The MP and his role

Constituency-based Manifestoes?

By Harish Bijoor

The Member of Parliament is a macro entity at large. He or she is the representative of an average 18 lakh plus people of voting age. This really means that they represent very truly double that number of 18 lakhs and maybe more, as there are lots of people of non-voting age as well. A big responsibility this!

When a Member of Parliament voted into the Lok Sabha represents a constituency, what does he really do? What must one expect from him? Few in the citizenry really know what to expect. At this point of time, one expects little or nothing at all.

Expecting nothing at all is a philosophical and safe thing to do, but not a great thing at all. It is an abdication of demand altogether. Something the MP would love, but something an active citizenry cannot afford to have.

I do believe there is a new need to re-define expectations from the ones we are going to vote into power. Come May 16, 2009 and we will have a representative voted into Parliament from each of our 543 constituencies. What can one expect from them?

Macro politics? Of the kind where there are key issues on debate and where they will contribute in terms of a debate (in very rare cases, as very few of our MPs really speak in Parliament. Possibly the election process and all the Public meets exhausts them for all of five years!) and a vote in favor or against a move. Quite like what every MP contributed on the Nuclear Treaty recently.

Or Micro politics? Of the kind where every MP runs to get his constituency into the lime-light of everything doled out? While an MP will claim the building of a large number of public toilets in his constituency, another will claim the putting up of a bridge in his. Is this what one expects from an MP? And did he really do it?

Let me cascade this demand into just one city. Let’s take Bangalore. We have all of 4 MP’s going into Parliament soon. One each from Bengaluru Rural, Benguluru Central, Bengaluru North and Bengaluru South. Each will either be a party person or an independent of repute. Whoever it is, an MP is an MP. Once elected he will represent all the electorate, never mind the color of the flag that flies atop the house or never mind the symbol the home stamped on at the hustings.

What to expect from our 4 MP’s from Bangalore then, when they make it there? Time to list this out then, so that we may get them to swear by these as part of their manifesto and agenda.

I do believe every city and every constituency needs to define for itself a manifesto. An agenda of action. Party manifestoes announced grandiosely mean precious little to individual cities. And in the guise of the macro, every micro need gets engulfed. Also, on more occasions than not, macro goals are difficult to measure. The metrics are macro and opaque as well.

Very quickly then, what must be the plan of action for Bangalore? What must the candidate pick as issues?

You decide. Lay out these issues in front of the candidate who comes up to you seeking your vote. Ask every candidate his or her agenda for Bangalore. Let it cover the basics for a start. Better roads for Bangalore? Better infrastructure of every kind that a modern and burgeoning city must boast of? Faster connectivity to the exit hubs of the city. To the airport, the railway station and the Inter-state bus hubs? A take on pollution? A take on a greener and ecologically correct Bangalore? The insulation of good water? The power insulation for the summer months? Garbage-management as the biggest issue ahead of us? Social issues such as managing the discontent of all those youngsters laid off and yet to be laid off in the coming months? An entertainment district for Bangalore? A take on moral policing?

Whatever the issue is, lay it out there for the candidate. This is the only chance. Take it.

Harish Bijoor is a Brand and Political strategy specialist.
Email: harishbijoor@hotmail.com
Mobile: 0 98440 83491