Events & Issues
New Delhi, 1 April 2014
Collective
Democracy Not Individual
VITAL TO
CHANGE POLL SYSTEM
By Chanchal
Chauhan
The whole nation is witnessing the
game of money power, defections, threats and counter-threats in the run-up to
the elections. Add to this, candidates
of big Parties do not care a fig for guidelines issued by the Election
Commission on election expenditure. For instance, these Parties are paying
heavy tariffs for advertisements in the electronic media, print and social
networking sites. Who will count the monies being spent on these costly
advertisements?
Besides, there are innumerable other
expenditure payments which the Election Commission would find it hard to
calculate. Such as money paid to crowds brought to the rallies by various
important contenders. Notwithstanding, the limit for the Lok Sabha elections has
been raised from
Rs. 40 lakh to Rs. 70 lakh for each constituency in bigger States and from Rs.
22 lakh to Rs. 54 lakh in smaller States recently.
However, a cursory glance at the
expenditure statements declared by Members of Parliament for the Lok Sabha elections
in 2009 shows that on an average an MP spent only Rs.14.62 lakhs i.e. 59% of
the Rs 40 lakh expense limit allowed. Arguably, even a layman can see through that
there is a blatant falsehood in their stated expenditure documents which include
details of expenses on public meetings and processions, campaigning through the
electronic and print media, payments to campaign workers, costs of vehicles
used and expenses on campaign materials.
Everyone knows about the huge amount
of black money spent in elections. Recall, BJP MP Gopinath Munde’s assertion that
an election costs more than Rs.8 crores. Undeniably, this is the real picture
of expenditure involved in the Lok Sabha elections.
Besides, candidates are given
tickets by Parties mostly on the basis of their money power and assets.
Resulting in the whole atmosphere being vitiated by individualism, ego and
individual pride wherein, issues of social welfare and social service evaporate
with a personality cult becoming the focal point of poll. This is given
priority in the media too.
Sadly, the whole election process
seems to be an affair of some individuals with the collective becomes
redundant. Clearly, making a mockery of our democracy as a democratic system
should be run by the collective will and not by an individual.
Pertinently, the Constitution begins
with a Preamble with states: ‘We the people of India hereby solemnly resolve to
constitute India into a Sovereign, Socialist,
Secular and Democratic Republic to secure all its citizens with Justice: social,
economic and political; Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and
worship; Equality of status and of opportunity.
Undeniably, ‘We’ should be more
important than ‘I’ but unfortunately, the Indian Republic
has become captive of the personality cult as has happened in many backward
countries and is still continuing in some countries. This weakness or flaw in
Indian democracy has damaged its social fabric and now it is creating havoc
with the violation of all norms of decency and civilised behaviour.
Notably, the election campaigns are
nothing but are all about mud-slinging on rivals and foul language being used
freely against opponents. One leader, declared as the Prime Ministerial
candidate by his Party which goes against the tenets of India’s democracy
and even against the spirit of the Constitution has been deified and is facing
protests from a religious community for crowing himself as a super-God over and
above Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga.
Showcasing how an individual cult stoops
low whereby even Indian culture is trampled upon by such elements and by those
who swear day-in-and-day-out by upholding this very culture.
Thus, it is high time that ‘we, the people
of India’
should think of electoral reforms and debate and discuss the radical changes in
the electoral process. Long back, one suggestion about electoral reforms was
made by some intellectuals. But it was not given any serious thought by the
powers-that-be. Perhaps, Anna Hazare might be inclined to take up this agenda
after his campaign against corruption is over.
Importantly, the present electoral
system must be replaced by a system based on “proportional representation”. Also,
every voter should give his preference to a ‘Party’ that is the honourable
collective in any democracy. Any individual or ‘Independent’ who wishes to
service the nation should first form an ‘association of people’ that is a
‘Party’ which must prove its credentials
by fighting elections as a ‘Party’, but not as an ‘Individual’ or
‘Independent’.
This will create a new consciousness
of honouring the collective will rather than an individual per se. Even a voter
residing in some remote area where the Party of his own choice hardly has any
base can exercise his right to vote in favour of that Party and his vote would
be counted.
At present there are millions of
voters who do not have a choice and remain indifferent because they do not
support the individuals contesting elections in his or her area. Now they can
‘reject’ all, but that would be unfair on these voters, given that they have their
own Party but do not have the resources to field a candidate in a particular
constituency. This results in them wasting their vote.
Suppose, there is a supporter of a
Party, namely the RPI but there is no candidate of the RPI in any constituency
in Delhi, consequently,
the voters and supporters of the RPI have no choice of their own liking. But
the new system would provide this choice wherein each and every supporter of a
political formation anywhere in India
would surely participate in the electoral process. And when the entire nation exercises
the right to elect, the proportionate number of representatives of each Party would
be sent to the Lok Sabha.
The new system will automatically
promote the value of the collective. The Parties would have to take up social
and political issues in their election campaigns and no individual would be
declared to be the Prime Ministerial candidate because the candidates would be
nominated only after the whole electoral process is over and every Party is
given the number of seats won according to the percentage of votes secured by
that Party.
In sum, the Parties should also be
given the right to recall a candidate in case of any indiscipline or violation
of any Parliamentary norm or on the basis of any pressure for recall of that candidate
from the people. The problem is: Who will bell the cat? Some Anna Hazare,
perhaps! ----- INFA
(Copyright, India
News and Feature Alliance)
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