Governance thrives only if people in media and civil society further the causes of public interests and public accountability system to raise the standards of basic governance. While collaboration is a compulsion for power wielding politicians and in-service bureaucrats for pursuance of government’s agenda of governance, the people in media are civil society without seeking role in implementation of the government’s governance agenda have freedom to identify lapses and shortcomings in the implementation of policies and processes of governance. To further the bigger causes of the delivery of public services the people in media and civil society have to strike a balance between the political parties in power and the bureaucrats holding key positions in the civil and police administration. While respect and freedom to people’s thoughts and beliefs is the duty of the political parties in power and bureaucrats controlling civil and police administration, opinion making for the purposes of improving the public accountability is the duty of media and civil society. While governance is the job of power wielding politicians and in-service bureaucrats running the affairs of civil and police administration , the people in media and civil society can use the latest tools of opinion making for smoothening the process of public accountability system. Changing the names of anti-graft bodies won’t change the basic public accountability system in Jammu & Kashmir but change in the institutional and administrative structure of anti-graft bodies can surely make a difference. Not the people in politics but people in media and civil society as major players of opinion making process have to build opinions for changing the institutional and administrative structure of basic accountability system in Jammu & Kashmir. It has been experienced in recent years that Institutions work only if people controlling the government show respect to bigger public opinions on basic accountability system and once the governments tend to be indifferent to public opinions on basic accountability system the consequential outcome is the collapse of institutions.
For improving the basic public accountability system the people in media and civil society will have to change the tracks of opinion making in Jammu & Kashmir. Nothing is possible if people have the will and determination to change challenges into opportunities.
Just ponder over the collapse of the health system during last two years of pandemic, the uncontrolled shrinking of famous water bodies in Kashmir, Unaccountable education system the most important parts of which are educational institutions run in public and private sectors, the encroachment of lanes and drains, bad roads, the uncontrolled water and air pollution and the messy power generation system. For improving the basic public accountability system the people in media and civil society will have to change the tracks of opinion making in Jammu & Kashmir. Nothing is possible if people have the will and determination to change challenges into opportunities.
