l People of Goa have demanded a people-centric selection process
l Current political parties clearly do not want that process
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l This is the last chance for people of Goa to send a strong message to parties that dumping candidates on them won’t work
With each passing day, there is a conviction among the people that unless they play a bigger part in these elections in the verification and selection of candidates, they will not be involved in larger decisions in the process of governance later.
In response to Herald’s call people of Goa have laid down a clear process in which they would like to choose candidates. The main criteria here, drawn from many emails sent by people are:
– Clean track record
– Transparency and honesty of purpose
– Candidate to be a true representative of the people’s will and a platform for their issues
– Potential defectors should be identified, screened and rejected. Still in case such a candidate does manage to contest, win and defect the Representation of People’s Act must be amended to include that the entire cost of by-elections caused due to defections needs to be financed by the candidate who resigned. This may still not stop candidates who defect to parties whose funds are limitless but will at least be a deterrent
– Persons should not have bad debts/unpaid loans in Financial Banks or Societies
– Candidates need to clear all pending cases prior to filing papers.
– Appear for an entrance exam before the people
– Only one term per candidate, and that should include all extended family on both sides.
This is a people-driven process which your Voice of Goa has endorsed.
Can any of the current political parties in the mix guarantee a candidate selection criterion based on the points above?
It is clear that no political party has shown any interest in allowing this process to happen. Currently, parties are rapidly getting people of other parties to join and promising them tickets. The ticket conductor in the Congress is an expert in this. He is even telling people who he doesn’t want to give tickets that a final decision rests with his key senior political opponent, who he has side-lined. Other parties are waiting for Congress to finalise its list so that those who don’t get tickets will be up for grabs.
Is this the way Goans want their candidates to be chosen?
When the manner of choosing the candidate is not honest and selected through a process by the people, for which the people must play an active part, what is the guarantee that the candidate will work honestly for the people? If the whole process is based on fixing and deals and arrangements, can you expect that MLA to make good laws, participate in good discussions, raise people’s issues? Or will his entire effort go in recovering the investment he has made in securing his ticket?
If such candidates get into the system, the system gets polluted
If these candidates become MLAs and then ministers the bad system is totally in their hands. And that is very important in the understanding of a system that is not people-centric. Simply because people do not reject candidates who are not selected through a people’s process.
It is possible to make this change. But it lies in the hands of the people
The question that comes to people’s minds is whether this is possible. The answer lies with the people themselves. If people continue to think that politicians and elections are the politician’s job, and the people’s job is to just go out and vote, then this system will never change and a deal-making candidate will be forced upon you. People must show the courage to change and that will start by imposing a people’s criteria for candidate selection.
Now is the time to lay down the people’s rule for candidate selection
There is no better time to impress upon politicians and get them to follow people’s choices, than a few months before elections. This opportunity will be lost later. In each block or village, let the people come out and declare this process to all parties and when they come for campaigning, ask them if they agree to follow this process. Only when they confirm should that party be allowed to speak to them. Let at least a few blocks start this and others will follow. But this has to be people’s initiative taken by the people.
Beware of last moment “independent” candidates
Just before the close of nominations, you will find a sudden entry of many independent candidates in different constituencies. They are different from those who have been openly working with people and are from known social and people’s movements. It is the last-minute independent entrants who need to be identified because they are nothing but paid vote splitters of other parties, who do not have to subject themselves to any scrutiny because they are “independents”. You cannot stop these ‘fly by might’ independents but you can take a people’s call that no votes will go to them.
One should understand that many crucial calls can be taken by people to make this election cleaner and more representative of the people’s will. The people of Goa have shown their willingness to participate in this cleaning exercise. May this tribe grow.
We all know that good people must enter politics. But that can happen only if people are willing to create a system where only good people can enter politics. There is no other option. And this initiative will NOT be taken by existing parties because this will not suit their plans at all. Unless the people of Goa, make their own rules and follow this and also make certain legislative changes that have been suggested by the people, the best of intentions will be defeated by the present system.
