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 | EC is behaving like an ill-tempered school master Our Correspondent The Election Commission’s diktat that the electronic media cannot telecast anything which can influence voters in the areas where polls are to take place in the 48 hours preceding voting amounts not just to the gagging of the media. It is also a curb on political debate in particular and the freedom of expression in general, for almost any report or comment on a new channel can be construed or misconstrued to be influencing the electorate. Unfortunately, the poll panel’s command to the electronic media is not the first instance of hyper-activism; in the name of conducting free and fair elections, it has been busy grabbing as much power as it can in our political system. State has four organs—the executive, the legislature, the judiciary and the press. During an election, the legislature is not in place; the judiciary is out of the EC’s jurisdiction. This leaves the executive and the fourth estate; the poll panel seems to believe that both should behave likes its slaves. Thanks to the EC’s constitutional status, both government and the media have shown considerable deference, even genuflection, to its capriciousness. But now is the time to take on the EC bosses. To begin with, we should ask if there is any point in controlling political debate. If any politician does not speak or behave properly, let the people take a view; if they find him disagreeable, they will vote him out. Why should a set of bureaucrats decide whether a speech, statement, or action agreeable or disagreeable? After all, democracy is about people’s choice and not about bureaucrats’ whims and fancies. The EC’s meddlesome ways would stifle political debate. They would also curb the freedom of political analysts. Another pretext that the EC uses, ‘influencing voters,’ should also be debunked. It is an incongruous situation: the Central and state governments, using taxpayers’ money, launch a media blitzkrieg with impunity in the run-up to the announcement of elections, as till that time there is model code of conduct; with the announcement, the code comes into being and the advertisements promoting government achievements are not allowed. How ludicrous is the assumption that voters can be influenced only after the announcement of elections and not before that! It is futile to keep a check on any action that can be deemed as an influence on voters not only for practical reasons but also in principle. There is no evidence to suggest that any wooing of the electorate just before the elections has ever helped any party. The people have shown enough prudence in the past. The EC would do better in trusting the prudence of the people. It should stop behaving like a bad-tempered school master. Posted on : 4/20/2009 Mail this article to your friend |