Every few months we are treated to the same political circus. A party wins an election. Voters celebrate. Defeated parties lick their wounds. Commentators analyse the verdict. Then, just when everyone thinks the story is over, the real entertainment begins.
MLAs and MPs suddenly develop what can only be described as a miraculous change of ideology. Overnight they discover that the party they spent years criticising is actually a wonderful place to be. Principles evaporate faster than a puddle in the May sun. Loyalty packs its bags. Conscience quietly slips out of the back door.
The whole country watches in disbelief as elected representatives cross the floor in large numbers, carrying with them the mandate given by thousands of voters.
But can they really do that?
When we elect an MP or MLA, we are not merely choosing a pleasant face with a folded pair of hands and an impressive election speech. We are choosing someone to represent a particular set of ideas and policies. They become the voice of the people who voted for that ideology. The seat may legally belong to them, but morally it belongs to those who sent them there.
Imagine a cargo ship leaving Mumbai harbour loaded with goods for a particular country. The owners appoint a captain and crew to deliver those goods safely to the agreed destination. Halfway across the ocean, the captain announces that he has changed his mind. He turns the ship around and sails into an enemy port where the cargo is sold for his own benefit.
What would we call such a captain?
Certainly not a visionary.
We would call him a thief.
He has stolen property entrusted to him and handed it over to someone who had no right to receive it.
Is political defection really any different?
The mandate belongs to the voters. The elected representative is merely its custodian. When that representative shifts to another party without first seeking the approval of the people, the mandate is effectively stolen and gifted to someone else.
And what about the party that happily welcomes the defector?
If someone knowingly buys a stolen car, the law does not applaud the bargain. The vehicle is returned to its rightful owner, and the buyer may also face the consequences. Why should politics operate by a different moral standard?
Perhaps the answer is remarkably simple. The moment an elected representative crosses the floor, the seat should automatically fall vacant and a fresh election should be held. Let the people decide whether they approve of the new political journey.
After all, if a ship changes course without its owners' permission, you do not reward the captain.
You arrest the rogue captain, and put him in chains, before he sinks democracy…!
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