WESTERN SYSTEM NOT SUITED TO ASIA

Summary

This newspaper report from Karachi records J. P. Narayan’s advocacy of a “participatory democracy” suited to Asian conditions. Narayan argues that Western parliamentary institutions, especially party-based systems, have not enabled ordinary people to manage their own affairs. He contrasts formal voting with meaningful popular control, warning that elections can narrow rather than widen political choice when power remains concentrated among parties or elites.

In the rendered pages, Narayan attributes the failure of imported systems partly to the destruction of India’s and Pakistan’s older community institutions under British rule. He calls for the revival of institutions in rural and urban areas, organized on an agro-industrial basis, so that communities can function as “vital organs” of the political body. Larger matters such as railways, communications, currency, defence, and foreign affairs would be handled through higher tiers selected from these communities. The report also notes his interest in Pakistan’s experiment with basic democracies and his belief that nominated officials should not displace popular participation.

Key points

• J. P. Narayan advocates a system of “participatory democracy” for Asian societies.
• The report presents his criticism of Western parliamentary democracy as overly dependent on political parties and electoral competition.
• Narayan distinguishes formal voting from citizens’ direct capacity to manage their own affairs.
• He argues that colonial rule damaged older Indian and Pakistani community institutions.
• He proposes reviving rural and urban communities on an agro-industrial basis.
• A tiered system would assign larger functions—such as communications, currency, defence, and foreign affairs—to higher bodies.
• He expresses interest in Pakistan’s experiment with basic democracies and nominated representatives.