Akhbar El Youm, P.11 (16-2-2008)
The Indian experience
By: Safia Mostafa Amin
India celebrates nowadays the 59th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees justice and equality among all Indian citizens regardless of religion and race. India has become the largest democracy in the world. Throughout the history of independent India, parliamentary elections were held 14 times, which resulted in rotation of power among different political parties. 40% of the MPs at the Indian Parliament are women. The Indian President Mrs. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil pledged that this century would be "Asia's century". Moreover, India has emerged as an influential player in the world economy.
We enjoy deeply-rooted relations and friendship ties with India since the time of the Indian great leader Mahatma Gandhi, who devoted his life to peaceful and passive resistance against the British occupation. We are actually impressed by the progress achieved by India as well as the democratic system applied there. The Indian people managed to overcome the problems of famines, backwardness and divisions. When the Indians expelled the British occupation, they did not elect a dictator to rule their country. They made the nation as the source of all powers. After the Indians were depending, during the years of occupation, on the UK in almost all walks of life, they entirely count today on their indigenous capabilities in the fields of agriculture and industry. By so doing, India managed not only to achieve self-sufficiency and but also to export the surplus.
In spite of several conspiracies and assassinations, which took place in India, nobody called for abolition of freedom and democracy. The Indians firmly stick to the multi-party system and freedom of press.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Saad Zaghlol was my mentor and I have drawn several lessons from 1919 Revolution."
Today, we want to benefit from the Indian experience in order to push forward the march of development and achieve unprecedented growth rate. Actually, we want this century to be "the Middle East's century".
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