Democracy???

Very soon the country will be gripped with election fever. The BJP and Congress will be at each others throats. We will be in for a grand spectacle. But yours trully will have to watch the entire comedy, for that is all i can do. Three months ago, my father (who stays in cochin) called me from chennai to appear at the Taluk office and get my voters ID card. I went and got my photo taken and was told to come in six weeks to pick up my card.

Sounded easy enough. But what ive come to learn of our government is nothing is as easy as it sounds. Sadly our government does not boast of an efficient delivery system. As a result my card was lost in the six week period. So when i finally approached the Taluk office (for which i had to make another journey from chennai), im told the card has not been issued and will take another two weeks. Very well, another two weeks was all right cause it was in synch with my pongal leave. Again i approached the office, and finally im told the card is lost (after having waited four hours in the room with no fans or water). What does one do when a 3 month wait followed by another four hours ends up with a lost card! How does one react. My fuse went off and i ended up yelling at the village officer, which as you all would have realised is only an exercise in futility.

My father explained yelling at the officer was a reason enough to get arrested. Lets try and understand this. The officer need take no accountability, he needs to assume no responsibility. All he needs to say is, theres nothing i can do sir. Its almost like they are paid to pass the buck. As it is our govt and its inefficiency is excused in the name of red tapism. Now we have people who will take no responsibility as well. Where does this leave all of us? Here is me on one side , who's trying to explain my fundamental right is being denied, my father on another who's trying to tell me the goverment works like this and we can't fight it, and the beaurocracy on the third that just cannot be beaten.

The last time i studied ethics, democracy was defined as govt for the people. Now heres what i want all of you to think.. What can we do? Should we fight? If so how can we? PLease pass the message. Lets see what we can possibly do..

PS: lets keep in mind the words of a man who has changed the course of international politics. YES WE CAN.