Constituency development, problem-solving, shaping public policy, acting as a feedback mechanism... these are among some tasks that we expect of our politician
Nothing is more upsetting than to see a festive greeting message wishing the anonymous voter all the best for this or that festival. Maybe this is superfluous, meaningless or just very hypocritical. When our political class hardly works for us throughout the year, why do they need to think of the voter when some festival nears?
Some nagging doubt says that such greetings are a waste of time too. You don't have to wait for a special occasion to wish someone. Secondly, if you really mean to wish anyone specially, don't scatter around a bullet-spray of greetings to nameless and faceless persons, to all and sundry. It means little; who are we fooling?
Now that the Epiphany (Jan 6) is over, and the festival which marks the coming of the Magi is done with, as are our celebrations, we should take up this issue for closer consideration. Without hurting anybody's sentiments (except those of the politicians involved, maybe).
First and foremost, the job of our elected politician -- and the waiting-in-the-wings defeated politician too -- is not to wish the voter for Christmas, Ganesh, or whatever festival.
We have so many expectations from our legislators. Wishing us for festivals is definitely not one of them. Goan voters, in any case, are educated and literate enough to understand that this is not what is wanted of their elected politician. Or are we?
For our State too, the legislator is elected to undertake his (seldom her) legislative responsibilities. Drafting, debating and enacting laws are some of these. Then too, there is participating in crucial committees which examine bills, shape polices and are supposed to look at budgets in detail.
Next, we expect our political class to serve by representing the voter, fairly and squarely. To raise their constituents issues, and highlight their pain points. To take care of their constituency's interests, concerns and aspirations.
Advocacy is also on the politician's agenda, or it should be. Our legislators are expected to raise questions, move motions, participate in debates, to advocate useful polices and support reforms that benefit their constituents. And also to align themselves with public interest.
They have tasks of oversight and accountability, as we learn in high school Civics. Monitoring the executive is the legislator's job. Our elected politician has to hold the executive branch accountable, and not give certificates when one at the helm of them is caught in some grievous wrongdoing or conflict-of-interest.
Constituency development, problem-solving, shaping public policy, acting as a feedback mechanism... these are among the other tasks that we expect of our politician. Legislators are expected to uphold democratic values, ethics and integrity. They are meant to promote public engagement -- by encouraging public meetings, consultations and using the social media to themselves stay connected and responsive.
Wishing voters for their festivals figures nowhere among their tasks, as seen above. And yet, this has caught on in a big way in today's Goa. Why? What does it accomplish?
The short answer is that it can fool a few, who forget all that our legislators have not done for us for so long, by making them believe that they (the politicians) are somehow on "our side". Whatever that means....
Even politicians aspiring for tickets make their presence felt by wishing voters for their festivals. Yet, we know how irresponsible, if not hostile, the political class has been to the interests of the average voter.
Today, starting from the legislators, the 'wishing trend' has slipped downwards the panchayat-level politicians. What a waste. In the meanwhile, their real duties get overlooked and undone.
Which only reminds us about the price one has to pay for allowing the political camel into the citizen's tent. These all may seem unrelated, but take a closer look.
Not too long ago , since 2009, the Goa Government stepped in to set up the Tiatr Academy of Goa. This was because officialdom, we were told, was "desirous of bringing about speedy development of Tiatr culture, fostering and co-ordinating the activities of Tiatr, promoting the cultural unity in Goa as a whole through the Konkani language and literature more particularly Konkani Literature in [the] Roman script".
Today, the TAG packages itself as "A Government of Goa Undertaking". And indeed it is.
For one, appointments are often made, and controlled, by the Government. Recently, the Goa Government named a BJP-aligned politician to head the TAG. There were far more qualified and experience-in-the-field folk who could have held that post. But, to make things worse, in no time, the politician in question started to raise the issue of censoring tiatrs...
But this doesn't stop here. There's more to it.
Almost everyone commented positively about the recently concluded Exposition, and mentioned how smoothly things were conducted. The queues were orderly, facilities were in place, and even drinking water was kept at well-thought of points, to take care of the needs of the estimated eight million who filed past the remains of the sixteenth century Basque missionary.
All that is fine and true.
Yet, on the other hand, the government managed to get on a show of ammunition into the pulpits. To create needless strife, where none should exist, can be seen as a cheap political pot-shot. Let us not forget one recent Exposition also had sandbags on site greeting pilgrims, as if they were entering a conflict zone. Who's fancy ideas are these?
Likewise, the other price to be paid for letting the government enter this field was the free publicity that politicians sought, and gained for themselves, right at the entrance of the Exposition itself. This, again, in bad taste.
Voters, and Trojans, need to be extra cautious about 'gift' horses, it seems.
