Editorial
Political party manifestos
Time for them to be meaningful documents
THE major political parties are in the process once again of preparing their manifestos in advance of the coming elections. We hope that this time around that the procedure is a meaningful one and that the manifestos truly serve as roadmaps for how each party will comport itself over the next five years, and that the parties will hold themselves accountable for their promises.
First and foremost, we would like to endorse the suggestion put forth at a recent seminar that the manifestos should encompass not only what polices the party will follow if it wins the election, but also set out its own plan for how it will conduct itself if it loses.
Most importantly, we would like to see the manifestos affirm that the parties will gracefully accept the verdict of the polls. Furthermore, we would be gratified if each manifesto were to pledge that the party, if it loses, will not boycott parliament and will strive to play a productive role in parliamentary politics.
A strong, loyal and conscientious opposition, and one that is an integral part of the democratic process and not trying to bring the process down, is as crucial to a successful democracy as the government. To this end, we would also like to see a pledge from the parties that they will eschew hartals and any other kind of coercive, violent, and disruptionist measure when in opposition.
Furthermore, we would like the parties to take their manifestos seriously, something they have never done in the past. It would be heartening to see the manifestos be considered as solemn promises to the public that the parties pledge to uphold.
If a party, either in government or in opposition, veers away from its promises in the manifesto then we would expect that it would admit its failure. In fact, the party should have an internal mechanism to periodically review the progress of implementation and take corrective measures wherever necessary in order to avert loss of public face. Here the media must also play a role to objectively monitor the performance of the parties in light of their manifestos and give them reminders to keep to their commitments.
If the parties take this stance, then their manifestos will at long last be meaningful documents, and the public can make an informed choice based on what it sees therein. We sincerely hope that the parties take this notion to heart and we especially second the proposal that manifestos should encompass a code of conduct for parties if they lose in the upcoming election, as well as if they win.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments