Political cult is not a new phenomenon. History has ample examples of political cults that not only rule any specific political party but also captivate an entire country with their charisma and rhetoric. Often, these political leaders developed a cult-like following, and they attained the status of messiah or a divine figure, God. There are good examples like Gandhi, and there are bad examples like Hitler, but one thing is clear: political cult is nothing new, and it seems that we have not learned our lessons from the dangers of harboring political cult. No matter what its origin or intention is, a political cult ultimately turns into relentless bullying. The leader who attains such a status doesn't like any dissent or alternative views; rather, any dissent or objection is treated as defiance or rebellion. Often, other leaders and most supporters surrender to this political bullying. This begs a question: why don't politicians stand up against bullying from their own party? There can be only a few reasons for this; most politicians are scared of losing power and are spineless and opportunistic leaders who want to cling to power at any cost.
Advocating for their own vision and agenda is a prerogative of every leader, and there is nothing wrong with it. However, taking the entire administration hostage and stifling any dissent is not leadership or democracy; it is a dictatorship and bullying. This is what is happening in many countries, including the USA. There are just a couple of voices in each political party that dominate, and the rest all meekly surrender. If someone needs an endorsement of the Prime Minister or the President for a local election that should be centered only around local issues, there is a serious political cult problem that needs to be addressed. In any dictatorship, power is centralized, decision-making is centralized, and everything must go through the dictator or the dictator's coitre. One cannot displease the dictator and get away with it, but true democracy cannot and should not function like this. In any decentralized federal structure, every election serves a different purpose and addresses a different constituency. Presidential election is different than a ward election, which is different than a governor election, which is different than a senator or congressman election. The names and terminologies can differ, but this is how different governments are structured, where there is a separation of powers, and independent institutions exist. However, if political bullying dominates, these structures crumble, and one gets into a democratic dictatorship, where elections serve to fulfill the ego of one person who dominates the discourse. This is no longer a democracy but an authoritarian regime.
Whenever and wherever political bullying prevails, it illustrates the point that elected officials of that administration and party are a spineless and power-hungry bunch. When power is centralized, and one person's endorsement means everything, there is neither separation of powers nor individual accountability. But the main tragedy and worrisome part is that people are equally enabling this degradation. People are not only participating in this debacle but also actively making sure that this system becomes a new norm. Democracy is messy and imperfect, but this does not mean authoritarian or elected dictatorship is better. Any authoritarian regime is more harmful than a democratically elected government, as it stifles dissent, curbs fundamental rights, and encourages hate and resentment to harbor polarization. This is why it is dangerous when people and elected officials don't stand against political bullying. It is dangerous when we allow narcissistic leaders to take center stage and control the narrative rather than working on our differences through discussions and constructive criticisms. People and politicians are trading dangerous waters in many parts of the world, and I hope they know what they are doing. I hope true democracy survives this political bullying. If not, we all know what the consequences are, and I am not willing to go back to those dark days when the world witnessed immeasurable harm inflicted by democratically elected dictators.
Thank you for reading, and please share your views on this topic.
