What if opposing views are equally moral?

"The benefits of winning an election have become so large that political parties will stoop to new lows to clinch a victory. And, as with corporations, they can do so with the help of data on electoral preferences and behaviour, and with new strategies to target key constituencies," wrote Prof K Basu. "If a 'bad' party is willing to foment hate and racism to bolster its chances of winning, what is a 'good' party to do? If it sticks to its principles, it could end up ceding victory to the 'bad' party, which will do even more harm once it is in office. A 'good' party may thus try to forestall that outcome by taking a step down the moral ladder, precipitating a race to the bottom." "Our brains need to create a shared sense of self, 'an imagined community', as the political scientist Benjamin Anderson put it, on whose behalf collective decisions are made," wrote Prof R Hausmann. "It is the role of politics to create, sustain and reshape this shared sense of self, of us (and hence of them)." Thus, "Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro cannot stop inflation, because the narrative of economic welfare in which he is trapped prevents him from justifying the decisions needed to stabilize prices." "Policies must fit within the prevailing narrative framework, while the great task of politics is to shape the narrative of tomorrow." Trouble is those who benefit from the present narrative will resist change, with violence if necessary. Those who benefit from the policy of reservation in higher education and government jobs in India will resist any change, even if it is blatantly unfair to other disadvantaged sections of society. For decades Congress governments in Assam allowed unhindered migration of Muslims from Bangladesh into Assam, turning many districts into Muslim areas. The present government has updated the National Register of Citizens in Assam, which the Congress avoided doing since 1950, which has created enormous anger. This is denounced as 'nationalism' by those who see nothing wrong in India being taken over by illegal immigrants. To want to protect our nation is denounced as nationalism in India, while Senator John McCain, who died yesterday, is celebrated as a patriot. It is no wonder that the US is the strongest nation in the world, while India is weak. Perhaps, Prof Basu is wrong to blame present politicians for "such lows during peacetime". Today's policies are a direct result of policies of previous governments. Thus, Prime Minister Modi has to distribute more handouts if he is to standout for the vast millions who feel they are entitled to social schemes. Prof Basu advises citizens to vote "in their self-interest within the restraints of a moral code", but his morality may be opposite to one who has become a minority in his own home state. Secularism will collide with patriotism. Both are moral.