BY VIDYA GOPAUL
After what happened on Capitol Hill in the U.S. on Jan. 6, it shows that when people are angry, they do care whether it is a Democratic, Socialist or Communist government to protest against.
Whether the protest is justified or not is a very subjective opinion, and we’ll let that be a discussion for another day. I did not think that in this modern day and age, such a violent protest would have taken place in the United States of America – a country that sets the example of how Democracy is implemented.
Such a vicious revolt would normally occur in some of the European, South American, Far Eastern or Middle Eastern countries. Moreover, it is unfathomable to think that in a country, one that calls itself the “land of the free,” would have a massive barricade of security services, military troops and what seems like the entirety of Washington locked down for the inauguration of a free elected president by a democratic political system. It is unthinkable.
The only spectators during that ceremony will be the 25,000 military troops and no public audience, who, by the way, ironically elected the president. You would think of such a military style inauguration in a communist country or in Baghdad, but not in the US. But then again, times have changed.
When there is a conflict, both sides are at fault, and it does not matter who is right or who is wrong. In this case, both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are at fault.
Since the day that Americans voted for a Republican President four years ago, the Democratic Party has been chasing him like a hound dog. Day after day, month after month, they were criticizing what he said, accusing the Russian government of helping him win the election, and trying to impeach him multiple times, just to name a few instances. To his last day, the Democrats did not let him go with peace.
They will impeach him while he is gone from the White House. That not only infuriated him but enraged his supporters. When you see your leader is being harassed, humiliated, and let down every chance the opposition gets, that will for sure anger their supporters, regardless of whether that leader is a leader of a Democratic, Socialist or Communist country.
Also, it does matter whether that leader is good or bad or corrupt in the eyes of the public or the world – more than you think. Just look around the world and look at the countless leaders who are ruthless, autocratic and dictatorial — and yet they have loyal supporters.
Take as an example the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, the President of China, Xi Jinping and the President of North Korea, Kim Jong-un; they all have loyal supporters.
In the eyes of the rest of the world, they are just ruthless leaders, but they do have faithful and steadfast supporters in their own country, regardless what you and I think of them.
Therefore, when the President of United States was troubled at every corner by the Democrats, his supporters, who also believed that the Democrats stole the election, they could not take it anymore and that led to the violent storming of Capitol Hill — an icon and symbol of true democracy.
The only way to resolve any dispute is to give all parties concerned the benefit of doubt to prove their cases. You cannot just take your own side and say, “We are right, and you are wrong.” You can only push anyone or any group so far.
There is a limit, and if that limit is crossed, violent incidents like the one at the Capitol Hill will happen over and over again, whether it is a Democratic, Communist or Socialist country. Today, it is the Republicans who are crying foul, but tomorrow, it could be the Democrats who will be crying foul.
Do you remember when they tried to impeach the Democratic President, Bill Clinton? All the Democrats were livid, angry and felt intimidated by the Republicans. His wife, Hillary Clinton accused the Republicans of playing conspiracy theory.
That’s what I call — politics! In the great game of democracy, what goes around comes around.
