Why the elected representatives don’t feel the need to serve their voters? Because they were ‘selected’ to be elected.
In a democracy, by definition, people are free to elect their representatives. Practically speaking, that’s not the whole truth. As any person selling cold drink or detergent knows, the consumer can be forced by limiting the choices available. Political parties in India, work more like Network marketing companies.
The ground reality of Indian Democracy:
Let’s say, there is a state legislative assembly election round the corner. Each political party has to decide the candidates for contesting elections in each constituency. So, the probables within the party, show their strengths to the party bosses (in the state or centre) to win nominations. Their strengths are not necessarily their popularity among the party workers or their popularity among the voters or their policies for the people. Strength can be money, connections, caste/religion calculations etc. That’s why, a nomination is called getting the ‘ticket’, as like a travel ticket they are often sold for cash or other favors. So the persons whom the people can vote are ‘selected’ by the party bosses, rather than being ‘elected’ by the party workers. So, we see the probables, making rounds to party head quarters or party bosses rather then convincing their constituency voters. People ‘elect’ the person ‘selected’ by the party bosses. Then, once the people have elected the ‘selected’ candidates, the Chief Minister is not elected by the elected representatives. Keeping the same considerations, the Chief Minister (CM) is also selected by the party bosses. Then the council of minister, which should be appointed by the CM based on competency (as they are executives), is also done in consultation with party bosses. This is only half the democracy that was envisaged by the founding fathers of India.
How it started:
There’s not much point going into historical facts, but lets have a look at the leading political parties. The Congress, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, in her initial years, faced enough opposition within the party to fully abandon internal democracy within Congress. The tradition is still followed. The BJP, it started so small that there were very few candidates to be put up, and there was little need for internal democracy. When they grew big, I guess, they thought internal democracy would be dangerous for their vested interest. Communist, as the name suggest, will never do it. Regional parties are ‘one man’ parties and that (wo)man doesn’t want to loose her/his grip.
Why elected person fulfills the wishes of party bosses rather than the people:
The probables know that getting the nomination (ticket) is not so much in the hands of constituency voters (including party workers) as much as it is in the hands of party bosses. So he/she don’t have to use their brains to find solutions for peoples problems, but to make connections in the ‘Network’ above them and below them. Even after they get elected, they know that re-election is by the same process. So they are supposed to ‘pay back’ the party bosses who gave them the opportunity to ‘serve people’. In a Network-marketing company, you share part of your profits with the network. So the race among politicians is not of making better policies for their people, but of making better network. Politicians know that if they keep their boss happy, they are sure to get promotions. Promotions are also influenced by ‘Network-dynamics’ and not by the work done for the people.
Why this is also the root of corruption:
Once the ‘selected’ person gets ‘elected’, he/she is under pressure to do something for the network. Their first job is to distribute profits in the network. What the elected representative does for the people of the constituency comes secondary, the network comes first. Hence they have to find ways of making money and sharing with network, otherwise they will not be ‘selected’ again. So the politicians have made it a business that whenever there is any transaction (fair/unfair) of the government with any entity outside the government, they must get some benefits. Now this business has grown to such an extent that its beyond their control to stop it. So much so, that even if they have to get their routine fair tasks done, they need to trade benefits. The genie is out of the bottle.
Why national parties are loosing to regional parties:
If a python starts swallowing its tail, it ends up nowhere. This is what is happening to the national parties in India. The tail end of the party, the party workers, have been finding it difficult to get to the right place in the network. They find the network too big to give them any benefit. It first happened at the places farthest from Delhi, the head quarters of national parties. Party workers in Tamilnadu, for example, didn’t want their fate, or the fate of their representative to be decided in Delhi, so they choose to form a Regional party. At least now their fate is decided in Chennai. As in Network marketing, in politics also, a small network is easier to get into and means less profit is to be shared in the network. In the era of coalition politics, this also increases their bargaining power. The same thing happened in Andhra, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Orissa, J&K etc. The list is getting longer by each election.
How and why to cure:
Total democracy is the only solution. If the national parties want to survive as national parties they will have to cure themselves. Total democracy would mean that political parties establish fair and transparent election mechanisms within the party. This is must for posts within the party and for any elections in the public domain. People who wish to contest the elections should get the opportunity to canvass and convince their constituency within the party, i.e. the party workers. By this only will the political parties gain back the confidence of the people and their workers. This will remove the emphasis on networking and bring back the focus on policies and governance. This will also ensure that leaderships and talents are nurtured. That’s the only way, else India will soon have 30 regional parties making a coalition of the willing for the purpose they seem fit. The half baked chapatti doesn’t tastes good and causes indigestion.
Abhinav
14 Aug 2007
