What do we expect from our politicians?

Just two days left before the parliamentary election results of the worlds largest democracy about to be announce. A 2 month show of whopping 1120 Crore rupees (€176 million). The successful candidates to sit on the ruling or opposition desks of parliament for the next five years in order to “take care” of the 1.2 billion citizens of the nation, India.

This obviously is the time of heated discussions and debates to every one, TV channels making news out of everything, horse trading, dramas, violence, allegations, apologies, expensive campaigns, music, rallies etc etc, Indian election as always been one of the most extravagant in spite of the many restrictions it have on spending for campaigns and stuff. Anyways I am just jumping out of all these issues pertaining to elections, for me it’s more important to see what happens after the elections. Am not talking about the post poll alliances, government formation or things like that. I am just wondering ‘What do we actually expect from the Politicians who win the elections and became a member of the parliament?’ We, here the common man as seen has always taken the role of Cribbing about the system and politicians later when corruption details came out or when the worst being experienced. It is just everyone else those in politics there to be a part of this cribbing exercise and for many among them it is just how it works and there is no way out. Other wise, this is what we expect out of the politicians.

I just had the urge to write this blog after the recent issue here in UK about the MP’s expense claims. Their claims for last 4 years have now been released to public domain and are now being scrutinized and in fact vigorously criticized all over. Though many of the claims were as per the rules, there is a feeling of abuse of the rules which have bought great public anger seeing the elected MP’s claiming for almost everything sometimes being extravagant using taxpayer’s money. Now almost every one of them is paying back the extra amount they claimed, some giving back 100 and some in thousands of pounds.

I just want to take this situation to India, will we be ever in a position to scrutinize and then to make the politicians pay back if find guilty of abuse of public money for personal gains, from corruptions and scams involving millions to extravagant spending they do on their personal lives from the exchequer? Or, don’t we expect them to loot the treasury in their 5 year term and do whatever they want? At least are we not Ok with that?

Is that not an unwritten fact that we are all ok with an MP using his power and influence to do anything he wishes for the gains of himself or his close ones?

Don’t we expect an MP/Politician to have made lot of money or at least a big house while in power?

Inside the minds of we the common man, don’t we have a feeling to say, ‘Man, its Ok, he is an MP’ about most such doings?

What do we really expect out of them, Is that not our expectations or the standards we put decides their action, I believe so. It is indeed the common mans expectation about a politician sets the standard on what he is supposed to do. We say someone is good if the scam he is involved has lesser turnover/profit for him compared to his predecessor, don’t you agree to some extend? I am not being blunt in saying all these, obviously there are exceptions, there are good people, and there are people with right expectations, people who do question them and themselves. But over all, that percent is too low to make any difference at this point and we definitely need a change in Culture.

It will be too foolish for me to expect a Politician in India to take the lead in changing this culture, though there would be some to do so. There is much more in the hands of the citizens of the country to make this change happen. Just by changing our mind to think a bit differently about what should we get out of the politicians we elect.

1 – I expect an MP to visit his constituency at least 2-3 times after he got elected, to interact, see the plight of his voters and to take inputs for necessary action.

2 – I expect an MP to deliver what he have promised or if cannot deliver due to reasons valid he should communicate to his voters

3 – I expect an MP to communicate to his voters and understand their needs on regular intervals and to cater that.

At this stage, I don’t really expect an MP to be 100% honest, trustworthy, and dedicated or to have any such good traits; rather I shall be out of words in praise of these guys if they can be 50% aligned to these qualities.

I don’t mind them looting the treasury and filling their bank accounts, But I will vote for them again if they do worth development with the balance money in treasury which they were not able to loot.

I will still be happy and in praises for these guys if they ever had a learning attitude and delivering mood just because they want to win next election also and not because of the will to do public service.

Can’t you make out how cynical I am when I set these expectations? I would definitely want to get better, Can you help? “I still believe there is a better day and that is not very far”

Prayers