Return to democracy

By the end of today, Jammu and Kashmir will get the complete picture of the seat tallies of the various political parties. But the occasion is not just about the new elected government for the union territory, its significance goes beyond that: this is for the first time in a decade that J&K will return to a democratic rule, albeit, the government that will take over will not be as empowered as before. In fact, the new Assembly will be one of the weakest in the country.  But despite that, restoration of democratic rule is welcome.  In recent years, people have been eagerly looking forward to this prospect. Now, they will have their elected representatives to approach to address their demands and grievances.

We can only hope that the new elected government shares a cooperative relationship with the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for it to deliver  good, responsive and accountable governance, for which people have voted.  In a union territory, a  Lieutenant Governor has a final word on important government decisions, so it should be a constant effort of the new government to ensure the relationship remains constructive and that it works for the larger good of the erstwhile state.

A Governor or an LG rule is supposedly bereft of politics: the government is run by bureaucrats who lend the administration a technocratic dimension. This system may or may not mean better governance but even its positive contributions are eventually undone by its inability to relate to ordinary people.  This is why a democratic government is always preferable. It opens the space for emotion and empathy in governance. It makes people at the helm responsive and accountable for their actions and inactions. And if they don’t come up to the expectations, it makes them easily replaceable through periodic elections.

It is true that the new government will have a tough job on its hands. It lacks the power to deliver on its promises. Every party in the fray has issued grand-sounding manifestos and people will expect the one's forming the government to implement them. But this may not be possible without the new government working out a constructive relationship with the LG and both working together towards the development of the UT, including towards restoration of a full statehood. Here’s hoping for the best.