What the parties commit in the manifestoes

The countdown has begun. There is hardly three weeks left for the 11th parliamentary election. Campaigning has taken off and the candidates are vying for the support of the voters. However, nothing is clear about what the political parties are committing to the public in their manifestoes.

Prior to the election, political parties make all sorts of promises to the people. This is formally presented in their respective election manifestoes. This has become a custom. With the elections ahead, the parties are geared up. There is hardly any time left, but the manifestoes are yet to be published.

Voters want to know on what basis they should vote for particular candidates, what promises are being made. This is a natural curiousity. Various civil society organisations call upon the political parties to publish their election manifestoes. The political parties respond accordingly, publishing their commitments in the election manifestoes to catch the voters’ attention and support. 

In our country, the public does not have much interest in election manifestoes. This is probably because the pledges made in the manifestoes are hardly ever met after the election. Violating pledges in this manner has become a norm. The people take it for granted that once in power, the parties simply forget all the promises and pledges they made.
This is a sad state of affairs. Politics and governance of any democratic country cannot flourish in this manner in a democratic country. If breaking promises has become the election culture of the political parties, then there can be no respect and trust between among the people and the politicians.
Despite the negative propensity to break pledges, it is important that the political parties publish their manifestoes. The manifestoes are, in effect, written agreements between the parties and the people. Based on these agreements, the people can make demands on the government they elect to fulfill their commitments. They can hold the government accountable and, at the end of the term, take the broken pledges into consideration when they go to vote once again.
Once the manifestoes are published, these can be discussed by the media and various facets of civil society. It will also help voters to decide when casting their votes. The political parties can take various demands of the people into cognizance when designing their manifestoes. For example, the Editors’ Council had called upon the political parties to add in their manifestoes the commitment to amend the digital security act. The Hindu Christian Boudhha Oikya Parishad had called for the inclusion of a commitment to ensure security for the minorities.
We hope the election manifestoes of the political parties reflect the hopes and aspirations of the people. It is also hoped that these do not just remain on paper. Then again, it is important to have a commitment as to what will be done if in government and what will be done if in the opposition.