What
is political dissent?
Political dissent refers to any expression which conveys
dissatisfaction with, or opposition to, the
policies of a body of government. This expression may take the form
of violence or nonviolence - including vocal disagreement, civil
disobedience, demonstration, lobbying, and the use of violence.
Historically, repressive governments tend to punish political
dissent. Therefore, peaceful dissent is a mark of an open society
where freedoms are protected.
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely
without censorship or limitation. Freedom of
assembly, or freedom of association, is the individual
right to come together with others and collectively express,
promote, pursue and defend common interests.
Famous
political dissenters
Mohandas
Gandhi
Mohandas Gandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of
India. He developed satyagraha, a philosophy and
practice of total non-violenct resistance as a means for change.
This method was also used by Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil
rights movement. Gandhi first employed non-violent civil
disobedience in South Africa as an expatriate lawyer, in the
resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. He also used
this method in India to lead nationwide campaigns for poverty,
women's rights, religious and ethnic tolerance, ending
'untouchability', increasing economic self-reliance, and achieving
Swaraj - the independence of India from foreign
domination.
Although Mahatama Gandhi was in no way the originator of the
principle of non-violence, he was one of the first to apply it in
the political field on a huge scale. The concept of nonviolence
(ahimsa) and nonresistance has a long history in
Indian religious thought, as well as in many Hindu, Buddhist, Jain,
Jewish and Christian contexts.
Nelson
Mandela
Nelson Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the
African National Congress. His approach to anti-apartheid
(apartheid is the segregation of races) was influenced greatly by
Gandhi's method of nonviolence. In 1961, Mandela became the leader
of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we
Sizwe (translated as Spear of the Nation. He co-ordinated
a sabotage campaign against the military and government, and made
plans for a possible guerrilla war if sabotage failed to
end apartheid. Mandela spent 27 years in prison for treason (the
disloyalty of his nation). He explained that the move to armed
violence as a last resort from his previous practice of nonviolent
protest was because of increasing repression and violence from the
state, and would not have been able to succeed.
He later became President of South Africa, the first leader in that
country to be freely elected in fully representative democratic
election. Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Techniques for political dissent
The photograph above was taken on September 15, 2007, where an
anti-war protest was held in Washington, DC. This protest is just
one of many techniques in which one can demonstrate political
dissent. These include:
- Protests, demonstrations, peace march, protest march, rally
- Boycotts, sit-ins, riots, organizing committees, grassroots organizing
- Strike, general strike, street action
- Bumper stickers, flyers, political posters
- Samizdat (means self-publishing in Russian; the copying and distribution of government-suppressed literature or other media)
Images
World Economic Forum
Monika N.
Wikipedia
