By Benjamin Lyngdoh
“If a group of rational voters come together then they can pressurise such candidates/parties to instead pool the money and establish an agri-produce collection centre at a centralised location. This will enable the farmers of nearby villages to bring their produce in bulk. The collection centre then acts as a bargaining chip for the farmers to get a better price from the middle-men of Meghalaya and Assam.”
The issue of election freebies is not confined to Meghalaya alone. The two very recent and popular examples concern the Delhi government under Arvind Kejriwal and the central government under Prime Minister Modi. The former has offered a number of freebies such as education, electricity, medical tests, transportation, water, etc which was circulating in the news as revdi (sweet dish) culture; the latter has promised free ration every month to 80 crores Indians till December, 2023. These two examples show that all political parties look at freebies as a means to win votes. This underlines the fact that as long as the people are poor, one can prey on their poverty and propel oneself to power. The case of Meghalaya is more intriguing. While struggling on many socio-economic development indicators, the infusion of election freebies by candidates/parties is troubling. It depicts that politics in Meghalaya is not about vision and goals, growth and development, livelihood and transformation. In the perception of the candidates/parties, the voters can be emotionally and psychologically played with and it basically sends a certain type of message.
The gullible voter
In election campaigning we can commonly hear the political parties say that ‘the voters of this area/constituency are educated and wise.’ In one such campaign, a group of males were feeling proud on being referred to as ‘wise’. However, the experience of recent years points to the contrary. As voters we all have to ask the question of election wisdom. To a large extent, the majority of voters are found to be gullible. As voters we are too quick to accept and believe whatever the candidates say. The practical applicability of the quote ‘public memory is short’ can be seen during elections. In 2018 they said they would improve education and health, create employment opportunities, build world class sporting facilities, preserve the environment, etc. Till date none of these have materialised. Behold! Today they come again with the same promises. If as voters we are indeed educated and wise, then their rhetorical assurances must be ignored. The effective way to ignore is not vote for them anymore. But the ground reality is something else. Candidates are holding football tournaments. It is frustrating as this tournament happens only once in five years. Even the world cup happens every four years. If the voters are wise then we would have rejected such an election tournament. Instead, ask the candidate/party to assure proper grass turf on the field with stands for the people to sit and enjoy the game. This is the best time to reverse the trend of election gullibility.
I did not do my job
in the past
If a candidate/party goes to voters with freebies and trinkets such as blankets, chairs, utensils, sports tournaments, etc during election, it is basically an admission of guilt. It is the guilt of not having done their job during their term of office. No wonder most of the candidates have become so active in the recent six months. In many remote villages, the inhabitants claimed that they have not seen their MLA since the election of 2018. Behold! These days they are appearing again. They are appearing with all promises and gifts. This is the case in all the constituencies of Meghalaya. If the voters are wise, then they would realize that these appearances and gifts are nothing but a feeling of guilt and the business of making up and seeking forgiveness from voters. As voters, do we forgive them? Forgive or not, the candidates have their own ulterior motive which is to fool the gullible voter again. If one shampoo does not work we shift to another. In politics too, it is required to follow the same practice. So far, that has not been the case. This election, will the voters say no to freebies? Further, there is an alarming situation. If the candidate/party has not done its job in the past, what is the guarantee that they would do so in the future? However, there is a catch. When the voters only look at present benefits, then any freebies of the candidates will seem valuable even at the cost of future development.
The scientific
tempered voter
In politics and especially during elections, scientific temper is important. It can be the difference between choosing the right representatives and good governance as against disaster. In short, scientific temper means ‘the ability to think rationally through analysing all developments’. For now, let us look at it from two angles. First, open practice of distribution of money. If a group of rational voters come together then they can pressurise such candidates/parties to instead pool the money and establish an agri-produce collection centre at a centralised location. This will enable the farmers of nearby villages to bring their produce in bulk. The collection centre then acts as a bargaining chip for the farmers to get a better price from the middle-men of Meghalaya and Assam. As of now, many farmers are selling as individuals and this reduces their bargaining power. This can be seen in Laitkor-Nongkrem area itself. But when combined together as a group it will result in better outcomes for the farmers and their households. Second, analyse where the money and freebies are coming from? A candidate works with the principle of ROI (return on investment). All freebies that the voters get are in truth taken as an investment by the candidates. He/she will recover the amount in future, but, recover from where? They will recover from the rights of the people. In future, instead of having ten development schemes, we would be benefited only from five. The only way for voters to make a wise decision is by applying scientific temper. Think rationally and question all developments over the next two months.
In the end, election freebies are just an eyewash meant to deceive. Till date, the only parties that are not using freebies for election gains are VPP and KAM Meghalaya. Experience shows that their campaigns have a different feel to it. It is not about ‘vote for us’ rather ‘this is what is to be done and hence vote for us’. They are more into research and understanding of the ground realities right through the micro/unit levels. It all seems noble but it must be noted that they are new into politics. History has proven that all new parties have noble ideas and visions for development. This is the advantage of newness. That is not a problem. The real problem starts when they grow older and bigger. It is then that compromises happen to fit all and please all especially in coalition politics. HSPDP, KHNAM and PDF are good examples of being initiated as tribal parties for the welfare of the tribal Meghalayan. Today, they are in decline. Alas, election freebies are used as a tool to fool and deceive the voters from the real issues. Well, it is time to get real!
(The writer teaches at NEHU; Email – [email protected])