The promise of the AAP is to offer a new way of practising politics and giving fresh meaning to the idea of democracy. The AAP is certainly delivering on some fronts. Its method of funding is unique, depending as it does on supporters quite literally putting their money where their mouths are. The highly personal, engaged and low-cost form of campaigning restores to democratic practice the idea of treating each voter as an individual rather than banding her in a larger, usually identity based collective. The idea that members of the legislature are representatives of people more than their rulers is one that finds expression in the methods used by the party. The campaign consists of several volunteers, who are part of the team not as professional political workers but amateurs fired by the idea of a new kind of governance. The process of selecting candidates too shows a desire to go beyond the usual considerations that govern the choices made by traditional political parties.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 06:00:27 +0000