Expectations of an Ordinary Voter
The countdown is nearing zero. The results of the elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly will finally come out on Friday the 13th of May.
What were the prime issues of this elections? Price rise, corruption and withering of political values. We are all talking of a non-corrupt government for the welfare and the cause of the commoner. As in all earlier elections the manifestoes of all political parties, including the Congress too, have assured a corruption-free State. We are well-experienced with such manifestoes and their implementation. Therefore this year, whoever comes to power, a total corruption-free Assam, is still a faraway dream. But still we hope that proper steps will be initiated to curb this menace of corruption.
Besides, we also have several other burning issues. The peace process, so far initiated by some of the citizen groups and intellectuals of the society and also by the State and the Central governments, have come as a ray of hope. But the people expect meaningful solutions to deal with the core issues along with the various other issues plaguing the State. We’re looking forward to peaceful talks and negotiations.
The development rhetoric has now become routine. Development is the foremost job, the duty and responsibility of any government in power. Construction of roads, bridges should not at all be construed as an achievement by any government.
Value-based politics and overall protection of democratic norms is the need of the hour. We do not want to see pandemonium and uproar in the Legislative Assembly. We do not want to hear about any horse-trading nor see any unparliamentary behaviour among the elected representatives – hitting each other with below-the-belt comments and speeches, fully devoid of any taste and respect towards a colleague and making a mockery of themselves on the floor of the House. We want an end to this.
With the ruling party behaving more like zamindars and expecting all opposition parties to be at their mercy a congenial atmosphere can hardly prevail. This vanity has travelled down the line resulting in the rise of local mafia and musclemen in the ground level too.
What is needed now is the prevalence of social and political tolerance among all. The political party in power is meant to bring about development. The other parties, not in power, need to be vigilant and take efforts for the equal distribution of the benefits due to the people of the State.
Dignity to the civil society is highly expected. The rise of civil society should be respected by all the political parties. Protection and safeguarding of democratic values for the equal growth of the people, irrespective of political parties and ideologies is always expected from a politician and a political party, whether it is in power or not.
Sibananda Kakoti, Fauzdari Patty, Nagaon.
Friday, May 13, 2011
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