Editorial: Politics of Endless Reruns

The political space is hosting a rerun, again; playing out the same contest of allegations, counter-allegations, mud-slinging, proclamations and condemnations. The nature of the allegations, and the quality of repartees have remained unchanged ever since Sikkim made space for political wrangling. Allegations of corruption, dilution of Sikkim’s special status and denial of local protection make up the grist of all attacks from the Opposition camp, and reminders of the people’s mandate and calls to go over its own track-record form the basis of all retorts from the ruling front. This time around, a unique aberration has been added to the mix in the nature of the odd alignment in which the opposition is coming from expelled ruling party members promoting the case of a legislator still wearing the ruling party colours. This befuddlement, if those currently on a vicious anti-government drift are serious about consolidating the anti-incumbency sentiments, will have to be cleared soon. We leave that projection for some time later, for now let’s return to the quality of political debate. 
While reiterations of the same allegations and counters might draw applause and sniggers from supporters of the respective sections, for an unattached receiver of these exchanges, the content and approach arrive as examples of lazy politics, albeit vigorously played. The same issues have been endlessly regurgitated, repackaged and redeployed, and while political game-plans are for the respective players to chart out, having appropriated a public life for themselves, politicians owe more to the people by way of the quality of debate they bring to the public space. Corruption, protection of local laws and local people are not non-issues, and because they are important, they deserve stronger homework and more convincing arguments. The ongoing exchange on these issues, it is obvious, is playing out to a bored audience since neither side has been able to excite passionate support among the lay people even if their constituent supporters are on hyperactive mode. The endorsement of supporters is automatic for each side, but as far as the general masses are concerned, they read, some even follow developments, many get confused, and none are really “informed” well enough to take a public stand on these issues. That is the failure of both, the ruling as well as the Opposition camps, because the lack of public engagement on these matters is not a manifestation of an informed choice, but a disinterest imposed by muddled polemics. To these generalities are being added conspiracy theories and personal explanations and attacks. The ruling party trying to explain why an MLA was sidelined and the MLA seeking to pre-date his disaffection to before the elections are of little real interest to the people at large. Had it mattered to them, their inquisitiveness would not have had to wait three years for an explanation. But since these are being offered up in with no punches being pulled, the people receive it as an amusing diversion from the otherwise boring political space in the interregnum between elections. Rhetoric is entertaining and rehashing demands fewer risks than deploying creativity and commitment to introduce something new to public political discourse which in turn demands complete immersion in ideology and a clear idea on how to promote it. But then, such clear delineation is not possible in the present bout because of the complications created by the fact that the opposition mood is currently led by a ruling party legislator.
Be that as it may, how the dissident MLA and the rest already in the opposition camp engage in the upcoming panchayat elections will present a sampling of how successfully they can lobby among the already disaffected and whether they can expand their existing constituencies. In that sense, the panchayat elections should be welcomed by the people at large because not only will it force the opposition camp to engage more clearly at the people-to-people level, but will also see the ruling front get down to the brass-tacks of grassroots empowerment more earnestly by exacting greater accountability.