Collective consciousness is a state of mind where common people form a basis to believe in a common strand or principle that have direct or indirect consequences in their lives. In order to form a collective consciousness, long period of gestation is required to test the different dimensions of its effects. Once it takes its root in peoples’ mind, it starts growing on a wider scale. When many people gather together to share one common emotion, the total psyche emerging from the group takes the shape of collective consciousness. This is a phrase commonly used in spiritual domain, denoting for as an essential requisite of compassion, harmony, peace and prosperity of human beings. Out of its spiritual domain, the term has also entered into the materialist world as the social scientist found its relevance in common peoples’ livelihood, liberty, state, and governance, which they perceive as intimately interconnected with multidimensional effect.
Since peoples’ livelihood and liberty is intimately connected with the governance, democracy has transcended the boundary of some western countries and earned global recognition and acceptance that honours the human dignity and honour. Within the premise of democratic governance people believe in it and seek salvation from poverty, misery and chains of anarchism, tyranny and despotism. As gradually the political history moves on from the twentieth century onward, an ideological perception has set in the peoples’ thought that they should be governed by themselves. As the acceptance of the sovereignty of the people as supreme and inviolable, so the emergence of democratic governance in every parts of the world began taking shape. The gradual accumulation of belief in democratic governance is therefore a collective consciousness of the mass.
The democratic form of governance is based on universal values with the basic tenets of adult franchise, free and fair period elections, rule of law, respect of human rights, freedom of speech, free media, separation of power, independent judiciary, accountable and transparent government. In any case, the deviation from the basic tenets of governance, the chances of democratic backsliding is possible, which may invite the authoritarian form of governance.
Since the democratic form of governance is based on majority, the arithmetic calculation of the numbers becomes the norm of the ruling party to stick to the power as long as possible. Contrarily, the opposition in the House of Representatives tries to unseat the ruling party and hold the power by itself. In this game of playing politics, often times the decisions of the government becomes controversial and irritates the common people compelling to put doubt on whether the ruling party is deviating towards the authoritarian regime. The deviation from electoral commitment and delivery in real sense if contravenes, it indicate the backsliding of democracy with the following traits are apparently visible in the ruling.
The tendency of backsliding of democracy begin with the policy of government initiating with personalizing the administration by creating a narrow inner circle of advisors, filling key positions of power as such the court, the security, military and the civil service, giving promotions to family members or near and dear one. It also tries to break the existing parties and create new favourable to it. When such a trait is visible in the governance, it could be a prelude of early stage of electoral authoritarianism, which if not checked in time could lead to an authoritarian regime ultimately. The attempt of controlling media through intimidation, threat either or by extractive coercive measures, harassing or arresting journalists are the common feature of authoritarianism.
Authoritarian government exploits peoples’ sentiments by grooming nationalism. According to Bryant McGill, "The existence of excessive nationalism is a symptom of a deeper problem in the collective consciousness, which is continually being exploited." Michael Hardt and Antonio Nergri believe that often time, the authoritarian regime chose not to attack the enemy directly but destroying the environment, physical and social that supports it, which means the ruling tries either to breakdown the other opposition parties or form a new one that is supports its desire.
The people who vote to elect their representatives and send to form government are conscious of the actions of the government whether there are ignored or side-lined. They can smell any kind of threat from the bad decisions of the government to their life, liberty, and livelihood. When the situation worsens in the country, people have choices either of restraining it or opting for migration. Those who opt for migration does so to scape conditions of violence, starvation, or deprivation and some possible for with a desire for wealth, peace and freedom.
It is a state’s tendency that when the opposition is weak and timid, the ruling assert absolute power and the political elites become powerful vanguard of the ruling party. It is also aptly true that when the society is meek the leaders hesitate to grant them their rights and liberty. It is the mobilization of the society and watchfulness along with the collective consciousness holds the ability to stand against the repressive regime to protect their fundamental rights. In another word, a balance of power between the state and society to define and protect the value of democracy and democratic governance. According to Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, freedom is not given by nature, of course, it comes about only by constantly overcoming obstacles and limits.
Though Nepal is a parliamentary democracy with elected government in place, the crack in its foundation is visible with the experience of governance, its bad political decisions in one hand and trying to limit the peoples’ choice and aspiration of a prosperous life on the other.
While examining the principle aspect of the political characteristic as stated above, where do we stand now? We have an electoral democracy, and elected government in place with almost two thirds of majority. All the characteristic as stated above sits fit in our case such as- a weak opposition, controversies in political decisions, wide spread of scams and cases of corruptions, opaque decisions, attempt to break down the opposition party, filling vacant constitutional and bureaucratic positions by henchman or handpicked party’s favourates, applying intimidation and threat on press and journalist who express dissent views, and use of propaganda tool by using its diehard followers.
The government once elected for five years is believed mandated by the people to govern. The growing ego of holding majority in the House of Representatives pushes the government to take unpopular decisions vis-à-vis ignore the opposition and other fringe parties’ presence in the parliament. However peoples’ perception and belief may slip way over the time once they observe the functioning of the government and start questioning over the modus operandi and intention of the government.
Confucius himself noted that “a state cannot stand once it has lost the confidence of the people.” Democratic government, therefore, should always be answerable and accountable to the common people and responsible for their concern. The civil society, intellectuals, political opposition, media and community are watchful of the actions of the government and raise voices against the decisions of the government that disrespect, trespass or ignore the fundamental right of the people, democratic values and credential of governance.
Civil society is the realm of all social, economic, and political organizations and institutions that are not and more importantly families, civic groups, trade unions, political parties, interest groups, along with all the various other forms of social associations. Their voices contributes to form the collective consciousness based on their belief and realization in the social system. The perception of democratic representation holds the value of the free interaction of the vast plurality of social differences within the social system, which confirms on building collective consciousness. The legitimacy of the governance remains until it listens and respects the collective consciousness of the people as governing guides.