Will you Vote on April 30?

‘This way political parties will know that they are being scrutinised and this would, in turn, increase their accountability’

AS the country gears up for the Lok Sabha elections, which is barely a month away — citizen groups in the city presented a Citizens’ Charter on how to identify the right candidates and what to rightfully demand from the government.

NGOs from across the country, like Action for Good Governance and Networking in India (AGNI) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) will form a watchdog committee to study each candidate and identify potential ones among them. They will also ensure that candidates with a criminal background are not given a ticket.

“The recent terror attacks have rekindled the public anger in us. We have seen several security lapses and other lacunae in the system. The need of the hour is overhauling the present system of governance and making it accountable. For that, it is important to get the right people elected and this can only happen with active participation of the citizens,” said vice-chairman, D M Sukhantar.

As expected, a government’s ability to tackle terrorism figures high on the citizens’ charter. “26/11 attacks have completely charred us. Today, literally everyone is against shoddy governance. Most of the government policies have been anti-citizens. At the end of another five years, we don’t want a repeat of this,” said co-convener of NAGAR foundation, Nayana Kathpalia.

Greater accountability among the MPs, better housing and transport facilities for the city, environment friendly initiatives are some of the other concerns of Mumbaikars. “We also want candidates who don’t play the cards of caste, cash and criminality. We don’t want celebrities who come out only during elections and are never to be seen later,” said Sukhantar.

The watchdog commit tee is expected to put political parties on notice. “Any positive change will only happen if citizens are involved. This way political parties will know that they are being scrutinised and this would, in turn, increase their accountability. We will also monitor the election expenses and other components. The committee will ensure smooth interaction among citizens for better future governance,” said activist from ADR, Ajit Ranade.

26/11 last was a tragic event of terrorism at the root of which was an unforgivable failure of governance

Mr D.M. Sukthankar, Vice Chairman and Managing Trustee of AGNI, said that November 26 last was a tragic event of terrorism at the root of which was an unforgivable failure of governance. A former Chief Secretary of the Government of Maharashtra, he said the extent of failure was immense: from Intelligence coordination and coastal security to handling of media (it may have helped terrorist handlers) and water pressure in municipal hydrants.

Governance in the country, the State and the city, Mr Sukthankar said, needs radical change. A perfect occasion for citizens to register protest and demand change presents itself on April 30, when the city votes for its new MPs in the Lok Sabha polls.

Dr. Ajit Ranade, of the Association for Democratic Reform, and Ms Nayana Kathpalia of NAGAR, also addressed the Press Conference. Dr. Ranade said ADR would work with AGNI to rate candidates to help citizens make a better-informed choice. Ms Kathpalia said it was of the greatest importance for citizens to turn out in larger numbers than ever before and support better quality candidates.

This April, Mr. Sukthankar said, AGNI (Action for Good Governance and Networking in India) celebrates its 10th anniversary of service to the city. As ever at election time, AGNI is proposing that citizens on the widest front should:

• Present political decision-makers a Citizens’ Charter relating to security and quality of life in Mumbai and to the caliber and quality of candidates proposed for election.
• Transform last time’s non-voters into this time’s voters: increase the voter turnout from 48% (2004) to at least 60% (2009).
• Mobilize large citizen numbers so as to be taken seriously: NGOs, housing societies, parishes, clubs, mandals and other citizen groups.
• Mobilize those who have let down democracy, their city and themselves in election after election through poor turnout at the polls: the middle class. Yet these citizens understand national issues better than most.
• Encourage them to demand what happens to the money we contribute as taxes to the Centre.
• Use events and word-of-mouth media at Ward and Sub-Ward level, meetings and leafleting; work with Rediff.com on an internet campaign.
• When fighting terror, strike a blow for better quality of life: November 26 is only the most recent instance of governance failure. It’s the same callous, inefficient official mechanism that underlies everything in national life from health and urban planning to protection of the environment, human rights and finance.
• Exploit the fact that winning margins are slender in our highly fragmented polity.
• Create opportunities for citizens to interact with candidates and rate them in collaboration with the ADR. Mr. Sukthankar said that AGNI had forged working partnerships, apart from ADR, with the Bangalore-based citizen movement Janaagraha and Group of Groups (GoG), an alliance of citizen groups in Mumbai. AGNI presented a few examples of work in progress on media materials.