Sunday, October 04, 2009

Does India have a Liberal Vision?

There is no evidence that any of the major political parties in India see themselves as liberal in any sense that we might recognise. However, there are signs emerging that liberalism is becoming more relevant in terms of the political debate.

In that vein, a breakfast meeting was held with the Director of the Liberty Institute, Barun Mitra, to see if there was potential for future collaboration. I admit that he came across as more of an academic than a politician, but there is no doubt that their agenda is well within the ballpark of modern liberalism.

I was more interested in one of their core projects, Empowering India, which aims to improve access to information about the democratic process in India. Given the size and scale of Indian democracy, it is a vast task to keep the website up to date, and I am particularly impressed by their effort.

This is an organisation which might benefit from further contact, and whilst it has already has a list of partners that reflects well upon it, if anyone feels that they might be able to offer a good fit, they should get in touch.

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