Detail, Don’t Just Defame

Editorial:-

This is not the first time that this section is returning to this theme; hopefully it will be the last time for this election season and if one were to dare dream bigger, future elections will present no reason to comment in such a mood. Unfortunately, as far as the present political environment goes, need continues to be felt to urge the contenders in the fray to devote more time to explaining and detailing their stands and positions on the next five years for Sikkim than taking digs at opponents and defaming each other. Need one add, people, at least those not already card bearing members of different camps, will decide their vote based on the developmental blueprint which finds the most appeal with them. Admittedly, nastiness in a campaign speech littered with allegations makes for some vicariously wicked entertainment, but elections are contested on more than TRPs and many more factors need to be pulled in than the immediacy of an applause or the boisterousness of the immediate clique. With little over a fortnight of campaign time left, contenders will be tempted to dodge detailing for the less demanding routine of defaming. The voters, who have this fortnight to demand and get whatever they want, should demand the candidates to approach them with plans and proposals not jokes and snide remarks. They could indulge the latter to unwind after the former has been explained, but not at the cost of sharing manifesto bullet-points.

As this section has repeated often, ridicule and criticism might be necessary garnishing for a political speech, but should not be allowed to become the only ingredients of a public address. The intellectual expanse of a political speaker should spread beyond highlighting failures and shortcomings of opponents. The substance of a public addresses has to be in the solutions that the respective parties and their speakers have devised, the vision they have sketched out for Sikkim and its people for the next five years. Of course, vicious public rhetoric will make a leader a popular public speaker, but it is yet to translate into votes even in Sikkim if past poll performances are taken into consideration.