Vote Because Your Voice Matters

Dear Readers,

D-day is finally here, or should I say ‘V’-Day? It’s time to Vote-in our preferred candidate for the BPP elections tomorrow. I know that most of us are up to here with all the campaigning going on, especially through the last month. Ideally, the community’s initial interest in the elections should have been nurtured into an informed understanding to help members choose the right candidate; it should have motivated us into actively participating in community decisions as voters. Unfortunately, as has been the case even during the last elections, it metamorphosed into confusion with the ever-increasing decibels of alleged cross-accusations and lies, and resulted in numbing the confusion into apathy.

There is no greater risk to democracy than indifference. Especially, in a tiny community as ours, voting is not just about practicing our right and our privilege, it is about being responsible, individually to ourselves, and collectively to our community. But increasingly, many of us, who have lost interest, or worse, hope, in the current governance and leaders, have been refraining from showing up to vote – as has been amply indicated by the dwindling voter-turnout, over the last few elections. Many non-voters share the misplaced belief that by abstaining to vote, they are registering a protest against the system and the institution. Nothing could be further from the truth. As non-voters, you aren’t protesting anything, you’re just putting your lives and futures in the hands of the people who probably don’t want you to vote!

Casting our vote is our ultimate opportunity to have a say in who will represent us, what issues they will address and how they will spend our money. The voter’s continued indifference will cost the community, because it is apathy, in the first place, that has bridled you with an unsatisfactory governance you feel. Abraham Lincoln put it aptly when he said, “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the people and burn their behinds, then they will have to sit on their blisters.”

In our defence, the whole election brouhaha does try our patience. It would also, undoubtedly, be a good idea to stop holding these Mid-term Elections which end up consuming a large amount of time, energy and funds, which we could have otherwise channelized into efforts aimed at community service. One election for all Trustees (every seven or re-stipulated few years), is the best way forward for all concerned. When we move from elections meant to be held one-every-seven-years to three-in-four-years (2015, 2016 and now again in 2018!), the electorate and the electoral process get jaded. That is surely something the BPP needs to look into, and hopefully will.

But for now, don’t let the lazy Sunday or the political tedium overtake your sense of duty as an informed individual and a responsible community member. Take the effort, no matter what, to step out and cast your vote, and register your voice as one that counts. When you don’t vote, you get the government you deserve. So do your duty and vote, even if only to have earned your right to gripe, so you can complain with integrity! On a serious note, vote because your voice matters, and because the one sure way to silence your voice is to not vote at all. If you don’t vote for your own interests, who will?

As always, Parsi Times will lead from the front, providing you Live Coverage of the Elections on Sunday, 1^st July, with fresh, regular Updates from across all of Mumbai’s five Polling Booths – so, ensure to log on to our Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/parsi.times) to catch all the live action and the results.

May the best candidate win! As the song goes… Vote-ever will be, will be…

Have a good weekend. ENSURE YOU CAST YOUR VOTE!

 

– Anahita