Having captured the public mood against corruption and stirred up Parliament over the Lokpal issue, social activist Anna Hazare and his team have now set their sights on electoral reforms. Announced last Saturday, Anna's next campaign will focus on the right to recall elected representatives, the right to reject candidates contesting elections and demand MPs be subjected to annual performance audits. Election reforms with the aim of improving the quality of our legislators are long overdue. But here too an all-or-nothing attitude that typified the Jan Lokpal movement needs to be discouraged in favour of wider consultations with civil society.
Recalling elected representatives for perceived non-performance in the middle of their terms can be arbitrary and problematic, as it would motivate losing candidates and parties to keep making trouble for winning ones and thereby hamper governance. But the proposal to grant the voter the right to reject all candidates on the ballot is an excellent one. At present, the electorate has no say over the choice of nominees for elections. The latter are foisted on the people by political parties, leaving voters with the depressing task of electing the least unsuitable candidate. In fact, this lack of suitable choice discourages voters from exercising their franchise.
