Performance appraisal of our representatives

A week or so ago I read a news item about Nilekani campaigning in Bangalore and raising issues of congested roads, poor garbage disposal facilities and pollution etcetera in Bangalore.  The newspaper rightly wondered whether Nilekani was contesting the Municipal Corporation election or the Loksabha election.  And I had seen candidates in the last L(ucknow)MC elections talking about how their party alone could help the country out of the current mess.  This shows that our politicians are not really serious about the deliverables part of their job and they think that there is just a single deliverable, namely, glib talk!  And voters fall for it because all elections look so much alike that they tend to forget the difference.

I suggest that for each election a list of deliverables as mandated by our constitution be provided to each candidate and party and their promises sought against each.  Naturally the list will be different for local bodies, state assemblies and the parliament.  This will standardize manifesto format and make comparison easy.  It will also eliminate any opportunity to talk on extraneous subjects.

In fact the format, essentially a list of KPAs (Key Performance Areas), can also be used for performance appraisal before the next elections.  Though, some additional information may be needed too, for example:

• Attendance record in the legislative body,
• Number of minutes contributed to a civilized debate in the legislative body,
• Total number of instances of rowdy behavior,
• Total number of times the legislator moved into the well of the house,
• Damage caused to furniture and fittings in the legislative assembly,
• Total cost to local area / state / country that should include not only salary and allowances but also all entitlements, cost of travel and reimbursements of all kinds.
• A case flow statement showing number of court cases at the start of term, cases added and closed during the term, and the closing balance.

The list is illustrative only and can grow as parameters are added by the electorate.  The legislative body must maintain a detailed record on all of these parameters for all its members and make the same available to the electorate well within time before next elections.

You agree, don't you?