Beyond flattery

When citizens cast their vote, they place their trust in the hands of representatives and send them to assemblies to advance the public interest. In a democratic system, authority is a public trust. Elected representatives are its custodians. Their core responsibility is to speak for the people, resolve their problems, safeguard their rights and pursue the development and prosperity of their constituencies. The moment representatives begin to govern over the people rather than for them, democracy is diminished.

Flattery further undermines this. We often lavish praise on representatives simply for doing their job. Securing a basic service or pushing through a development project is not exceptional, it is the job. Equally, when basic facilities are missing, projects stall or public issues are ignored, questioning those failures is not impertinence, it is a democratic right. Citizens who raise grievances should not be brushed aside or silenced. Their concerns must be heard and answered. We must move beyond personality politics and blind loyalty. What matters are principles, merit, the law and the public good.

Muhammad Iqbal Awan

Mianwali