealed this law in 2009 while we in India continue to have it in our statute books. Mysteriously, the ‘national interest’ always converges with the political interests of whichever party or leader is in power. Considering this, a true patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.
D.C. Dias,
Taleigao, Goa
