Jammu, December 30: Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli popularly known as Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian renaissance historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer who has often been called the founder of modern political science has said about politics, “Politics have no relation to morals” and if it fits accurately anywhere, ‘it is here it is here it is here’ in J&K.
Most of the politicians of this troubled state have been displaying this trait brazenly for the past several decades having no concern for the moral obligation or public welfare except for publicizing the things that normally should have been under the domain of the petty Mohalla leader if at all probity in politics is anything.
The trait however seems more popular in Jammu where every now and then we find elected representatives ‘kick-starting’ the work on lanes and drains and putting up big plaque stones with their names to remain ‘forever’ in public memory little realizing that such stones are seen uprooted within no time after the change of guard.
These politicians also display their ‘work’ in such a fashion as if they were doing a big favour to public like making lanes and drains which God knows who was supposed to do if not the public servants.
These politicians want to remain in public memory on the expenses of the same innocent public as these stones cost thousands while same money could have been utilized for further repairs if the politician would have left such petty jobs to their election agents instead of calling media and presenting the ‘work’ as if they have created some innovative landmark in the vicinity.
There are numerous such plaques in the state which are lying defunct with both birds and street animals defecating on them making a mockery of the democracy that allows them to throw public money down the drain.
While VIP culture is one disease that has afflicted the politicians the misuse of public money over such plaques is just another which the common man has also stopped questioning thinking it was the indeed needed.
These elected representatives called lawmakers are normally supposed to make good laws and debate in the Assembly with proper homework to get maximum benefits for their electorate but that is hardly what they do and remain busy in ‘kick-starting’ work on lanes and drains and keep Assembly proceedings to show their vocal power instead of making the democracy real powerful institution.
What these politicians must be taught is to utilize their precious time for the public use instead of using it to fill their coffers and waste public money on their own publicity.
However there still are a few politicians who shun such Plaque installation and instead utilize that money for public welfare but the irony is that we as common people don’t give them a second chance thus proving the proverb the people get the government they deserve.
In this connection we recall the contributions of former Mayor of Jammu Narender Singh who always discouraged such a practice and instead used to ask the municipal authorities to utilize that money for further constructions but then we known he was hardly rewarded for his down to earth attitude.
Hence the observation of Niccolo Machiavelli that politics have no relation to morals is proved beyond doubt by our politicians whose only aim is to put up name plaques and day dream to remain in public memory forgetting that public has a very short memory even after installing huge plaque stones and there is always someone somewhere eager o demolish the old stones only to erect another one with his own name. Till then lets count the plaque stones of their ‘great jobs’ done for the public of course on public expenses.