Search Results for: Citizens and Politicians Engagement: From Confrontation to Constructive Co-operation

Today, representatives and citizens are seen as two separate entities, creating an “us versus them” feeling. This needs to change. One way to do this is to create the equivalent of a “Social Causes for India” project. These 5-10 hours from each of us can make a huge difference in bridging the chasm that exists … Continue reading Citizens and Politicians Engagement: From Confrontation to Constructive Co-operation – Part 5

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 … Continue reading Citizens and Politicians Engagement: From Confrontation to Constructive Co-operation – Part 4

Third, technology can help complement the face-to-face interactions. All elected representatives must have web pages, email IDs and mobile keywords wherein citizens can send feedback, suggestions and grievances to them. A time-based response mechanism must be set up. Companies do this, so why not the political class? The need is for a citizen relationship management … Continue reading Citizens and Politicians Engagement: From Confrontation to Constructive Co-operation – Part 3

First, there need to be forums where citizens can debate issues amongst themselves. The problem today is that there are too many claimants for the civil society mantle. Instead, what needs to happen is neighbourhood forums where citizens can debate and arrive at a consensus. These deliberations have to become the foundation of our democracy. … Continue reading Citizens and Politicians Engagement: From Confrontation to Constructive Co-operation – Part 2

Even as Parliament gets down to discussing the details of the Lok Pal Bill, we need to take some learnings from what has happened in August. First, India’s middle class and youth have genuine reason to be unhappy. Anna tapped into their discontent about corruption, and struck a chord. There is a need to address … Continue reading Citizens and Politicians Engagement: From Confrontation to Constructive Co-operation – Part 1

Transforming India (Dec) When Gujarat Met China (Nov) Why Gujarat is Different (Nov) UPA 2’s Mid-term Blues (Nov) Citizens and Politicians Engagement: From Confrontation to Constructive Co-operation (Oct) Getting to the Goal of Good Governance (Sep) The Right Fight (Aug)  State of the Nation (Jun) BJP’s Project 275 for 2014 (Jun) Verdict 2011 (May) Big … Continue reading Best of 2011: Politics