The New World Order of Islam — Page 10
New World Order 10 2 It was towards the close of the eighteenth century that reaction against this state of affairs began to take an organized form. The movement that was then started has been given the name of Democracy. It was recognized that the remedy lay not in the hands of individuals but in the hands of the State. As I have said an individual residing in Lahore or Delhi can hardly be expected to know that a poor woman’s child is dying of starvation in a lone hut in the Himalayas. Nor would people in towns be generally aware of the conditions prevalent in the rural areas. But the State could be expected to possess, or should at least have the means of acquiring all this information. It was, therefore, thought that it was the duty of the State to undertake measures of relief and reform. As a corollary, it was urged that others besides the rulers, nobles and ministers should have a voice in the direction of a country’s affairs, so that policies may be settled by the centre on the basis of the fullest information and knowledge. The first urge under Democracy was, therefore, to secure representation for different classes and interests, so that those in authority could be kept informed of conditions in different parts of the country and could have available