FREEDOM OF SPEECH (or Freedom to abuse?)

2014 was a landmark year, and will go down in the history of India and the world of course.  We all know why. Not because of a particular ruling party or a change in political ideology of the country…nah. It was a pivotal year because of the emergence of one of the most powerful leaders of the country and the world- a leader none had experienced or witnessed in a long long while. A leader who made a lazy sleepy world wake up, to true leadership. Unapologetic, strong, powerful, ready to take the country to its rightful position, and also set new exacting standards for other countries to follow. Unfortunately along with it, came a herd of naysayers, haters, opposers. We humans are wonderfully complex to be lumped into overly simplistic groups, hence there may be more sub groups within this broad hate group. While the world leaders, governments and  large business conglomerates were caught up in this tohubohu,  people back home began exercising the long forgotten fundamental right ‘Freedom of speech’. In all, there are 6 fundamental rights actually, but this particular one had caught people’s fancy. Any funnily there are some fundamental duties also for the citizens. Can you think of one? No? What?? We have some duties also? You kidding ? We pay taxes? Right? That’s the biggest duty that we are doing. End of discussion…….😉

So on the face of it, it may seem that people are using freedom of speech but in reality they are simply playing a politically correct card…..to exercise freedom of abuse and spread hate speech & misinformation. They had ample social media tools to do the same. From journalists, to celebs, to people from eminent walks of life, to maybe just a rickshawalla (with whatsapp at least,) joined the bandwagon to malign, defame, sully, in the name of our leader, our country, its heritage, roots, and  just about everything associated with India. Our country has never ever witnessed a right being so grossly misused and abused. You see this political change in the country & world was one hell of a humdinger (minus the fireworks)🎉- it hit people like a bolt from the blue.

And if this was not enough, along came the pandemic, in 2020 marking the 2^nd landmark year in the history of the world. The pandemic couldn’t have come at much worse time than this for India a tleast. It was a clear case reflecting that how when anticipation & fear meets opportunity, rational thinking is suffocated. This unexpected event accelerated the abuse of this right and how. Seeing the daily hatred memes and messages on our PM, made me wonder what was multiplying more? The virus or this hatred ? Which country, I pray can get away with this much nonsense? Have we ever seen any other nation be that hammer and tongs about a particular right ?

Freedom of Speech and Expression was given as a right to make the people of India feel free , have a sense of liberating emotions while expressing concern or difference of opinions. It is regarded as the first condition of liberty in any nation. It occupies a preferred and important position in the hierarchy of the liberty. This will hurt, but how many of us so called educated Indians knew this definition in its right capacity.

So while the citizens of USA are supposedly the ‘freest in the world’ with full freedom to express , publish, wirte their sentiments, according to the first amendment , the number of restrictions, caveats, exclusions surpass the very right itself. Let alone the government, you cannot even slander your neighbour without adequate evidences. Organised protest have been brutally  broken up by the police time and again in the USA. Ironically a farmers protest here becomes a picnic. Another close case is Canada, which is largely the same as US, but in true and seemingly polite Canadian fashion, makes sure  that no  hate speech can ever be protected as free speech. You do have the right to an extreme view that may have some kind of occasional support ,but you do not have the right to just be a blatant asshole. In CHINA, the book does have an explicit freedom of speech and press, as all other countries. But ask a chinese on the road and all that he will say, give me access to google, facebook and Youtube and I’m happy- Since all public forum are banned…and public speaking is not allowed….happy freedom of speech within the 4 walls of your house.

It would seem that Japan being the most forward and liberal democratic nation would have a relatively ‘free’ -Freedom of speech and expression . Well yeah, certainly in the constitution! But an early draft in 2012 rephrased it so that Japanese people would not have ‘unalienable rights’ -this gives the Prime Minister broad powers to decide what rights anyone has. Recently all major Japanese textbooks used in high school removed any references to wartime slavery by the Japanese in WWII. Altering facts ?–does that sound like freedom of speech? Not to me.

A comparison with these countries is grim and paradoxical. On one hand it reminds the people of our country to prudently use their rights, while on the other it also reflects the desperate need of our own government to get out of their lackadaisical attitude and be stronger with the cane. Just ‘a slap on the wrist’ attitude for people spreading hate speeches will not work in a country with a population of over 1.4 billion.

The Indian government recently took a lovely, much wanted, action against some foreign social media companies to comply with the Indian Constitution. These companies  silently slipped out of their ‘mere harmless social connect tool’ to mischievously condone (maybe endorse) hate speeches alongside making big bucks in India . For the uninitiated, we are not talking of harmless individual photo sessions or ‘sarcasm filled tweets’ here, but, a national level hate crime that could lead to riots in the country. Guess who was hurt the most by this action… Twitter .They cited their company policy ‘freedom of expression’ being at risk. 😂😂(can’t decide between ROFL or LMAO here .) Like really mate ? The government of India has taken legal action and demanded some serious answers from Twitter. It no longer is rhetorical (as said by a few naysayers). These people who felt that the government was simply strong arming Twitter, well this one seems to be a harsh twist in the arm.

This move is bold and spunky, and seems correct at so many levels. It sets a precedent not only for the companies but also  people who have been using it as an organised tool to disrupt the harmony of a political and religiously sensitive country as ours. A simple tweet in a diverse country like ours works like a ruinous spark leading to an unruly fire. It should make people think twice before posting any ludicrous thing in the name of freedom of speech, and fettering them from committing treason.

It may serve as the perfect example to  some of our not so friendly neighbouring countries that are committing their resources to cripple our political/economic/medical infrastructure. It is no harmless occurrence that in a rather naked display, NY Times and several other foreign publication published images of crematoriums/pyres/ lack of oxygen cylinders in India while conveniently hidding news of  piles of bodies being stashed in the back of trucks in NYC by their own govt. (BTW it was our journalists back home that were selling pictures to foreign magazines Come on, this is not freedom of speech, this is ‘desh drohi’ I would say -what do you think?)🇮🇳😐How many people are aware of citizens being pulled off the ventilators within a few hours of treatment in Italy. How many know that Australia shut borders for all their citizens (estimated 60,000 in no.) across the world until covid subsided? Simply abandoned their lot, huh? Many countries stopped giving their covid case data to Google at the beginning of second wave, while publishing India’s growing figures by the day! Think about it please and if you do, it should alarm you as much.

Although in all my posts I nudge the readers to always look for answers in their brain, this time around I feel the urge to end with a small note. Sometimes things just don’t have the moral clarity that is required. We are a delusional lot if we feel the current mess that our country is in,  is entirely the fault of the government. So yes, we are far from a perfect scenario, not getting the best of medical services in a calamity like this, losing loved ones, with a growing sense of economic despair gripping us- but ranting about your nation is no cool way to go about it. We had millions of NRIs come back ‘Home’ during covid times, as that’s where they felt safe.

Focusing only on our fundamental rights all the time and forgetting the duties is an extremely sad refelection on our sense of entitlement and ego. In our mad mania for hating (or liking) a political party/leader, we cannot end up deingrating our homeland. (specially when other countries are dealing with a similar situation as bad but in a more apposite, covert, and may I say more dignified manner.)

Our nation is literally grasping at straws in this cataclysmic situation, let us do our bit here and perform 1 duty properly which is to wear a mask .

And lastly , broadly and earnestly  ‘Espirit de corps’- a sense of loyalty seems to be too much the need of the hour…..

Author: Bhavna Gupta Patel

Disclaimer: Images used are not mine.

This is not a politically motivated article. Views expressed are solely of the author’s.