Should I vote when I turn eighteen?
It's a matter of only some some months before before I turn eighteen. It's a matter of only some months before the burden of Universal Adult Suffrage will be thrown upon me. I say burden, because in the wake of all of today's happenings, voting doesn't seem like a Fundamental Duty( as said in our Constitution ) to me anymore.
The present state of our nation is shambles, in every aspect. The list of problems we face today is simply endless- Economic slowdown, inflation, terrorism, rampant corruption, educational failure, health and sanitation issues, the list can go on and on. Then there are the scams as the cherry on top of the cake called 'anarchy'. It makes me wonder, that if all the taxes we pay are going to be stashed-away in anonymous foreign bank accounts, why even pay them? The first time I saw the news of the 2G spectrum allocation scam, I was left astounded by the astronomical loss which that had caused to the government. But now, the occurrence of scams being exposed has become so regular that I've been numbed. This is how sad the state of our country is.
Our 'netas' are supposed to be the ones who are to lead the country to glory, but what we see today is far from it. They are taking the country not to new heights of glory, but to new heights of misery. Earlier, at the dawn of elections, political parties used to show people dreams of a developed India. Now, all the parties' propaganda consists is telling people how they will expose all the misdeeds of the ruling party. But what do they do when they themselves attain power? They commit the same heinous scams, and the other parties again make the aforementioned (fake) promises. Even the potential voters have started feeling disgusted by this vicious cycle, and I am sure this is a definite reason for the low voter-turnouts that have been seen in all recent elections.I have started to feel that there is NO politician at all, in this country, whose attributes are convincing enough, and whose reputation is clean enough, for him/her to be voted to power.
I would like to quote a dialogue from a film called 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'. It goes-" At the precipice, we change. " I hope that the precipice arrives soon, and I can actually vote for someone with credibility. But till then, should I really vote?
The present state of our nation is shambles, in every aspect. The list of problems we face today is simply endless- Economic slowdown, inflation, terrorism, rampant corruption, educational failure, health and sanitation issues, the list can go on and on. Then there are the scams as the cherry on top of the cake called 'anarchy'. It makes me wonder, that if all the taxes we pay are going to be stashed-away in anonymous foreign bank accounts, why even pay them? The first time I saw the news of the 2G spectrum allocation scam, I was left astounded by the astronomical loss which that had caused to the government. But now, the occurrence of scams being exposed has become so regular that I've been numbed. This is how sad the state of our country is.
Our 'netas' are supposed to be the ones who are to lead the country to glory, but what we see today is far from it. They are taking the country not to new heights of glory, but to new heights of misery. Earlier, at the dawn of elections, political parties used to show people dreams of a developed India. Now, all the parties' propaganda consists is telling people how they will expose all the misdeeds of the ruling party. But what do they do when they themselves attain power? They commit the same heinous scams, and the other parties again make the aforementioned (fake) promises. Even the potential voters have started feeling disgusted by this vicious cycle, and I am sure this is a definite reason for the low voter-turnouts that have been seen in all recent elections.I have started to feel that there is NO politician at all, in this country, whose attributes are convincing enough, and whose reputation is clean enough, for him/her to be voted to power.
I would like to quote a dialogue from a film called 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'. It goes-" At the precipice, we change. " I hope that the precipice arrives soon, and I can actually vote for someone with credibility. But till then, should I really vote?
Nimish,
ReplyDeleteThis is a well thought and written post. The issue you are addressing is one of those conundrums that seem to be hopeless in itself, but there is always a way. I am a firm believer in the old maxim -- you get the government you deserve! So, my humble submission would be to indulge in the Universal Adult Suffrage (strange isn't it, what sounds awful is actually good for you:)) and start making a difference! Good post to begin with and hope you sustain the fervour,
Regards,
Harshad