The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE major political parties, their leaders and workers, are showing a growing impatience about the holding of the national elections. They seem to have altogether forgotten the situation which they themselves had created a year ago when the holding of the elections became an impossibility. The elections, then, could be rammed through, of course, but at the cost of its rejection overwhelmingly by the people and the slide into worse unstable conditions. But now, the helmsmen of these same political parties are all for the fastest holding of elections completely overlooking the fact of their too great irresponsibility in hazarding the staging of such elections in the first place. The herculean efforts which have become the imperative to clean the very messy stables left behind by them also appear to be understood inadequately.

The interim government has carried out decisive reforms in the Election Commission (EC), the main machinery to conduct and oversee every aspect of holding dependable elections. The EC, on its part, is now seen to be fully engaged with what things would be required to accomplish its main task that includes the foolproof preparation of the voter list. It is also seeking to prepare national identity cards that would be of great value in all respects. Both from the highest level of the government and from the EC, a deadline for the holding of elections by the end of 2008 has been declared. The time-frame is reasonable and is likely to be needed to prepare for the sort of flawless elections that everybody should be aiming for so that its results do not become controversial again.

The hurry on the part of politicians and their parties is understandable. The activities of the interim administration are creating both the grounds and the compulsion for real positive changes in the political culture and political system so that a refreshing new start in political life and governance of the country becomes possible. But this approach is an antithesis to what the leaders of the main parties very probably want. They would want perpetuation of what caused this country, its people and the economy so much distress and allowed only a few to prosper at the expense of the country. But the legacy of their politics with no democracy within the political parties, utter lack of democratic tolerance, wielding of power more for individual material advancement, the sway of black money owners over the political and ruling system and poor and corrupt governance thereof are now being sought to be thoroughly and effectively addressed by the caretaker government so that the country can start off from a clean state. The people would realise the significance of not wasting the opportunity they are getting to put the country firmly on the right track on a lasting basis by not responding to cheap sentiments.