Fifth, political parties must explore the concept of primaries to foster inner-party democracy. At one time, Indian political parties used to have this. But this has slowly disappeared. By bringing primaries, we will ensure that local issues have importance, and it will also give importance to local leaders, who in turn will be more accountable to their constituents.
Finally, we need to discuss more about the role that we citizens can play. From what we have discussed above, the role of citizens seems quite narrow — confined to debate, sharing issues with elected representatives and voting. This cannot be all. Citizens need to help their elected representatives and do some volunteer work during their spare time. Involvement in actual work builds up trust and improves bonding between elected representatives and citizens.
Continued tomorrow.
