This Party's main objective consists in establishing the kind of democracy that is' conducive to the material as well as mental well-being of the Sikkimese people. Mentally the Sikkimese are not yet ready to grasp the true meaning and implicatiors of democracy because they lived too long serving their feudal masters under a dispensation that was alien to the ways of democracy. Hence the Sikkimese need to be trained and prepared mentally to make them accept and appreciate the fruits of democracy.

There are some wise guys who opine that this tiny State of Sikkim has had democratic form of government since 1947 and that they are now wondering as to what kind of democracy the S.D.F. Party is now talking about introducing in Sikkim ?

Instances such as above only indicate the extent of our ignorance and backwardness which most of the Sikkimese are plagued with despite the fact Sikkim has been in the mainstream of the country since. 1975. The reasons are simple. Ours is a vast country where the majority of the population are as backward and illiterate as most Sikkimese are. For instance, let us take States like Kerala, Pondichery and West Bengal that can boast of high percentage of literacy in the urban areas, whereas illiteracy abounds in the rural areas of these same States which is almost at par with our own. This democracy is mindlessly abused by a handful of smart alecs where the majority populace are awash in the mire of illiteracy and backwardness. Sikkim is no exception where the percentage of illiteracy is very high. Sikkim is among the many backward States in the country which became merged in the mainstream at a much later date - 28 years to be exact-while the country had become independent in 1947. It is now almost 22 years since the erstwhile feudal state became part of India. Even if the feudal rule had become defunct with the ushering in of democracy in the State, the trauma of subjugation remained anchored to the Sikkimese psyche to haunt them without respite. The fear of the big and mighty remained doggedly ingrained in the Sikkimese psyche which could not be shaken off by the freedom that came with democracy. The Sikkimese did not know what political consciousness was because it is a gift that comes with democracy and which cannot be acquired overnight. It takes years of seasoning under democratic conditions of give and take which remained denied to the Sikkimese people for too long. Moulded as we are in the ways of autocratic dispensation and subjugated for generations, we Sikkimese are, at best, greenhorns in matters of varied political ideologies the country is endowed with and their application vis-à-vis the manifold aspirations of the Indian people who are directly influenced by those ideologies.

"Work we must to earn our bread, why bother your head with politics", happens to be the guiding philosophy that drives most Sikkimese away from everything that has to do with politics. It is an established fact which we Sikkimese are not aware of that a sound and correct politics alone can lead the Sikkimese out of the mire of backwardness towards a better and brighter future. Again, we are also ignorant about the fact that unless and until the people are politically conscious, they cannot be expected to become responsible citizens willing to shoulder responsibilities for the development and overall progress of the society they live in. This is one calling the Sikkimese are quite incapable of responding to because they sadly lack what it takes to appreciate the true meaning of responsibility. It is the level of political consciousness in a given society that makes or mars the progress of that society - a simple fact we Sikkimese are unaware of and because of which we are what we are, a mass of suffering people who are often at the receiving end. It is this weakness in us that is at the root of our present predicament which the Perished government in power has taken full advantage of. Taking full advantage of our naivety, democracy in the present dispensation has been consigned to the dustbin and all basic fundamental rights of the people thrown to the wind. All political Parties along with their rightful activities have been banned while strictures of all descriptions have been imposed on nonpolitical bodies to render them totally defunct. Associations in all categories - Teacher's, businessmen's', contractors' even employees' and other social bodies - have been outlawed as if to show that the Perished government is allergic to all such organizations that tend to draw groups of people into their folds.

If, in view of the above, one were to say that Sikkim has been enjoying democratic rule since 1947 would become tantamount to providing full-fledged support to the despotic regime of Bhandari's that has so far transgressed every norm and tenet of democratic rule in the State. According to the constitution formulated under the chairmanship of Dr. Ambedkar, India has been declared a secular State where every citizen is at liberty to pursue his own faith and religion without any let or hindrance. In spite of which the country today's is riddled- with violence and dissensions because some ambitious leaders are playing with issues that ranges one community against another on religious ground to gain political mileage. What has been going on lately in practice is an anti-thesis of secular democracy. The question that now arises is: has this country gone secular all the way until now just because the constitution, when formulated in 1949, made it necessary to be so ??!

The same thing has happened to democracy in Sikkim. It is there in name-sake only. For a handful of people, however, there is absolute freedom to do anything they are pleased to do. The leaders of the Parishad government and their henchmen are endowed with the kind of freedom that enables them to do what they like with the funds that are meant for public use and benefit and they enjoy this illegal freedom to the hilt without any compunction. But for the people of Sikkim at large, democracy has become a mirage that appears to be there but in reality it is not there. State terrorism is rampantly active everywhere against which nobody dares to raise a voice of dissent. Because the government in harness is ever ready to mobilize all available arms of the machinery to repress the dissenting voice for good. Apart from the Commando force the Sangram regime has at its disposal, the police and the administrative arms of the government are also pressed into service to trample down all oppositions that may be building up. Any dissenting gesture from the employees in the government are treated with contempt. They are victimized for their stand against the government. Transfer to un-heard of places is part of the exercise while termination of service without apparent cause is common in extreme cases. Any adverse comment against the government by some one in public with relatives working in the government will invite unspeakable wrath on his relatives who will be victimized as part of the penalty for offence committed by that man in public. Such state of affairs that runs deep and rampant in the Parished government can never be termed as being democratic; rather it is pure oligarchy. It becomes our prime duty, therefore, to get rid of a fascist regime such as this to establish a people-oriented democratic set-up in its place in the State.

Not one single organisation had been granted recognition by the Parishad government prior to the advent of Sikkim Democratic Front on State political scene. The public in general had no other choice but to remain as mute observer to all such antics of the Parishad government for fear ~. reprisal and persecution. But no sooner has the S.D.F. Pa become actively involved in its political activities in the State than all such organisations hitherto consigned to remain unde deep freeze are now being recognized one after another i quick succession. The teacher's Association hithert consigned to the dustbin as a dead letter has now become alive and active to serve the purpose assigned to it. It i gratifying to note that people engaged in various occupation and pursuits are gradually coming forward in concerted drive to represent their grievances for consideration and redressa People in general have begun to come forward with health and constructive criticism which the ruling government invites by its performance that may be either good and commendable .or apparently bad that invites instant reproach. Thus· becomes apparent that it is through active and conscious participation of the people in the day to day affairs of the State that true democracy become~ the harbinger of good tiding capable of doing immense good. But the major task remain yet to be accomplished that consists in completely destroy the last vestige of one-man rule that still persists. The race wave of democracy overtaking the State augurs well for th Sikkimese people, the healthy symptoms of which shall nurtured with care and attention to ensure that democra as an institution is here to stay in Sikkim for good.

Political freedom, an all-round prosperity for th Sikkimese people and equal opportunity in every sphere activity for the participating Sikkimese are some of the basic goals that constitute this Party's agenda in its unstoppable drive to form the next government in Sikkim. For this to happen'" the Party constitution has been fine-tuned to ensure that 0 basic goal remain the parameters of socialism a democracy that will go hand in hand. Since socialism a democracy being the Party's guiding principle, all party activities dedicated to the cause of the people win henceforth be determined by this principle. We have successfully rocked the boat with full support coming from the people. The despotic regime has been shaken to its foundation. But the urgent task to root out the evil regime from its mooring yet remains to be accomplished and which we shall do with the help of the following programmes :-