DailyPost 2877
THE EPITOME OF DISCRETION
People who have experienced lives where delivery in entirety has been the touchstone, would scarcely believe that widespread discretion can ever be properly used. Discretion as a mass scale of gigantic scale is inversely proportional to delivery and success and more so of development and growth, leave aside the higher goals of an individual, enterprise, community and the country. Without being cruel to the accomplishments in making democracy robust and governance; both enforcement and regulatory, the current prevalent dose of discretion in the system can at best be called feudal.
Consistently gobbling up the space of others around, the world of discretion has grown in concentric circles for the powers that be and who work on their behalf. Having done that, they also feel and most of the time are able to push a diktat that they need not be questioned. That they are doing their job in the best interest of the masses or the beneficiaries and given that stance there is no purpose in asking them anything. Might be self-defeating. They would in any way deliver the best. The leap of faith cannot be taken to that level. Faith and trust has always been misused against the ones who have unfortunately been destined to be at the receiving end of the system.
Endless discretion with not allowing even the basic questioning on the top of it, can only make the whole governance mechanism toxic, which it has been for quite some time, notwithstanding who has been in power at the states or the centre. The Public sector and other government agencies can also be included, as in their operation, they are certainly the extension of the government. The biggest dubious achievement of the system has been the successful transformation of a legally mandated structured system, with every responsibility, task and process neatly laid to the present nebulous one.
Big fundas and presumptions apart from the voter / masses point of view, what is the job description of a PM or the CMs and all down the line. Of an elected representative? Does it need begging for a visit endlessly, where by common knowledge, an official visit in the given circumstances is a must. If persons in position decide their duties and responsibilities on their own, inclusive of their accountability or audit mechanisms, it would lead to the predicament we are in, with no saviour in sight and no direction to go. The country is forced to go without governance for long periods during what is called the festival of democracy; the elections. There are no timelines for any task whatsoever but for elections. What a lumpen democratic governance culture we have created?
UNLIMITED AND UNACCOUNTABLE DISCRETION IS TANTAMOUNT TO SUCCESSFULLY BACKSTABBING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.