It appears that the refreshing resolve by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates to sign legal affidavits to negate horse-trading and defection. The real issue is whether it can deliver what it promises? No doubt this innovative decision or resolve makes the candidate morally accountable to the voters but the real question is whether it has a legal validity to make the candidates promise bound especially when the state has perennially over the years seen defections galore with democratic principles going topsy-turvy and the anti-defection law brought to naught as witnessed in a small state like Goa where the oft declared principles, values and given promises went for a toss.
It would also be erroneous to judge every party or candidate with the same yardstick but we are constrained to believe as our actual experiences over the years have has made our thinking and beliefs tend go in that direction. Let us hope that now atleast a welcome change prevails for the better and let us hopefully be optimistic about it.
The question also arises that if an affidavit is filed will the winning candidates be duty and legally bound to adhere their to sworn statements or whether as the anti-defection law presently in force there could the probable lapses in it and help the elected to escape from their sworn commitments and promises made in their stated affidavits. It is said that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” and hence the purported statements made should be evaluated threadbare and the actual possibility of them being honored should be fully and judiciously studied.
The decision to file an affidavit by the candidates is but a welcome change and one innovative way to keep the winning candidates at least morally bound before the electors so that if they keep up their stated promises they could be factually described as ‘honorable’, a word that goes before their names once they become MLAs, ministers etc… but as mostly we have observed that in the past there was nothing honorable in most their actions, deeds and words.
Let us, the voters enlighten ourselves to cast our precious vote to the candidate who deserves it the most, otherwise it is going to be the same old story replayed once again and so history will definitely repeat itself. Let a revolution begin in our minds that our precious vote goes to the right candidate, irrespective of what our narrow and selfish considerations constrain us. Enough is enough. Let Goa and Goans suffer no more. Let not the freebies and other monetary considerations beguile us this time also. Let us stand upright and be counted and let our vote do the talking and it should sincerely be intended for a better Goa which is very long languishing.
Each one of us should ourself be the change we want to see. Let us not go for our selfish considerations but for a greater social good that should motivate us to be in the forefront see the change. Let us be progressive and forward thinking in our character. Let us preserve Goa for a better tomorrow and for posterity otherwise our future generations will never forgive us.
The elected have already prospered. Now let us allow Goa to prosper and presently it lies in our hands. Our vote is precious, don’t trivialise it, make it talk and deliver. We could not force our already elected to walk the talk. Now let the to be elected do it otherwise as before it would just be their empty rhetoric once again. When we vote our sanity should prevail. Its now or never.
