Tamil Nadu politics. It’s a show. Theatres and film productions all around the globe can learn a few tips and tricks with the great showmanship that Tamil Nadu politicians, and those whom aspire to become politicians, flair around in their sentences, gestures, and expressions. So in order to truly understand what is actually happening and going to happen, you must cut through the whole façade to get to what they are actually saying – that is, what their political intention really is. There are two things you must bear in mind with politicians and current politics itself:
- The aim(s) of the politician and their manifesto (a declaration of intended political moves and changes).
- The setting(s) that such aims take place in.
- The diction (tone of speech) that the politicians use.
What is really equally important yet overlooked is the setting that aims and political promises take place in. Essentially, what tone is the politician putting forward their aims. This will be explored further in detail when we come to analyse both upcoming individuals. I call them individuals because they are not yet fully functioning politicians. Rather, persons who are just starting to not only cement their base with their ideals and theories but also just starting to build a dialogue with their voters in a non-cinematic way (or at least that ought to be the case).
The most globally-acknowledged principle when it comes to governance and a social format is held in what is known as the Social Contract Theory. Prior to our enhanced modern understanding, under philosophy it was the agreed view that a member of society lives in accordance to a wider societal contract. Their moral and political obligations is dependent on this agreement which is in place for a better working society and therefore livelihood. Modern theorists have emphasised this basic contract within the political governance sphere: that the people will accept to be governed so long as the governor caters to a fruitful governance. Where a fruitful governance is stalled or in decline, those being governed have the right to remove the governor. For more detailed explanations and debates on this topic read at least one of the following:
– Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan
– John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government
– Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Social Contract
– John Rawls’ A Theory on Justice
If you prefer visual understanding, then watch Iruvar (1997) which is a Tamil movie depicting the chaos when cinematic personalities become involved in Politics. The power struggle and the vulnerability of the people’s understanding of the political social contract is eloquently depicted in this movie – a revolutionary movie.
First Impression Analysis
We have two contrasting individuals here. We have Kamal with a futuristic mindset, while we have Rajini with a present outlook. We have Kamal who wants to radically revolutionise the theoretical notions of politics in Tamil Nadu, while we have Rajini who wants to switch around the players in the current state of politics. More importantly, we have Kamal who is a Thamizhan that wants to combine the Tamil image (and South India) with success, while we have Rajini who wants to reinforce the typical developing worlds’ attitude that English is the image of success only.
Kamal is setting out new parameters in politics so that future leaders can be moulded under a new outlook away from the current political institutions – that is, away from corruption, manipulation, influence, and degradation. Throughout his speeches, especially the speech he held in Chennai at the SSN Engineering College, Kamal never fails to urge and motivate the youth to become actively involved with politics whether through activities or merely staying on top of current political affairs. During his speech on the day of his party opening, he reiterated several times that one of the key changes within the Indian Tamil society was to not only learn how to regulate politicians and leaders but to also shape and mould future leaders so that self-regulation amongst politicians becomes a second habit. In order to ultimately achieve this, the upcoming generation must be ready when it is their time to take the ‘baton’ (a term used by Kamal himself to denote leadership). Yet, before that they must learn the meaning of the baton and more crucially the influence of their impact upon the utilisation of the baton. And this is where Kamal hopes to demonstrate and thereby teach. Kamal, while tailoring services and practical industrial changes for his generation of people, is drastically revolutionising the theoretical base of politics for the younger generation. This approach replaces the out-dated, and therefore abused and corrupted, political theory of Colonial India into a modern-seeking political theory that is on parr with Western political structures. What does this mean? It essentially means that although there are other politicians whose intentions are for radical changes within Tamil Nadu’s political sphere (e.g. Seeman; Naam Thamizhar Kaatchi), Kamal’s approach with the youth cements clarity and stability thus achieving what other politicians have failed to recognise: permanence.
As an indication of this new setting of parameters have a look at the diverse individuals, most notably the academics, that Kamal has representing his party Maiam:
Throughout his speech during his party’s opening in Madurai, he constantly articulates that he is working for the people and that he is, and will be if chosen to be the leader, under their rule (enforcing the quote and the SCT). While this is a cliché statement made by all aspiring leaders, Kamal states this as his core theme of his campaign as opposed to as the typical one liner at the beginning or end of a speech. He constantly reminds the people that they are in charge, and because they are and have been for the past years, he posits the blame of current corruption on the people themselves (Madurai speech). He explains that they are the ones who let corrupted politicians get away with actions that politicians in the West would never have gotten away with (arguably when concerning internal affairs) for two main reasons: 1) standing idle without demand; and 2) for selling their votes to money, TV, microwave etc that was bribed to them prior to the elections. If you had not known already, then you now will know that Kamal’s party also has a women’s wing. Kamal is not leaving any sector of the Tamil Nadu demographic out of the picture. The women’s wing of MAIAM organised on the 8th March a Women’s Day public gathering to mark International Women’s Day. On this day, the party had handed the mic over to remarkable women who all came from different backgrounds and professions to celebrate their achievements. More meetings had opened up for registration targeted specifically for women in and around the capital of Tamil Nadu. He is including everyone in the picture. To take responsibility of the past corruption and to set the future of TN politics rights.
This theme of correcting the past generation’s mistakes is what resonates with the youth of Tamil Nadu – or at least with the youth who are not hung over with cinema façade and can comprehend modern politics. His momentum of introducing modern democratic politics introduces key themes to the masses that they otherwise may not have thought to have been equally important as state success: accountability, regulation, and transparency. This is why his statement to the youths that they must be actively involved with politics is crucial. They need to be exposed to this train of modern political thought that Kamal is trying to implement in Tamil Nadu – and precisely why Rajini’s advice to the Tamil Nadu youth to not fully immerse themselves in politics is dangerous. While English is very important as a tool to trade with the rest of the world, it alone is insufficient to be globally competitive if the State itself is still hinging on an out-dated and corrupted political base.
Kamal is a rationalist as well as a secularist; that is his diction. They go hand in hand for someone who is not only wanting to lead a state but completely overhaul its political systems – something that Tamil Nadu needed a VERY long time ago. This is new for Tamil Nadu. Experiencing a potential leader who does not follow any religion and openly declares this. Yet, Kamal is careful to not sound or seem unrelatable. He still supports the right to religion unlike most atheistic leaders whose aims are to completely alienate religion from politics and state matters. On Twitter, Kamal released his opinions on the current government’s budget for 2018-19 where he has commented, amongst other matters, on the lack of funding:
Rajini is doing what he knows he does best; keeping up with his on-screen mannerisms when he gives out speeches. He is aware that that is what entices the audience (emphasis on who he perceives as audience, not voters). At 16 minutes and 21 seconds during his speech on the day of MGR Statue opening ceremony, he states that he is their leader – a stark contrast to Kamal. Again, as has been for years within the political arena, the people of Tamil Nadu are being taught to look up to one individual and put all their trust in. This is Rajini’s diction: cinematic dialogues.
He states that he is entering politics because those who are currently in are not fulfilling their responsibilities. Therefore, he is wanting to work with the existing political system that is in place in Tamil Nadu and reach the best optimal point that delivers a fruitful governance; that is his setting. Albeit, it is quite unclear what exactly he means when he states responsibilities. What responsibilities is he truly intending to pinpoint? Kamal clearly identifies the responsibilities that is taken from the Social Contract Theory. In order for the people to (with full knowledge) agree with this statement of responsibilities not being fulfilled, Rajini needs to expose the responsibilities that he thinks is failing. Without this explicit detailed information we cannot deduce what a fruitful governance under his governance would be like. Because at the moment, the responsibilities that are not being fulfilled are subjective to his opinions and these subjective opinions may very well be to serve his (and his industry/clique’s) interests as opposed to the wider societal interests. What is even more absurd is that the masses that do support him are not themselves clear on what failing responsibilities that Rajini is criticising so again, we have the masses being re-conditioned to not think for themselves but rather place their blind trust in one individual. A blind trust cannot criticise or regulate. A blind trust cannot differentiate between lawfulness and unlawfulness. A blind trust cannot demand accountability. A blind trust cannot seek for transparency. This blindness is further intensified if the upcoming generation is told to not fully immerse themselves in politics. In stark contrast to Kamal, Rajini made one statement clear for the youth. On the day of the MGR statue opening ceremony, Rajini urged the youth to not fully delve into politics and focus completely on studies as well as ‘English’. He instructed the youth to learn English and speak in English with their friends wherever they can for this language is the language of the World, and in order to prosper in life you need to be able to have the skill to communicate with all corners of the World. Rajini focuses on economical prosperity of the youth whereby opportunities are sought not internally within Tamil Nadu but externally from foreign countries – especially the West. For temporary gain, this will work. Yet, for long-term improvement this will only induce a repetition of corruption again and again without a change in the thinking of the Tamil Nadu society.
There have been numerous times where in moments of urgent declarations, Rajini has omitted to comment. While he may have done a good deed behind cameras, that is not a characteristic of a governor rather a good Samaritan. The characteristic of a governor is not to state a declaration and let that ought to be the opinions of the wider society, rather to cement an open and moralistic path for the wider society to then formulate their own conclusions that they are aware must benefit the wider good.
Conclusion
Only if you evaluate an aspiring politician’s setting and diction can you properly evaluate their aims. If Kamal successfully even begins to implement his setting then his aims can provide to be a fruitful governance. For example, job opportunities can become not only rich in quantity but also in quality which provides stability, security and growth. With Rajini’s setting job opportunities will be threatened by the existing political parameters and therefore exposed to corruption (corruption of the businesses or the influence of political interests in job creation). However, this is very hard to assess at the time being because neither party has managed to release a manifesto. So I will leave this as a Part I with Part II to be continued.
Quantum. 