Political Cross-Road
As electoral counting unfolds on May 16 next, some old faces and most likely as many new faces would breast-tap the victory margin. One dread to think of white-khadi clad political leaders claiming themselves to be elected whereas, without iota of a doubt, it is known that most of them paid for each vote. Few legislators would end up claiming as “unanimously selected” in cacophonic voices. Both kinds may not be soothing to many ears but who care a hoot once verdict is out and such nonchalant swaggering attitudes would continue till the next election date is announced. This is not to make simple calumnious statement against the political class but it is a reiteration of what these politicians have been doing all these years and therefore, reminding oneself that things will not change much in next 5 years too; more precisely, such antics are institutionalized norms cemented with the support from electoral constituents. Irrespective of sentiments against electoral mal-practices and steering-wheel of morality that we twist-and-turn as per our whims and fancies, let’s give-in, victors would be called elected- by whatever means, they resorted to.
As electoral counting unfolds on May 16 next, some old faces and most likely as many new faces would breast-tap the victory margin. One dread to think of white-khadi clad political leaders claiming themselves to be elected whereas, without iota of a doubt, it is known that most of them paid for each vote. Few legislators would end up claiming as “unanimously selected” in cacophonic voices. Both kinds may not be soothing to many ears but who care a hoot once verdict is out and such nonchalant swaggering attitudes would continue till the next election date is announced. This is not to make simple calumnious statement against the political class but it is a reiteration of what these politicians have been doing all these years and therefore, reminding oneself that things will not change much in next 5 years too; more precisely, such antics are institutionalized norms cemented with the support from electoral constituents. Irrespective of sentiments against electoral mal-practices and steering-wheel of morality that we twist-and-turn as per our whims and fancies, let’s give-in, victors would be called elected- by whatever means, they resorted to.
Having witnessed several elections, including the last two elections from very close-quarter, one don’t see any legitimacy in electorates’ demand for accountability. Electorates who literally auctioned themselves deserve no right to utter a word of moral conduct. Elections in the state have been reduced to a fish-market with limited sellers hiking the price to peak and these sellers find heavily funded buyers in contestants.
Does that mean that measure of leadership is reduced to depth of one’s pocket? May be, maybe not.
But before we arrive at any conclusion, let’s argue it other way round too. Electorates need for crisp-notes is directly proportionate to their perception of how corrupt their representatives are. When voters assume legislator to be corrupt, they hanker for more- there is no data to prove this argument, let me admit it, but there’s enough anecdotal evidences to validate this argument when one does random sampling amongst voters. Among few voters, perception about contestants is so low that voters in all brazenness claim that they are recovering looted public money which otherwise could have utilized in public projects!
Second attitudinal change in behavioural patterns of voters is “group bargaining”. On earlier occasions, one would witness few individuals seeking money to vote, depending on needs. However, of late, it has become a norm. Especially in the recently concluded election I witnessed people forming homogeneous groups largely based on clans, to raise their stake higher and thereby legitimatizing higher bargaining power which many groups successfully did. Not to be left behind, students too formed heterogeneous groups to bargain for travel expenses as well. These groups were classic case-study materials for social scientists.
To me, this phenomenon of “clan-clubbing” isn’t isolated group behaviour but I see it as a direct outcome of ‘ethno-centric” power politics that is dominating electoral power struggle in the state of late. I see nothing wrong in such division rather I see it as a fall out of re-organization of Indian states which was based on lingua franca. Also, such practice has been legitimized over the years since the states have always been ruled on the basis of ethnic group and ethnic background of the top leader represents the dominance of the “political elite”.
What is worrisome for a sanguine citizen is the marginalization of the minority ethnic group in such ethno-centric power equation. Case in point would be how a lone legislator of Apatani tribe is always reduced to a corner in power game despite the importance of the individual or the tribe itself. Also, I worry about the increasingly reduced space for civil society organizations amidst war-cry for loyalty to ethnic group. There’s hardly any “civil & sane” voice amidst ethno-clan political system that we have come to engaged in. I worry about relevance of regional or national political parties, the banner under which candidates contest. I worry about political discourse bereft of policies, agendas, manifestoes, ideologies and principles. This is not to suggest that we are on our way to fail as united Arunachal or even to suggest that Arunachal should have its own ethno-centric political parties instead of national or regional political parties but this write-up is a reflection on cross-roads that we are stuck-in.
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