BPP election concerns

That elections to the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) will be held as scheduled is more or less certain. Much has been written, discussed, debated for and against the elections and the issues that warrant the immediate attention of the new board of trustees. The million dollar question will be: Who will comprise the new board? What will be their leanings? Will it be a coalition? What will be their views on certain burning issues facing the community?

At the present moment we are not sure about who will stand for election though many names keep floating around. For the next seven years these trustees will hold the reins of the community in their hands. Whether they will fulfill the needs and aspirations of the community or continue with the same old bickering and infighting will depend on whom we elect.

If we want the community’s future to be bright, forward looking, prosperous and harmonious it is the duty of each and every man and woman in the community to select the candidate they vote for after detailed scrutiny of his background, his past record in whatever field he may be, his ability to deliver what he promises. At no stage should we be carried away by the propaganda of individual candidates like holding youth rallies, giving lavish dinners, appeasing the priestly class, promising sops like housing.

People must turn out in huge numbers to vote. A turnout of less than 75 to 80 percent will produce skewed results and may tilt the balance in favor of one group or the other.

Let us examine some of the burning issues facing the community and then have a debate among the final candidates. Question them, quiz them and take a time bound commitment from them for implementing necessary measures. We must identify the major issues that the new trustees will need to debate and formulate into a policy statement. These must include prudent financial management of the trusts. Plans need funds and we must ensure that the coffers are not empty. If necessary, the trust can be run on corporate lines to generate more revenues.

All major policy formation must be the joint responsibility of the board and implementation will be by the CEO of the BPP under any one trustee. No backtracking or floor crossing should be tolerated. A housing policy must be placed in charge of a non-controversial trustee. The housing portfolio must not be entrusted to architects, builders, interior decorators or land grabbers. If we are not careful we will go from the frying pan into the fire should trustees with ulterior motives be elected.

Our dwindling numbers should be of major concern to policy makers. All humbug from self appointed spokesmen that our numbers are increasing should be dispelled and the true facts and statistics must form the basis for policy formulation.

Disposal of the dead is a very sensitive issue and must be dealt with in a manner that is fair to all and not just as per the dictates of the priestly class or the orthodoxy who are blind to the changing times and environment. More importantly, we need to accelerate the process of change before the health authorities step in.

We all hope and pray that our children marry within our fold. But for nearly 25 percent of us this turns out to be wishful thinking. Our daughters who marry outside are more discriminated against than the boys though they are willing and determined to bring up their children as Parsis. It is time we remove the blindfolds from our eyes and accept their offspring within our fold. Will the trustees be wise and brave enough to put an end to this discrimination or are they waiting for the courts to complete the task?

We must grab this opportunity and act responsibly by electing candidates wisely for if we do otherwise history will never forgive us. ERUCH A. ENGINEER

aban007@hotmail.com