Citizen Action and Governance

The formal skeletal relationship between the process of governance and the citizen has, since the inception of democracy, rested largely on voting and elections. However, democracy itself suffers from the politics of inclusion and exclusion, thereby creating an imbalance through its centralizing politics. In short, the citizen is needed and wooed at the time of an election and after that, government focuses on centralizing law-making, law-application and even law-adjudication. At the dawn of the new century, the relationship between citizen and governance has entered new areas of cooperation. These include bringing about greater transparency in governance by using e-governance, dealing efficiently with day-to-day matters such as the environment, sanitation, transport, communication, roads, traffic, the eradication of untouchability (especially in rural areas), and ensuring the prompt redress of grievances and the quick dispensation of justice. Whilst this ensures a greater cooperation between citizens and governance, the question is, will government take into consideration the voice of the citizens? Is the identity of one citizen more important than that of another? Does he/she fall into the category of 'inclusion' or 'exclusion'? Which group of citizens is able to make its voice heard better and faster? How far will public policy be tempered by the citizen's demand, command or request? And finally, will gender concerns play a role in making the voice of the citizen heard?