Govts should never be criticised

Not too long ago one of our state governments issued an order calling for a complete gag on anyone speaking against its functioning Two days later it clarified that the order was aimed at curbing fake news not criticism The clarification must have been forced by annoying journalists who like vultures have an annoying habit of asking questions One of them must have confronted a minister or a highranking police officer must have stumbled upon a meme on WhatsApp poking fun at the order thereby forcing an explanationI have always believed that governments should never be questioned because this damages democracy I would never dream of asking any minister questions because I have yet to find one who doesnt work tirelessly day and night in the pursuit of turning India into ShanghaiA gag order would be wasted on me given that I have never had any reason to criticise the government of my state I understand that without this government and the 18odd governments before it I wouldnt have running water for two hours every day My building has underground tanks that store this water offering it to me at all hours but the largesse of those first magical hours come from the government for which I have always been grateful If people do not have running water through the day the blame lies on a lack of underground tanks rather than the government Everyone knows tanks are the problemI have also been full of praise for the infrastructure of my fair city The roads function beautifully during lockdowns and I can never fathom why drivers complain of potholes when I recognise them as part of an exercise in aesthetics Why have smooth roads like every developed country on Earth when we can add a bit of the texture and nuance of India to them Why accept smooth when like our beautiful saris we can have roads that twist and turn in unnatural ways with ridges and plateaus to surprise usLook at the innumerable monuments put up to please our tired eyes There is a large butterfly in Andheri for instance that forces locals to stop and contemplate the mysteries of life whenever they walk past it It makes them glad that their taxes are used to remind them that butterflies exist and should be celebrated Another public hospital would be nice obviously but butterflies made of grass have the potential to attract tourists in much the same way that Chinas Great Wall always hasWe also have Good Governance Day for a reason Some cynics are annoyed that it occurs on the same day as the less wellknown festival of Christmas but I have always believed that worshipping former Prime Ministers is a lot better than worshipping gods or goddesses We are blessed to be in a country where it is often hard to tell ministers apart from demigods so I look forward to dressing up on that day and wishing family and friends Most of them dont know of the existence of Good Governance Day but I hope a significant amount of our taxes will be used over the coming years to rectify that issueCriticism of governments damages democracy in all kinds of ways because I believe it introduces dangerous ideas to the public Take freedom of speech for instance How would our country prosper if we were allowed to say what we felt like and ask elected representatives to work for us instead of themselves Everyone knows that representatives who work for themselves are happier and more productive enabling them to eventually work for us after their third or fourth terms To criticise a government is easy because we are not in positions of power and have no idea how difficult it is to focus on things like healthcare infrastructure and basic amenities while struggling to play politics We have no idea how difficult it is to make ends meet as ministers of Parliament struggling to survive on subsidised mealsI think students should be taught to praise the government at an early age to help them become adults who applaud rather than complain It is only by constantly praising our ministers and allowing them to function without accountability that we can be a strong country We may not have good roads great public healthcare or high standards of hygiene but we have a city that managed to rename itself and if that is not a sign of great governance what isWhen he isnt ranting about all things Mumbai Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet He tweets lindsaypereiraSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paper