Yes India, you need to vote!
We all know that USA goes for polls this year. BUT… How many of us really know that we have elections in Tamil Nadu this May? A guy in my office was planning for a long vacation as he gets an extended weekend. Oh yeah. Election is on a Monday. Voting in India is a Constitutional right if one is a citizen over 18 years of age. However, that also makes it optional. It has been a tendency among voters, especially in the urban areas, to treat the voting day as a day of rest.
Our forefathers believed that we are the king makers and gave us the voting rights. India is the first country which gave voting rights to all its citizens irrespective of age, sex, caste, creed, education and economical status on the dawn of its independence. It is an honor they had so much trust in us. By exercising our right to vote, we would demonstrate our respect for the history of the country. Are we really worthy of that right? Voting is too mainstream for many of us. We look for free mixer, free grinder, free house, free fan, free rice, free education, free utensils, gold chain, some cash, pick-up and drop ( to the polling booth ) to do our duty; to exercise our right. Few of us are so excited about voting. We vote just to post selfies in FB with ink in the index fingers! But are we doing our duty in the way it has to be done ?
We vote based on the best deal offered. “What will I get if I vote? Is he of my caste?” are the two questions we ask before we vote. Is it not? I called my mom this morning and she said that our maid has not come today for work. The reason was that she had to attend two meetings today. One in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Oh Yeah… She is a DMK supporter in the morning and would become an ADMK supporter the very afternoon. Political parties lure people with gifts so that they attend the rallies. She was given Rs.200/- and a saree just to go and sit in the 2 hour meeting. It is an easy money for people like her and she prefers going to the meetings than coming for work. She says she would vote for the party that pays her more.
Having all these mistakes in us, we still complain of bad roads, bad schools and hospitals, poor economy, corruption! What right do we have to complain when we fail to do our duty?
Voting is the agent of change
Why don't we understand? If the people of India think that the ruling government is not performing its duties satisfactorily, we can show it the door by voting against it. Refraining from doing so can result in the same party, or a worse one, being elected for the next five years. In a country so populous, a voter might feel that a single vote does not make any difference. However, the balance tilts when this becomes a national attitude and lakhs—perhaps crores—of votes are not cast. By casting our votes, we may not necessarily be able to get the best candidate elected—politics being what it is—but by avoiding to cast our vote, we improve the chances of letting the unsuitable win the polls. At the end, it is only we who have to suffer through poor governance. Voting offers every citizen a medium of expression. In a country as vast and diverse as ours, different regions have different concerns and priorities. The process of voting allows every citizen to have a say in what should constitute the matters of importance by voting for the candidate he or she deems fit for the purpose. While it is true that the outcome of elections is seldom predictable, by not casting one's vote, that citizen is giving up on the chance of getting heard. Voting is as much a responsibility as it is a right. The whole edifice of Indian democracy is built on the foundation of voting. If citizens are not careful about casting their vote—or worse, skip their vote altogether—it will jeopardize the very existence of our democratic setup. When are we going to realize our mistakes? It is time now that we wake up.
Flip Side
But, if you are planning to vote for freebies, for your caste or for a person just because he/she is your favorite actor, please go on an extended vacation or rest at home. We don't need your votes. We would be better off if some people didn't vote. The assumption is that all voters have an equal understanding of the issues. They clearly don't. Democracy is predicated on the absolute of a knowledgeable electorate. Uninformed voters undermine this prerequisite, by voting solely on emotion and peer group pressure, instead of logic and facts. The argument is basically a quantity versus quality thing. Many people treat the election like a lottery. They vote for who they think is going to win, while the concept that their choices should actually determine the outcome is completely lost. This behavior does the Democratic process a huge disservice. It diminishes the value of ideas, and instead promotes emotional rhetoric. This in turn, leaves the voters vulnerable to manipulation, and holds the candidates less accountable.
Cost of wrong votes
Imagine 12 people are serving on a jury in a murder case. The prosecution and defense present evidence and call witnesses. The court asks the jury to reach a verdict.
Suppose four of the jurors paid no attention during the trial. When asked to deliberate, they were ignorant of the details of the case. They decided more or less at random.
Suppose four of the jurors paid some attention to the evidence. However, their decision not on the basis of the evidence, but on wishful thinking and on bizarre conspiracy theories they happen to believe.
Suppose four of the jurors paid attention to the evidence. However, they take a decision because he belongs to this caste, or acted in a movie!
How will the verdict be ? Will it be correct ? They must have listened to the prosecution and defense. This is the case with elections too. We are the jury. It is our duty to see the pros and cons of the party we vote for.
There should be a strong reasoning behind every decision we make. This line of reasoning applies more strongly to the electorate as a whole. Political decisions are high stakes. Almost none of us consent to the outcome of the election or to our government. The outcomes—including all ensuing laws, regulations, taxes, budget expenditures, wars, and so on—are imposed upon us through violence and threats of violence. These decisions can harm us, and mght deprive us of property and liberty as well. At first glance, we should think that voters, like jurors, have a moral obligation to vote in a competent and morally reasonable way.
There’s nothing morally wrong with being ignorant about politics, or with forming our political beliefs though an irrational thought processes—so long as we don’t vote. As soon as we step into the voting booth, we acquire a duty to know what we’re doing. It’s also fine to be ignorant, misinformed or irrational about politics, only so long as we don’t impose our political preferences upon others using the coercive power of government. If we are an irrational, biased, capricious, or malevolent voters, our votes make no difference.
What has to be done?
Let us do a good research about the parties, their agendas, their plans for the country before we vote and stay informed of what our rights are. Please do not vote a rogue. Please do not vote for money or caste. Please do not vote just because the person contesting the election is your favorite actor. Evaluate one's performance based on what he/she has done in the past. Don't believe in false promises and freebies. We need jobs to improve our financial status by ourselves and not the freebies given by someone. Beggar gets things for free. We need not be beggars any more. Let us get more educated and vote for the right person. Stop… I hear your mind voice that no one is good. No… Not everyone who contests is bad. There are still good souls. Let us vote for them! We should only look for them and make efforts to find them.
Our forefathers believed that we are the king makers and gave us the voting rights. India is the first country which gave voting rights to all its citizens irrespective of age, sex, caste, creed, education and economical status on the dawn of its independence. It is an honor they had so much trust in us. By exercising our right to vote, we would demonstrate our respect for the history of the country. Are we really worthy of that right? Voting is too mainstream for many of us. We look for free mixer, free grinder, free house, free fan, free rice, free education, free utensils, gold chain, some cash, pick-up and drop ( to the polling booth ) to do our duty; to exercise our right. Few of us are so excited about voting. We vote just to post selfies in FB with ink in the index fingers! But are we doing our duty in the way it has to be done ?
We vote based on the best deal offered. “What will I get if I vote? Is he of my caste?” are the two questions we ask before we vote. Is it not? I called my mom this morning and she said that our maid has not come today for work. The reason was that she had to attend two meetings today. One in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Oh Yeah… She is a DMK supporter in the morning and would become an ADMK supporter the very afternoon. Political parties lure people with gifts so that they attend the rallies. She was given Rs.200/- and a saree just to go and sit in the 2 hour meeting. It is an easy money for people like her and she prefers going to the meetings than coming for work. She says she would vote for the party that pays her more.
Having all these mistakes in us, we still complain of bad roads, bad schools and hospitals, poor economy, corruption! What right do we have to complain when we fail to do our duty?
Voting is the agent of change
Why don't we understand? If the people of India think that the ruling government is not performing its duties satisfactorily, we can show it the door by voting against it. Refraining from doing so can result in the same party, or a worse one, being elected for the next five years. In a country so populous, a voter might feel that a single vote does not make any difference. However, the balance tilts when this becomes a national attitude and lakhs—perhaps crores—of votes are not cast. By casting our votes, we may not necessarily be able to get the best candidate elected—politics being what it is—but by avoiding to cast our vote, we improve the chances of letting the unsuitable win the polls. At the end, it is only we who have to suffer through poor governance. Voting offers every citizen a medium of expression. In a country as vast and diverse as ours, different regions have different concerns and priorities. The process of voting allows every citizen to have a say in what should constitute the matters of importance by voting for the candidate he or she deems fit for the purpose. While it is true that the outcome of elections is seldom predictable, by not casting one's vote, that citizen is giving up on the chance of getting heard. Voting is as much a responsibility as it is a right. The whole edifice of Indian democracy is built on the foundation of voting. If citizens are not careful about casting their vote—or worse, skip their vote altogether—it will jeopardize the very existence of our democratic setup. When are we going to realize our mistakes? It is time now that we wake up.
Flip Side
But, if you are planning to vote for freebies, for your caste or for a person just because he/she is your favorite actor, please go on an extended vacation or rest at home. We don't need your votes. We would be better off if some people didn't vote. The assumption is that all voters have an equal understanding of the issues. They clearly don't. Democracy is predicated on the absolute of a knowledgeable electorate. Uninformed voters undermine this prerequisite, by voting solely on emotion and peer group pressure, instead of logic and facts. The argument is basically a quantity versus quality thing. Many people treat the election like a lottery. They vote for who they think is going to win, while the concept that their choices should actually determine the outcome is completely lost. This behavior does the Democratic process a huge disservice. It diminishes the value of ideas, and instead promotes emotional rhetoric. This in turn, leaves the voters vulnerable to manipulation, and holds the candidates less accountable.
Cost of wrong votes
Imagine 12 people are serving on a jury in a murder case. The prosecution and defense present evidence and call witnesses. The court asks the jury to reach a verdict.
Suppose four of the jurors paid no attention during the trial. When asked to deliberate, they were ignorant of the details of the case. They decided more or less at random.
Suppose four of the jurors paid some attention to the evidence. However, their decision not on the basis of the evidence, but on wishful thinking and on bizarre conspiracy theories they happen to believe.
Suppose four of the jurors paid attention to the evidence. However, they take a decision because he belongs to this caste, or acted in a movie!
How will the verdict be ? Will it be correct ? They must have listened to the prosecution and defense. This is the case with elections too. We are the jury. It is our duty to see the pros and cons of the party we vote for.
There should be a strong reasoning behind every decision we make. This line of reasoning applies more strongly to the electorate as a whole. Political decisions are high stakes. Almost none of us consent to the outcome of the election or to our government. The outcomes—including all ensuing laws, regulations, taxes, budget expenditures, wars, and so on—are imposed upon us through violence and threats of violence. These decisions can harm us, and mght deprive us of property and liberty as well. At first glance, we should think that voters, like jurors, have a moral obligation to vote in a competent and morally reasonable way.
There’s nothing morally wrong with being ignorant about politics, or with forming our political beliefs though an irrational thought processes—so long as we don’t vote. As soon as we step into the voting booth, we acquire a duty to know what we’re doing. It’s also fine to be ignorant, misinformed or irrational about politics, only so long as we don’t impose our political preferences upon others using the coercive power of government. If we are an irrational, biased, capricious, or malevolent voters, our votes make no difference.
What has to be done?
Let us do a good research about the parties, their agendas, their plans for the country before we vote and stay informed of what our rights are. Please do not vote a rogue. Please do not vote for money or caste. Please do not vote just because the person contesting the election is your favorite actor. Evaluate one's performance based on what he/she has done in the past. Don't believe in false promises and freebies. We need jobs to improve our financial status by ourselves and not the freebies given by someone. Beggar gets things for free. We need not be beggars any more. Let us get more educated and vote for the right person. Stop… I hear your mind voice that no one is good. No… Not everyone who contests is bad. There are still good souls. Let us vote for them! We should only look for them and make efforts to find them.
Democracy demands we give them a chance
But this time I think we should join in the dance
Coz whoever they are, the men at the helm
The country still belongs to us, not to them
Let's be part of the reason our country is great
Let's be good citizens before it's too late
Let's serve our great country without hesitation
Let's all work together to build a strong nation
Enough of the trolling, the barbs and the fights
Now let's stick together, stand up for our rights
Enough of debates on religion and caste
Now let's be united, secular at last
We give them the seats and power too
But the country belongs to me and to you
And we're sixty seven million and plus
At the end of the day, the onus is on us
Comments
Post a Comment