Demand accountability with a vengeance
SOMETIME back, in my capacity as concerned nee cynical citizen, I tweeted that Indian politics has degenerated to such abysmal levels that no matter what a politician says, I shall consider it false until proven true.
No matter what the news channels, magazines and other news sources report, it’s best to be suspicious and take absolutely nothing at face value, because all parties have some sort of vested interest. When the opposition opposes, usually in that typically patronising manner (like when Arun Jaitley lambasted UPA for not standing by their own HM, while opposition was ready to!), it does so, because it’s waiting in the wings of power.
When the state refutes, it is mostly saving face (as in the curious case of phone tapping when they maintained they did not “authorise” it, except that intercepting phone signals is not the same as tapping and it can happens sans “authorisation” as things stand).
So, in-between slanging matches in parliament, appearances on news channels, managing sports associations, orchestrating bandhs, vulgarly displaying garlands of moolah at rallies and other token gimmicks such as austerity drives, breaking bread with minorities, travelling by local trains, and the like, when do our dear politicos find the time to do an honest day’s work (like the rest of us)?!
When a politician is investigated, it’s even more curious. It might be because the media has decided to engage for a cause (Preity Zinta described media as “spectacular” when it came to Jessica Lall) when relatives of the deceased are unrelenting to political muscle.
A politician may be investigated because the opposition has created a ruckus of extreme proportions (as in the case of Tharoor), when another politico/ public officer must save own skin as well as protect his own private coffer (like some folks or may be all folks at the BCCI).
The long and short of it is that most are not working in the interests of the people. There is no pride in improving one’s own constituency, slapping things into shape, jumpstarting development (sans uprooting people). I don’t buy for a minute that development is being obstructed, merely due to violent elements such as the Maoists. If this was the only reason for the lack of development, the rest of the country would be paradise. Far from!
I think we citizens should be the ones raising hell in the most unapologetic manner, not the media or the opposition. More accountability, more transparency, more efficiency, more development, more period, from politicians.
Vir Sanghi recently wrote that, “Twitter can be fun. I know because I tweet. I have 3.6 lakh followers. But it cannot be—and should not be—confused with the real world”. But the other way to look at it is that the very fact that the ouster of a Minister and a CEO, all started with a Tweet, indicates that there is great potential in the medium.
I believe that Twitter has the potential to be much more than fun. It could be a platform for citizens to be more vocal about their discontent with how the country is being managed. Tweets are already used as fodder by news channels to gauge public opinion, a space reserved for mobile phone texts in the past. Accompanying the content of these Tweets, are the ids of Tweeples, clearly displayed on the TV screen. If a Tweet strikes a chord, you can instantly connect with the Tweeter using his or her id.
Which other platform gives you the luxury and opportunity to connect with politicos, corporate honchos, journos, authors, activists, and the like, across the globe, besides of course regular people, everywhere? The Twitterbug is here to stay, so I urge more people to get online and express themselves vociferously; connect, discuss, debate and engage with peers and the powers that be, on matters of development, governance et al, besides of course stuff like what’s on the lunch menu, PJoftheday, today’s pickup line ‘n’ why we love Justin Bieber.
Tweets can even move simultaneously to Buzz and FB. I honestly believe that the nation must Twitter away about what must can be done to improve the lot of this country.
Some Tweetworthy related reading:
Travesty: Eating disorder
Hope: Development in the time of Naxalism
Tags: arun jaitley, BCCI, Jessica Lal/ Ruchika), politics, shashi tharoor, Twitter, vir sanghvi
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by MerrilD, MerrilD. MerrilD said: Tweeple and the PPP (#politics for personal profit) by yours truly: http://tinyurl.com/34bh74z [...]
Hey,
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