Beware of ‘Poli-Tiks’: Focus on substantive issues

Opinion

In this volatile period of electoral campaigning, it behoves every responsible citizen to be very careful about the ‘tiks’ and ‘clicks’ that forward unsolicited material around

By Dr R Neerunjun Gopee

An online post that contains disrespectful remarks about the Virgin Mary has gone viral and has elicited the justified indignation of citizens. I find this particularly offensive because reverence for the Divine Feminine is central to the Hindu conception and understanding of the cosmos and existence. The recently concluded Durga Puja celebration is a perfect illustration of this perspective of the Universal Mother, Durga Ma, who showers on us her blessings, love and is our refuge and protection.  By the same token, all representations of the Divine Feminine pertaining to any culture deserve the same respect.

In this volatile period of electoral campaigning, it behoves every responsible citizen to be very careful about the ‘tiks’ and ‘clicks’ that forward unsolicited material around and that land almost literally in our laps. This surfeit of such ‘poli-tiks’ can overwhelm one, and human that we are, the possibility of being influenced by them is undeniable, especially for the feeble-minded or those who are looking for cheap thrills. We cannot decide our future on the basis of such ephemeral social media material, given the amount of fakes, misinformation and disinformation that has now become almost the norm on this platform. We have to make our own judgement based on more objective inputs about substantive matters of concern to both our individual and collective or national interest.

Personal attacks are part of the local political folklore and are to be condemned from whichever party they emanate. It is issues and policies that the potential elected representatives must elaborate upon. A good recent example comes from the US, which is also only a few days away from their four-yearly presidential election.

Politician Tulsi Gabbard, who had run for the Presidential election four years ago as a Democratic candidate but stepped down in favour of current candidate Kamala Harris, was speaking at a venue and canvassing for Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. She explained why she shifted from Democratic to Republican without naming any names. It was purely because the Democratic Party according to her had failed the American citizens and had deviated from its ideals of serving the people and upholding freedoms.

One issue she pointed out was how as a result of the devastating cyclone that had recently swept through North Carolina, she had received complaints that the people there were forced to drink contaminated water that was burning their throats. Instead of attending to their basic needs in the aftermath of the cyclone, the Democrats-led executive was voting hundreds of millions to fund the war in Ukraine. Another problem was failure to control illegal immigration, with the quasi-invasion of millions of them from the southern border of the US, and that included criminals and potential terrorists. Worse still was the possibility that these illegals would be fast-tracked to be able to vote – for the Democrats.

Rings a bell?

There is no dearth of issues that should be claiming our attention. For example, the unsavoury post referred to at the beginning raises concerns about the quality of individuals who occupy positions of high responsibility. It is not only technical competence that matters. More important is the attitude or way of thinking, which is reflected in one’s behaviour and general conduct. And the higher the post – this is especially the case when it comes to posts at the apex levels of any organization or institution – the more important it is for the aspirant to have the proper attitude and qualities (that add up to making one human and humane) that are needed to go with it.  One is thus able to fulfill one’s duties and responsibilities with a degree of selflessness and to the highest possible level of objectivity, fairness and justice. Having the right person in the right place is a tiresome cliché that we have alas too often heard in vain.

Since we are at the top, let’s remain there. It’s clear that the conduct of affairs in our Parliament has been troubling for many citizens, with some instances of rudeness and aggression from the former Speaker that did not reflect well on the House. So too with several of our elected representatives as they crossed swords with each other.  Many a time matters were debated amidst expletives that would normally belong to more mundane levels. Refinement ought to be the overriding characteristic for interventions in the temple of democracy, as they engage the probity, responsibility and quality of the individuals.

Besides, though neither French nor English are our original languages, we do expect our representatives to at least make a conscious effort to have a decent level of articulation of either.

And since we are there, what about the promise of a constitutional change to limit the mandate of a prime minister to two terms? This issue has been flagged off and on, but has never been taken forward. Isn’t it high time?

Pertinent to this is the fact that voters have a short memory when it comes to politicians and politics – otherwise how can one explain that those who had been subjected to calumny earlier keep making a comeback?  There have been repeated calls for a change of guards, for new leaders to emerge. We may have not gone down to the level of what happens in Africa where, as a leader in The Economist once noted, ‘incumbent leaders are changing or sidestepping constitutional term limits to extend their time in office, often provoking unrest’. The problem is that since we are presented with the same old faces as the main contenders, we have no real choice – it’s between Charybdis and Scylla.

We therefore have to find an alternative, and very worthwhile is the suggestion of The Economist: ‘Where democracies are fragile, the two-term rule for heads of government is invaluable, as it forces change’.

Among other problems awaiting sensible resolution is that of transport. The introduction of the metro notwithstanding, we are still not fully settled about an efficient, sustainable and clean transport system that would do justice to a country that boasts of being in the upper middle income category. Meanwhile, the fleet of vehicles is expanding at such a rate, with a proliferation of ‘auto-points’ at every nook and corner, that it looks likely that in a foreseeable future there will be more vehicles than people on the island. We are already choking on both the highways and the byways, not to speak of the mayhem that takes place whenever there is heavy rain even for a short period. When, if ever, are we going to sort out this public transport issue to national satisfaction?

We are a small country facing significant challenges, with each general election filled with promises of permanent solutions — each one touted as a ‘defining moment’– but these promises are rarely fulfilled. Will November 2024 really be any different?

RN Gopee