Disclaimer: I am only just starting to follow politics and in many ways, I am only a political novice. In my defense I have made some serious and meaningful points. The thoughts expressed in this post are a response to an email circulated claiming that the Cogress Government in Andhra Pradesh and particularly the Chief Minister Dr. Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy was involved in corruption to the tune of 7000 crores. The thoughts expressed here are entirely my own. A meaningful discussion is welcome.
I have been meaning to write about this for a long time but things at work have kept me from it. So here it goes –
A nation goes to polls, a democracy will be at test and a government will be elected when a billion people decide. Watch out people for the Elections – 2009. An ideal opening statement for an “India Shinning” speech, but alas! The truth is far from it. A nation goes to polls, but who will it elect? A democracy is at test, but don’t we already know the result? A government will be elected, but will it be better than the one in place now? Questions like these, I believe throw open a zillion other questions. Such is the uncertainty of the Indian electoral process that we may never find tangible answers to the questions I put forward earlier in this paragraph. Is there something we can do? Is there something we should do??
Politics in India is not a profession, it is like everything else in this country, a religion by itself. We have a few honest politicos but most we know are criminals, corrupt big shots who buy their way into and out of everything and people who will say and do anything to stay in power for another 5 years. These characteristics are not just found in a single politician or a party for that matter, these are the characteristics of an entire System. These are the characteristics of a system that has been allowed to rot and deteriorate, the qualities of a system that has been deprived of the best minds of the nation because each is absorbed in furthering their own selfish interests and in the mindless and blind pursuit of money. The characteristics of such a system will more often than not pass on to its constituents no matter how small or big they may be.
Indians, I believe are very judgmental and the Indian of today craves for sensationalism. The illustration for which you might have seen in the media or for that matter in our daily lives. Let me try and explain. “Corruption to tune of 700 Crore in the Congress government in AP” – Bang!! Debates are triggered, sms’s sent and emails flood your inbox discussing the ways in which this un heard of act was conceived and executed. “Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitely have a fight over party affairs” – It is breaking news!! This craving for sensationalism has allowed potentially insignificant news to seep through into the media and has left behind real burning issues and debatable topics. This insignificant news termed as breaking news and telecast live on our television sets more often than not influences our decision making when we go to vote.
Why do we have to discuss corruption in a political party or a rift in a party that should have no weight? Why can’t we discuss the political ideologies and philosophies of our leaders to be? Why can’t debate the issues that are of prime importance? Why is that a party spokesperson can at best, come with a “Party B has led our country to economic turmoil” in reply to a question of Party A’s economic policy when it comes to power? Why does the election have to be decided on how much reservation is allocated to a BC/SC/ST or which State is formed where? Why can’t we debate our internal security situation and find tangible solutions? Why don’t we read party manifestos and election manifestos which describe in great detail the policies to be implemented when a party comes to power?
It is important now, more than ever, to stand up and be counted. It is time to cast our vote. It is high time the Indian people awaken and use their power to elect their government. All this sweet talk sounds good on television and often the ways and means to achieve it is ignored.
Let us not make a decision on who we give our precious vote to on the basis of news we hear(that often has no credibility) in the different forms of media. Let us not vote for a person because he or she is contesting on the ticket of a party that we favor. Let us start doing things we haven’t done in the last 5 decades. Let us go back to our drawing boards, research, and verify the credentials, the work and the backgrounds of each of the contestants from our respective constituencies and let us vote for a person who we feel has the will and the zeal to work towards the betterment of the Indian society.
The purpose of this entire post is only to encourage people to play a more meaningful role in the electoral process. It is to encourage people to vote for and elect deserving candidates to public offices irrespective of their party affiliations, caste or creed. It is also to discourage people from spreading news that has no credibility, that cannot be proved and that has the potential to mislead other people.
This piece is also to illustrate that Corruption, lack of transparency and inability of the governments to act effectively are attributes of the “Political System” and not a single party. Let us work towards understanding this problem and slowly try to get rid of it.
Come April, let us make an informed, responsible and sensible decision. Let us give some meaning to the phrase – “The World’s Largest Democracy”.
11 comments:
Hey the best ever 'breaking news' story was the one about rakhi sawant slapping her boyfriend on Valentine's day!
Nice post. Well put. Good luck trying to find a party or a person deserving of your vote :P
Thanks Keshav!!
Rakhi Sawant did that?? And I missed it?? :(..
I should start watching some of those hindi news channels..
finally you come up with a post!!!
Interesting...
Personally, I am not a supporter of Congress at all... actually, I am pretty confused coz I dont support any of the parties, but if I had to chose I would rather go with BJP. At least I appreciate some of the leaders in BJP...
anyways.... BTW do u vote??? I got my voting card only last year, and have voted only once till now... so I dont think I have the right to comment
Keep it up... nice one
My point exactly.. We make our decision to vote based on the Party leadership at the centre. but hardly ever discuss and analyse what the local MLAs and MPs are doing at the constituency level... Think before you vote.. Look for people who are capable of doing something and who have done something in the past..
Besides there are a lot of citizen movements in Mumbai.. so watch out for them.. Read party manifestos..
Voting is not an easy job.. Its not as simple as it sounds..
Like I said in the post.. Make a responsible decision..
This will be my first vote.. Provided the authorities here dish out my voter card properly and on time...
Fingers Crossed..
Anyways.. Good Luck with your vote...
Don't vote on the basis of what you hear and see in the media..
And because you are probabaly voting from Mumbai, don't cast your vote with 26/11 in mind.. Know that any other party also would have taken the same steps in exactly the same manner..
Somehow, the hysterical propaganda that reeks in the air before elections is just beginning to get to me. Don't get me wrong or anything, I am all for change and a better society and all of that. However, I don't think elections/voting are the solutions to this. If voting changed anything at all, it would have been abolished.
You know what Chomsky said, "Unfortunately, you can't vote the rascals out, because you never voted them in, in the first place"
Because, I (and the ~1million people who think like me) will be shamelessly outnumbered by the 600million others who don't think the way I do. These are mango men (aam aadmi) that parties are out to woo. Those who have not tasted the progress that this country has made in its pocket sized metropolises.
Parties that I see, are either communally motivated, or are driven by dynasties. I would choose the lesser evil of course. But my informed choice does not go far in changing things. It will take more than governments, voting and elections for the utopias being advertised in political manifestos to become a reality. Also, I am losing faith that this change will come in the form of a political figure however.
I agree with you completely!! Voting does not solve anything.. Responsible voting, choosing the right people is only the first step.. You will have to follow it up with a lot more.. To name a few follow the legislations passed within your constituency, excersising your right to information and things like that...
Forget about the 600 million "mango men". As the 1 million who have enjoyed the fruits of development and as the 1 million who do feel the need for change, why can't we go out and get it.. Doesn't matter if it is only one constituency or municipality for for that matter a single block.. Atleast we would have started..
A change of this magnitude will take decades to bear fruit.. But it has to start some where..
@ TSP.. Are you prasanna from school??
How did I end up the way I am when I have been surrounded by you intellectuals ever since school???
Anyhoo, my take on the matter. We should have an reverse-vote policy. Lets call it a veto(yes, I totally made that up. right now. just interchange e and o. you see?)
The idea being you give everyone a chance to run the country, and every year you veto them(vote them out). And so, in a billion years, not counting billion generations, we'd have found the perfect rulers! yay!
Bring back Dictators I say. Down with bloody Democracy! It's screwed us enough!
Keshav will be really miffed for commenting on your post and not his posts =)
Kanth- Its heartening to see the activist in is back after a hiatus (I may be wrong on this).
My voter card is here and this will be my first vote too. We all know that most of the credentials of the current politicians are doubtful. The onus lies on us to learn about them. And, kanth, the national leaders are very important. If party has a strong leader, it'll reflect at the grassroots too. Without taking names, if the leader is a certain Mr.B, the party workers will don saffron and scandalize people on Valentine's day or for holding hands in public.
TSP and the other 1 million people- i'm grateful that I'm in a democracy and not in a country ruled by a despot or some people with misplaced ideals who throw acid on school going girls.
With all due respect to democracy, I suggest you vote. Atleast keep in mind the resources being spent during recession
I can only thank 26/11 for raising sensitivities and this sudden urge to use the power of vote to flush all the dirt down the toilet while all this while the termites of poverty, casteist and appeasment politics, sexual abuse, rampant criminalisation, corruption were slowly eating through the foundations of society.
If you feel content with glossy television sets and flashy tabloid headlines usually digested along with food and fool yourself into believing that these are the burning issues which demand my precious vote, alas, you couldn't be more wrong.
Keshav, technically there is a way to veto the govt. in power. It's called the Vote of Confidence. But that's the vote taken by 'our' representatives, not us.
Srikanth, yes, this is me.
Shudu, there are countries that are ruled despots where people are more well behaved. The reason we see these culture clashes and fundamentalist violence is because in our country religion and politics are tightly knit together. And because some people think they can dictate what 'culture' is and should be.
Recession is a meaningless thing to most people. Less than half of that even understand it. I think economic sense is completely missing from even educated people. That's the reason why my Dad still haggles at 1950s prices.
I think you misdirected some aggression at me. I'm grateful that we have democracy, because with democracy there is hope. If we were in a socialist state, we would not be allowed to discuss so much politics openly without one of us being shot.
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