Some time ago, I wrote “For how long must we eat the platitudes of these politicians?” and focussed on the response that people expected.
Obviously, that response never came as the elections descended on us… and the last phase is still to be held a couple of days from now. The Mute Code of Conduct (MCC) is still upon us for some more days, restraining the GOI from any policy decision. And the time for a strike may well have passed – just like the strike to take over 25 selected Pakistani outposts that Terrorists use to infiltrate was never carried out since 9/11 happened and the then GOI (Vajpayee’s) never gave the required permission. Yet Pakistan had no ‘good boy syndrome’ operating that it launched a strike on India’s Parliament less than 3 months after 9/11.
Talking about the ‘Good Boy Syndrome’ I come closer (than comfortable) home.
As long as the Urban Middle Class has the lazy, good boy syndrome, and takes a holiday when they must be casting their “well informed” vote, the attitude of politicians will always be negligent towards them!
Various Civic Activists – and Bangalore is full of them – wail and whine that they get no support from their own fellow residents on any civic issue and rely instead of children from schools & colleges to be rounded up for civic protests.
Within residential communities too, it is commonplace to find residents fighting each other over insignificant matters, rather than standing for the common good, even of their own ‘block’! Coteries & Cliques formed mostly on political party lines (as if they “own” the party!), play right into the hands of politicians who are only concerned with votes as their currency of choice.
Engaging as a community is inversely proportional to education and wealth.
As a member of this middle class, I do not exclude myself, although I must add that for over a decade now I have been trying (and failing) to convince my fellow residents that a Vote Bank based on a common (issues) manifesto should drive our collective votes.
Maybe 2019 is a year when this may put down roots, given the pathetic civic state of affairs in Bangalore. Hope springs eternal!
I’m on Twitter @jsvasan