Sometimes I have so many questions brimming in my head waiting to be answered. They just form like those tiny bubbles in boiling water which wait to be surfaced and then go plop. There are some which burst and others which remain unanswered. One day, I am sure to burst them. One day I will unearth the mystery behind them. One day I will know the reason why it is so difficult for Indians, educated or not, to understand the importance of voting in the governmental general elections.
Yes, we all know that a democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Where are we missing out on the point then? If you ask me, at this point of time, I do not see how that above line is true for the State Government of Maharashtra. The State Government of Maharashtra is clearly not of the people. If it were, there wouldn’t have been the nonchalant attitude of don’t-I-have-enough-on-me-already-than-to-even-worry-about-the-Govt.-now prevailing in a shocking eighty-seven percent of the people today. The Govt. is definitely not made by the people as the people absolutely detest, if not act indifferent to the MLA’s of Maharashtra. If the resignation of the Chief Minister does not prove this, then I don’t know what does. And the Govt. for the people? Ask anyone that question down the streets of the State and four out of five times one is sure to get a laugh. Where have we gone wrong then? Yes, we. It’s not about ‘them’ anymore. It never was.
How does it feel if I say, “Don’t I have enough to worry about in my job, my daily quest to get a square meal per day, my lousy sleeping patterns and my dear ones to add an extra baggage of worries regarding the house, the bills, the maintenance? Can’t I just live on my own terms and have someone else take care of the household?” Sounds atrocious, doesn’t it? After all, taking care of your house is your own responsibility, your own duty. Right?
Well, the fact is you do choose someone to take care of these minor nitty-gritty’s of your life, which are no way less important than your other chores. It may be your spouse, a maid, a butler, or just a domestic help. The important aspect here being, “you choose”. You cannot afford to leave the house at the hands of any one less able to take care of it according to you. You feel you hold the rights in sifting the most appropriate candidate for the job.
Why is there such a big issue then, when it comes to choosing a suitable person to run your country for you? Isn’t your country, your state, your city, your neighborhood, not your home? Haven’t you ever referred to your country as “home” after having stepped out of it? Some might say that they don’t own the country like they own their houses. Building the house, buying it out of their own hard earned money is different from the country and hence the worth of the house is understood. These people have clearly not paid their taxes then. If you pay your taxes, you own the country as much as you own your house. No one can take that right from you. Now, if you are just dying to tell me that you are not sure how the money obtained from taxes is being utilized, all I can say is, its still your fault. To explain further, if you were to hand over the exact amount of your monthly electricity bill to your domestic help and yet receive a fine for incomplete payment in the next month’s bill, you are sure to put your help to task. If provided with unsatisfactory answers combined with a detailed study of the help’s past endeavors, you also reserve a right to fire her if you may so wish to.
So now if you feel that you’re taxes aren’t being utilized the way you wish them to be or rather the way they ought to be, why do you shy away from confronting those who are responsible for this? Why don’t you feel robbed or cheated the same way in this case too? After all, its your hard earned money again.
Probably this is the reason why some abstain from paying taxes and are always on the lookout to minimize their taxes. Well, to you, I’d say, you are in a state much worse. You know you are being robbed continually and instead of trying to nab the culprit(s), you keep less money in the house! How foolhardy could that get!
So now that the importance of being accountable for your country and its welfare (which also means your own welfare) has started to sink in, it should be quite evident why choosing the right people for this job becomes the top priority of the day. This leads us to a single four-lettered word, touted to be possibly the most misused word in India at this stage: VOTE. There remain only a few millions out of the populace of one billion in this country who exercise their right to vote. Out of these, at least half of the people vote under the influence of incentives and do not use their own judgment. How then would the country fare well, if it runs according to the whims and fancies of a few thousands out of the one billion? How then would the entire nation be happy as most are even not represented? How then would you be happy?
There was once a time when this country chose its own future. A time when the people of the country chose to change, chose to be happy, chose to choose their own people once and for all. They decided to go republic and be responsible for their extended home – their country. A century ahead, the people of the same country no longer feel the need to be responsible towards the country’s future, their future. The zest of the yesteryears has gotten lost in time. The fervor suddenly returns at times, but only when danger smacks us hard upon the face. Why does it take a mass firing or a bomb blast to unite us, to ‘awaken’ us? Were we sleepwalking all along then? If yes, why is there this frequent, intolerable knack of going back to sleep as usual without any meaningful amendments made to stay awake as should be natural? No answer? Thought as well.
Some countries flourish because of the simple reason that they have the right people doing the right jobs effectively. Others don’t because they have the wrong people doing the right jobs – ineffectively. The economy of a country cannot function well if the administration in itself is poor. The GDP falls and hence – well, let’s not even get there. It’s all a vicious cycle which can easily be amended by the people if they wish.
Democracy needs to be rediscovered and fostered amongst the people.
Responsibility for the country is in the hands of the people. If there is a single person at this moment who gets up and says, “I want to vote but nobody is worth my vote”, I ask whether they have thoroughly gone through the CV’s of all the contenders. Laughable? It might be but I’m sure by doing so there most definitely would be someone who is relatively better than the rest and deserves your vote. How can you complain about this menial task when choosing the best candidate would also mean choosing a better life for your own self? Yet, if you find no one to your taste, wait till you turn 25 and contest in the elections yourself. Become a Member of Parliament at 30 and create the taste you once looked for. If you are already past these ages, what are you waiting for? If you feel you may not be the best person for this job, convince the people you think are suitable, to contest and support them. If you want the very best, look around, you are sure to find that change. A bit of an effort from every person is all that is required.
The country did change for the better once. History can repeat itself. After all, it’s for your own good.
Your country needs you. You alone choose the change.
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