Citizens' Charter Of Demands

Only a little more than an year ago there was a surge of hope among Indian electorate that led to reversal of the trend for cobbling together an alliance to gain access to power in the face of a fractured mandate.  Now that the euphoria has worn off, second thoughts are emerging.  There is a faint feeling of desperation at not having any more choices left to try them out.

The electorate has learnt that like branded medicines, the entire political class contains essentially the same molecules and just different labels.  The political parties resort to all kind of con men including babas and mullahs to prescribe their particular brand to the public.

Thus it is gradually becoming obvious to the public that changing their current prescription from one brand to another cannot remedy the situation.  New molecules need to be discovered / invented.  This calls for overhauling the system.

I feel that the following changes in the current system have become imperative.  And as they say, this list is minimal and indicative and not exhaustive.

1. Reduce the cost of electioneering by making use of modern cheap communication technologies compulsory and putting a ban on all rallies.  Set up free dedicated TV and Radio channels to be compulsorily carried by all DTH service providers.  These channels should divide their time between formats and parties equitably.  The formats could be moderated debate among representative parties on specific issues of public interest and speeches by party representatives.  It should also provide means for live interactions with the audiences.
2. The current trend in elections is to put forward the best face for the party.  This is like enticing customers on the basis of the packaging of your medicine (the contents of which remain no different from the others.)  Elections need to be fought on the basis of issues and not faces.  Further, issues must be framed in actionable and measurable terms and not platitudes.  Towards this end, the Election Commission must evolve a format for manifestos that ought to be adhered by all parties and should also publish score card of the incumbent government on all the issues on which performance targets were given by the party.  Voters ought to remember that "if you can't measure it you can't manage it."
3. The current expensive process of voting must be replaced by one where all voters are able to vote through their mobile phone from their home or workplace.  Current reality shows do this and there is no reason why it cannot be done for general elections.  Technology available today can provide more security than that provided by the current manual processes.
4. Except for elections to the Local Self Government where elected representatives are directly responsible for vital services touching day-to-day lives of citizens, there must not be any candidates fighting elections.  Election should be contested by parties on the basis of manifestos and parties should then depute representatives to legislative bodies on the basis of their vote share in the state / country.  Please click here for more details on this proposal.  This will do away with the 'first past the post' system and its glaring shortcomings.
5. If the above proposal is implemented the parties will have a total control in choice of representatives and will not be hampered by their 'capability to win.'  With 'capability to win' out of the electoral process, strong steps can be initiated to stop criminals and unqualified persons from infiltrating the system.  EC may constitute an 'Legislature Service Selection Board' for certification of suitable candidates.  Certification should be done on the basis of their character, integrity and knowledge of politics and economics.  Parties may depute candidates to legislatures only from this pool.
6. Clauses like 'Office of Profit' that restrain government servants and public sector employees from contesting elections (deputation to legislature in our suggested scheme,) should be removed.  Such persons may join the legislature and then return to their job after expiry of the term.
7. None of the a-to-z protection should be given to any elected representatives.  Exceptions may be made for Prime Minister and President only.  If elected representatives indulge in rabble rousing they should be ready to face the consequences.  They must not have any protection that is not available to the public at large.
8. Implement Lokpal for all from santri-to-mantri.  Remove all protections granted to the executive.
9. Implement police reforms.
10. Do away with the bureaucracy as designed by the British.  Redesign the government machinery for efficiency and service rather that lording it over the subjects.  Obviously, the redesign must not be done by the current government servants.  Engage a group of management consultancy firms to suggest the new organizational systems.

All these call for substantial modification of several acts including the Constitution.  Politicians who, naturally, will oppose all of the suggested measures have all the excuses for not doing it.  Excuses may range from lack of 2/3 majority to their sworn-in allegiance to the Constitution as it exists today!

Constitutional fanatics!

Whether or not one holds religion to be good, I am sure we all agree that religious fanaticism of any hue is bad, bad, bad.  It is so because religious fanaticism has little to do with religion.  It uses religion as a tool to advance its hideous agenda and its practitioners violate the very core of the religion that they use and also profess to adhere to.

I find something similar happening in the political arena too.  Those who have defiled the political system and democratic institutions by encouraging muscle and money power in politics and looting the treasury, those who have actively suppressed merit for creating vote banks, those who have divided the electorate along all imaginable lines, and also those who probably cannot properly spell the word constitution, have all come together to defend the constitution!  To their mind creating unruly scenes, walking up to the speaker's table and pointing a finger in his face, and also advising him on how to discharge his duties in a tone befitting a terrorist, are all very valid and constitutional means of defending the holy constitution.

And yet we all know that their hearts bleed not for the constitution but for the fruits of power that the public has had the temerity to deny them.  They all profess to be supporting the Lokpal bill, but they want it to be introduced constitutionally.  This will give them enough time to toss it around till it recedes from public memory.  This is the trick that they have been playing for over sixty years and that they would like to perpetuate.  We have all suffered this farce for too long and it is strange that some people still advocate patience and following all the silly rules invented with the sole purpose of browbeating change seekers.

AAP is a ray of hope and we must not let the old guard fool us into thinking that they are the fanatics that we need to guard against.