We are at the last phase of the election and hopefully by this time next week we should be knowing our next Prime Minister. Hopefully. After six weeks and billions of money spent we still have to say hopefully. One thing is for sure we will have a Prime Minister. As no one would like to go back to election again. As all day the eminent analysts keep on saying we will have the worst cocktail and "khichadi" ever cooked. There might be some 50 plus parties sharing the 543 odd MP's with the single largest one not even having 1/5th of the MP's. Technically the party going to make the next government will have to have 50% plus one MP's. So where does the gap fill in with. The 50 odd small parties provide their Members of Parliament and why suddenly they will support the leading two major parties - for money, power and plum ministries and getting the most unethical things done. We are going to end up again with a government born out of unethical means. I am not sure if it was worth voting after all the excitement of voting first time. I hope we, the public, learn a bitter lesson this time around and choose candidates from major parties so that there is clear direction.
What are the options we can have to stop this rot? Well there were suggestions of making voting compulsory? A great idea but I am not sure how practical it is specially in a country where education is still not compulsory for all. I think the better way could be stopping post poll alliances. This will give no opportunity and bargaining power to the smaller parties who are there to be bought. We have cabinet ministers at this time who are ministers from 1989 with all three possible governments. They have only one line manifesto - be with the ruling government and make hay always. Hope the sun never shines on these guys.
What are the options we can have to stop this rot? Well there were suggestions of making voting compulsory? A great idea but I am not sure how practical it is specially in a country where education is still not compulsory for all. I think the better way could be stopping post poll alliances. This will give no opportunity and bargaining power to the smaller parties who are there to be bought. We have cabinet ministers at this time who are ministers from 1989 with all three possible governments. They have only one line manifesto - be with the ruling government and make hay always. Hope the sun never shines on these guys.
