Dictatorship Politics Should End

I’m no political guru or polling pundit, just a young, politically savvy kid whose family had for generations been involved in politics and in the struggle for freedom on the Indian Subcontinent. I don’t know as much as ‘the board’ of the Liberap Pary knows about politics in Canada, but let me tell you one thing that I have learnt well from generations of political experience; this attitude will kill democracy and is the first step towards corruption and feuds.

Politics is not about being exclusive; it’s about being inclusive. Time and again history has proved that the greatest kings and emperors were not defeated by the enemies beyond the battle lines, but by the ones created within by highly protective commanders. We need to learn from history and the next leader of the party should learn to be accessible to the masses, soldiers, servants and the faithful of the party.

Many faithful Liberals have been looking for the ‘shepherd’s bell’ that citizens use to call the king when they are in trouble; alas they never knew it was safe in the pockets of ‘the board’. I don’t challenge the trust and faithfulness of ‘the board’ to Martin or the party, but too much of love and protection is never good for the leader. I remember what my father told me about political advisors when I was young. It is like holding a bird, ‘enough pressure to not let it fly, but not too much too kill it’

While many have been calling for the expulsion of ‘the board’, I think they are the most valuable people in the party and should be a part of the rebuilding. The new party should not emerge from their ashes, but with their shoulders firmly supporting it. Again I cannot reiterate how much the great is now to be inclusive, inclusive of every one.

The party is only a few million dollars in debt, and all leadership candidates should pledge to help end that debt. With the change in fundraising rules, there is a need to go back to where we came from, decades and decades ago- the grassroots.

Let us not forget that when the fundraising rules changed, the Conservatives had an upper hand only because of their strong grass root support and they won the elections for the same reason. We are down but not done, the party needs to rejuvenate, and if we need to do that then ‘the board’ needs to go to the grass roots as servants of the party not dictators.

Article Author: Vijay Sappani

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