Can Political opposition ever praise the government?

A trillion Dollar dichotomy

Instead of looking at the world, let us look only at India, and that is what matters to us most. Let me look at the present scenario where a BJP government came into power in 2014 and till date it rules the country.

No one can be perfect and no government can be always right. And in the same breath one would admit that it is the right and duty of opposition to keep the government in power in check, ask questions, make suggestions and ensure that the government is performing to the satisfaction of the people who elected them.

The term opposition means the group that opposes and a democracy flourish upon this very tenet. Idea is to have checks and balances built within a system. Yet there is no rule which says that opposition cannot praise the government for any job done well. Opposition is in opposition but not an enemy. You can be an adversary but not an enemy.

India is a developing nation

We are just 75-year-old or young. A nation progresses decade on decade and earlier ‘maap tol’ was done on a century basis. Today even the company profits are taken on quarterly basis and progress of a PM measured according to a report card made within first hundred days!

Every nation has different set of problems, background, history, resources and so many other factors that there can be no one size that fits all way of governance.

Yet in the broader sense every country must have a sensible strong and well-meaning opposition. These three words are important and the one which is most important is ‘well-meaning’.

Intention is important

Intention defines integrity. The following sentence sums it up. ’If you have integrity nothing else matters and if you do not have integrity nothing else matters.’

Intention of the government and the ruling party must weigh every action or reaction through the lens of ‘national interest’ and the opposition must keep this as a yard stick to measure the intention of the government action or inaction. This is the litmus test for both.

Throw in the towel##### go naked

Perceived shadow boxing

The political parties in the opposition as of today are in an aggressive mode and mood and try to criticize each and every move of the government. You cannot be seen as sparring for the heck of it. It seems that the ruling as well as opposing groups feel their voice is limited to 400 people sitting in a hall or a rally of 100000 people. At worst they forget that they are on live TV speaking to millions- they feel they are in a cozy studio with four for and four against in a debate and anchor in the middle.

This is a dangerous assumption. With you tube you can view and review a sentence ten times to get to the bottom of the matter.

A foot in the mouth syndrome

The government of the day has established one thing- that they have a good intention and every step is ‘boldly’ taken for the good of the nation. The leadership and intent of the Prime Minister has been established across the world. For a very long time the Indian populace wanted to see a strong decisive, nationalist CEO and now they have one.

India is a very complex country to run. With so many languages, sub cultures and hugely varying terrain from mountains to the coastal areas closer to the equator is a melting pot. A population of 1.5 billion and its ramifications/complexities/problems is something which neither Indians nor the foreigners can ever fathom.

Yet the people can see through the intention of a political party that is the government and the opposition. This is not a rocket science and one doesn’t have to be a scientist or an economist to understand the difference between good and the bad- it boils down to gut feeling and we have 1. Billion strong guts.

Awareness of the masses

Everyone is not a rocket scientist in India, but most understand the problems and short falls that we have. We know our external threats and internal weaknesses pretty well. We are also aware of our own strengths and weaknesses at individual levels.

Yet collectively we are united. In peace and more during war.

Lessons for the opposition

Today information is consumed mostly through TV and social media- print is also there to play its part. With news on your mobile the pollical parties under scrutiny 24 by 7.

On a TV one can by now predict what opposition is going to say about a particular action of the government. The opposition has become so predictable that the public at large is tired of their negative stand on everything the government is doing.

They sometimes in frustration ‘throw in the towel’ even if they then look totally naked in front of the public- that is why people do not take them seriously. They are eroding their own image and, in a way, it helps the ruling party.

A case in point is Operation Sindoor which we won hands down against Pakistan. The whole nation is jubilating and congratulating the armed forces for this victory must you criticize the government of the day? The opposition may not and this case has nothing to say against this operation, then must you say something so inconsequential which appears silly to try and score a so-called brownie point? Some one from the sixth string will come and make a remark which is not only outlandish but out right indefensible. In politics you must understand the mood of the nation and then very carefully open your mouth.

On the contrary look at Pakistan, who got battered badly but all of them are saying they won. Instead of criticizing them you are criticizing your own side!

Parting shot

If opposition makes a constructive criticism, come up with a better solution to the problem and when government does something good have the gumption of praising them the people will appreciate that and you will flip up your character quotient balance.

‘That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part’ -Thomas Jefferson