Editorial Viewpoint
The right to decide
The forthcoming elections for seven new trustees of the Bombay Parsi
Punchayet (BPP) now seems to be narrowing down to finding suitable
candidates. While voter registration appears to be functioning
smoothly with the Adult Franchise for Progress (AFP), the World
Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) and now the Parsi Resource Group (PRG) engaging in the exercise, the question that looms is of selecting candidates.
Amongst those in the fray so far are Yazdi Desai of WAPIZ who had
contested earlier against sitting BPP trustee Dinshaw Tamboly and
lost; Arnavaz Mistry, a social worker from Dadar who worked closely
with the late BPP trustee Silloo Kavarana; former BPP trustee and
former municipal corporator Rustom Tirandaz who thereafter lost two
reelection bids to the BPP; and the latest entrant, PRG founder Jimmy Mistry.
Mistry’s entering into the fray is bound to raise the stakes. A
flamboyant self-made millionaire with a penchant for the extravagant, Mistry is expected to bring innovation, high energy and a sizable coffer to the poll battle.
While he has his fair share of detractors who question his business
propriety, he has managed to put together a group of enthusiastic
volunteers who have undertaken several schemes and programs to enthuse the young and assist the priesthood.
But when community electoral alliances are drawing up their wish lists of candidates, some want to exclude builders. Due to the nature of their business, property developers are always suspect, often unfairly so. With the plethora of rules and regulations governing the trade and the need to interact and seek permission from numerous government agencies, the profession has been tarnished.
But with universal adult franchise no one can bar any individual,
leave aside profession, from contesting. In the old Anjuman Committee(AC) system if the various pressure groups or blocs did not favor a
particular candidate, that person had little chance of winning.
Thus when tax expert Homi Ranina in the 1980s wanted to challenge the Committee for Electoral Rights (CER) hegemony over the elected AC, he enrolled his supporters on the donor register. He thus defeated his opponent, CER activist Fali Poncha.
Over the years the election scheme has been modified to prevent last
minute packing of the donor register (which, along with the elected
representatives, voted for trustees of the BPP). But still the
possibility of individual groups dominating the anjuman committee
remained. In 1992 Dr Syrus Irani almost managed to get his nominees
elected to the AC till the CER awoke to the reality and moved the
Bombay High Court for a stay/extension. The maneuver luckily worked
and the CER made a comeback.
Now with Bombay High Court Justice A. M. Khanwilkar’s historic
judgment on April 5, 2007 sanctioning adult franchise, democracy is
taking root. If more high profile individuals stand, the voters will
have a real choice. Such candidates are more likely to speak their
minds on important community issues. There will be less stepstepping
of key subjects, less opportunity to escape with vague or elusive
answers.
Amongst the issues candidates will have to state their views on, the
following are foremost. The originating summons filed in the Bombay
High Court by former BPP chairman Dr Aspi Golwalla, former BPP trustee and former municipal commissioner of Bombay, Jamsheed Kanga and former managing director of Glaxo and present Tata director Homi Khusrokhan asking for the court’s guidelines on whether the Doongerwadi bunglis can be used for funerary prayers for those opting for alternative means of disposal to dakhmenashini. Making a statement that one will abide by the court’s decision will not be enough. Everyone is obliged to follow the court’s directive. Wha
Punchayet (BPP) now seems to be narrowing down to finding suitable
candidates. While voter registration appears to be functioning
smoothly with the Adult Franchise for Progress (AFP), the World
Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) and now the Parsi Resource Group (PRG) engaging in the exercise, the question that looms is of selecting candidates.
Amongst those in the fray so far are Yazdi Desai of WAPIZ who had
contested earlier against sitting BPP trustee Dinshaw Tamboly and
lost; Arnavaz Mistry, a social worker from Dadar who worked closely
with the late BPP trustee Silloo Kavarana; former BPP trustee and
former municipal corporator Rustom Tirandaz who thereafter lost two
reelection bids to the BPP; and the latest entrant, PRG founder Jimmy Mistry.
Mistry’s entering into the fray is bound to raise the stakes. A
flamboyant self-made millionaire with a penchant for the extravagant, Mistry is expected to bring innovation, high energy and a sizable coffer to the poll battle.
While he has his fair share of detractors who question his business
propriety, he has managed to put together a group of enthusiastic
volunteers who have undertaken several schemes and programs to enthuse the young and assist the priesthood.
But when community electoral alliances are drawing up their wish lists of candidates, some want to exclude builders. Due to the nature of their business, property developers are always suspect, often unfairly so. With the plethora of rules and regulations governing the trade and the need to interact and seek permission from numerous government agencies, the profession has been tarnished.
But with universal adult franchise no one can bar any individual,
leave aside profession, from contesting. In the old Anjuman Committee(AC) system if the various pressure groups or blocs did not favor a
particular candidate, that person had little chance of winning.
Thus when tax expert Homi Ranina in the 1980s wanted to challenge the Committee for Electoral Rights (CER) hegemony over the elected AC, he enrolled his supporters on the donor register. He thus defeated his opponent, CER activist Fali Poncha.
Over the years the election scheme has been modified to prevent last
minute packing of the donor register (which, along with the elected
representatives, voted for trustees of the BPP). But still the
possibility of individual groups dominating the anjuman committee
remained. In 1992 Dr Syrus Irani almost managed to get his nominees
elected to the AC till the CER awoke to the reality and moved the
Bombay High Court for a stay/extension. The maneuver luckily worked
and the CER made a comeback.
Now with Bombay High Court Justice A. M. Khanwilkar’s historic
judgment on April 5, 2007 sanctioning adult franchise, democracy is
taking root. If more high profile individuals stand, the voters will
have a real choice. Such candidates are more likely to speak their
minds on important community issues. There will be less stepstepping
of key subjects, less opportunity to escape with vague or elusive
answers.
Amongst the issues candidates will have to state their views on, the
following are foremost. The originating summons filed in the Bombay
High Court by former BPP chairman Dr Aspi Golwalla, former BPP trustee and former municipal commissioner of Bombay, Jamsheed Kanga and former managing director of Glaxo and present Tata director Homi Khusrokhan asking for the court’s guidelines on whether the Doongerwadi bunglis can be used for funerary prayers for those opting for alternative means of disposal to dakhmenashini. Making a statement that one will abide by the court’s decision will not be enough. Everyone is obliged to follow the court’s directive. Wha
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