ICAI Upcoming Elections – a dilemma for a POOR VOTER

Election, election and election…Now a day’s every candidate is trying to lure his/her candidature in such a fashion that he/ she would be the reservoir of all talent/ expertise to take our profession into the next level. Every now and then it seems like we as a professional needs someone who can really understand us and can talk at the required platform as if we are novice in this course of action.

Everyone would agree that there are number of selfishnesses and self motivated goals behind such candidatures and once the target is achieved than there is no dearth of looking back and helping to those who actually trusted upon them and actually voted.

Nonetheless, each time when such election comes , candidates try to ladder up their visibility and try to note down all pending matters/ issues/ concerns and would provide you far more convincing ideas and look for votes and again when such elections are over you will hardly find them acting upon such action plans that they actually promised.

General politics prevalent in India comes in almost same manner and it has now became an art to make all the Voters fooled and get their votes by using all efforts, however ICAI elections presumably different from this culture.

Now,

There are some facts and key observations which everyone needs to answer and ask themselves before getting into these lucrative election campaigning –

1 – Everyone states that they want to do something for profession and that’s why they are contesting such elections but how come a PERSON who really wants to contribute for the betterment of the profession needs such elected posts?

2- Bigger firms try harder to get the place in such committees/ councils even though they are much busier competing with smaller firms and at the end they intended that they would like to do smoothing for smaller firms , can anyone understand this?

3- Why no one talks about the methods which are being used while tendering audits and their award as there is no scope for Proprietorship firms even to file for it and still candidate comes and wants proprietorship firms votes?

4- Maximum portion of the profession is now in corporate world and influencing all segments of the profession however participation in the such councils/ committee is almost nil?

5- Why there is no grievances mechanism against such councils/ committees members which actually works out and perhaps which has been made to serve us but its almost difficult to reach any of such persons to get meaningful revert?

6- Why there is no fair participation in the roles of branch activities as you would find it difficult to get a fair chance to serve even for your branches and reason perhaps would be, these branches provide a ground which normally uses to go for these bigger election and it is almost impossible to get into these committees unless you have done something at branch levels?

7- Is there any mechanism where individual can visualize that how many projects/ tenders have been awarded to the firms which are having presence in such committees?

8- There is no legal binding upon the candidate about the promises that he/ she makes while contesting the election and its fulfillment once elections has won by such candidates?

Please DO NOT get offended after reading the article as this is based on observations which everyone figures it out but afraid to express in words. There is nothing has been pointed in this article to any specific person/ institution and it has just floated for the sake of benefit of VOTERS for the upcoming council elections and under the right to express.

Request to all voters to have courage and wisdom to take meaningful decision while voting and try to think up beyond what actually is being shown/ promised now.

(Author of the article is a practicing CA and can be reached at agrawal.anuj@icai.org )