Losing Faith

Editorial:

There is a disturbing trust deficit in the society, and this is essentially a community affliction even though the noises are screamed individually and in private. Most people have reservations about how the politicians function. The first reaction to a politician’s statement is to look for the “hidden agenda” behind it. People who are expected to decide on policy matters, drawing their decisions from years spent honing statecraft in the public domain, are rarely taken at face value any more. Every decision, move and promise is slotted to fit an ulterior political motive.

Such is the received idea that we obtain from the dubious deals made by the politicians and their aides. So much so that the word politician has come to mean “nothing serious.” Of course, this is not a recent notion, but, and specially in our country, a notion that has gained ground with the workings, or rather ‘mis-working’, of certain stalwarts of the political arena: the love-hate relationship of two widely differing parties, or for that matter, the coming together of opposing forces, who forget their differences and ideals to forge alliances - of course, for joint benefits. So we say, “bad politics, worse politicians.” But who are we? Where is our voice? We wait and see; see and criticise; criticise and do little else. If our politicians are corrupt and unsatisfactory, it is perhaps because we are incompetent too. We ignore issues that confront us. What should concern us from the very start only begins to interest us when mud starts flinging. Issues get so enmeshed and entangled by the time the various politicians have played havoc through them that the correct perspective is lost. And this is almost always the point when the public wakes up. No matter how much we scream against sensationalism, we have to admit that only when issues are sensationalized, or sentimentalised as happens as often nowadays, do we begin to raise eyebrows and ask questions - even take to the streets. Then, can we blame the politicians for overstating and overreacting? After all, they are only playing to the gallery.

Taking Sikkim’s case, the public has seldom taken the initiative in solving contentious issues. It waits for the politicians to do it for them and politicians desist because they don’t want to take a strong stand and risk losing a vote-bank. So Sikkim dithers, from all sides. And continues doing so until it has painted itself into a corner and then the only way out is by stamping all over fresh paint. An ugly, ungainly sight.