Should the BPP Trustees be selected ?
Dinshaw Tamboly, in this thought provoking article, makes a strong plea for selection rather than election of BPP Trustees to restore the status of the BPP. Please go through it and then vote for what you think is best for the community. Click Here to read the thought provoking article. Don’t forget to leave your comments below.
VOTE NOW !
Here are some excerpts :
With the experience of the past three elections behind us, whenever the next bout of election or elections are announced does anyone seriously believe that individuals with top notch credentials and standing, who genuinely wish to provide their time and talents to the community will come forth and offer their candidature for Trusteeship? If individuals of outstanding caliber and experience shy away from offering their time and talents to BPP there can be no hope whatsoever to bring it back anywhere near to the esteemed position it once had.
What will however be very important from the entire community’s perspective is to ensure that these selected seven, women & men of standing, should be allowed to be elected Trustees without having to go through the rigors of fighting an acrimonious election.
To me, such an action at this point of time seems be the only way to bring stability to the BPP Board and be the first step towards paving the way for restoring it to its past glory and stature.
BUT, selection of only those individuals who are ready to devote their time and energies, and who DO NOT have an inflated ego.
THIS IS WISHFUL THINKING
How can the beneficiaries themselves be the Electorate ? Beats me on grounds of the Rationale.
True – those that are staying in BPP owned accomodation should not be selected.
Trustees should be Elected just like Politicias and a Independant Person should be appointed as Election commissioner under whose guidance Elections should be held. Punchayet staff should not involve in election process but a team of Independent persons must be involved. Candidates must not be allowed to sponsor Transport or Free Food to voters
I am in whole hearted agreement with the thoughts of Mr. Tamboly. The person selected should have proven track record of proven honesty, social service and an impeccable character.
Who will be the judge for this ?
Its a pity that so well educated and nearly non corrupt tribe like ours still get led away by false promises, unable to distinguish between good and bad candidate cast their votes and then repent!
Any system one follows the results will be the same unless we aam aadmi rise and take correct decisions in choosing right people to august office!
if un accountability is to be order of the day, introduce selection !
Have a great amount of respect and regards for Mr. Tamboly and the work that he has done for the community, however, I would like to understand his definition of “like minded people”. While a fervent desire to serve the community is imperative, I hope Mr. Tamboly does not imply that Trustees should be people who think alike, since this would lead to “Group Think”, where people would blindly follow others.
The basics of Group Dynamics and Team Building involves the following four stages; Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. This is how healthy decisions are taken by those working in teams. While I am sure that this must be happening with the existing Trustees, the thing that has to be remembered is; that differences have to remain in the private domain, and dirty linen should not be washed in public, which has unfortunately happened in the recent instance.
Mature democracies do not happen over night. There are many hurdles that need to be crossed before things run smoothly. The democracy in the Punchayat, and with the Trustees is still in its evolutionary stage and will take time to grow and evolve.
While I would like the present system of elections to continue, I definitely would like a non partisan Ombudsman who can frame rules of conduct, and ensure that the Trustees behave. This position could be filled by a body of respected Parsees.
Hi Viraf, thank you for posting your candid views.
When I wrote about ‘likeminded’ people being on a Trust I did not mean or imply ‘Group Think’ where people blindly follow others. I reproduce what I have written by way of ready reference ” …each one of us on the Board of WZO Trust and our band of volunteers work as a team, likeminded in our desire to serve the community, in-spite of having differing ideological viewpoints”.
You mention that dynamics of team building involve four stages – ‘forming’, ‘(brain) storming’, ‘norming’ and ‘performing’ with which I am in full agreement. However, these important requisites manifest only when individuals are likeminded, listen to and respect each other’s viewpoints even though they may have differing ones. But, when they are not likeminded, they form, storm and perhaps norm but they certainly do not perform as is the present scenario in BPP, where the atmosphere is extremely vitiated and where ugly and personal denigration of one another is not an exception but has become the rule.
BPP is like a high speed locomotive that has derailed and unfortunately the present drivers (Trustees) have not displayed the ability to bring it back on track. Attacking one another through advertisements in the media displays complete lack of maturity, grace or goodwill. Such actions and reactions do not solve issues but only create further complications.
It is for these reasons that I have recommended that when elections become due in 2015, or who knows even earlier, the community should select a group of seven mature individuals who are leaders in their professions / disciplines to be appointed Trustees for one term during which time they would not only put BPP back on track, but also introduce systems & processes that would make BPP sensitive and community friendly.
Please do not for a moment even think of the clichéd line that those who are leaders in their professions would not find the time to devote to their duties as Trustees. Let it never be forgotten that it is only busy and successful professionals who have the ability, capacity and capability to create time for taking on additional responsibilities.
The last three elections have been nothing but sordid sagas of candidates attacking their opponents, verbally and in print, speaking more about their weaknesses as perceived by them rather than about their own strengths or programmes and policies they intended to introduce if elected. The acrimony that was on display in all the three elections was horrendous; the altercation that took place between two sitting Trustees during the last election in one of the baugs was inexcusable. The elections may have been democratic on paper, but the spirit of democracy (live and let live) was conspicuous by its absence. The grand dinners and entertainment extravaganzas that were arranged to seek votes would hardly qualify as a democratic exercise. If candidates spend amounts running into six and seven digits to get elected to an ‘office of service’ it can only mean that in the times to come an ‘Aam Admi’ of the community having vision and intelligence but being bereft of funds will never have any hope to be elected a BPP Trustee and contribute his mite towards the welfare and uplift of the community.
Things have presently come to such a pass that it will be in the interest of the community if the process of election was to be given a temporary sabbatical, during which time a group of likeminded successful, professionals with a track record of good governance and performance are selected to govern BPP for one term, during which they would transform BPP by introducing systems, processes and other inputs that would provide good and efficient management and bring the derailed BPP back on track. Thereafter, the community can revert back to the election mode.
As a community we are fortunate that we have an impressive reservoir of talented human resources, who shown grace and given goodwill can certainly restore the stature of BPP.
Dear Mr. Tamboly
Thank you for your clarifications. All that you have mentioned in your reply falls under the 2 phases of team building, i.e. storming and norming. The present state of affairs is of storming between the various factions and the reason, and here I may be wrong, could be because there are no norms of behavior expected from a Trustee of such a prestigious body. There is a certain implied expectation of behavior from our leaders, however, many a times it is just wishful thinking, as is happening in the present case within the BPP,
I do not know if the BPP has a Constitution or a set of rules which every Trustee has to adhere to. Things like elections finance, Issues relating to confidentiality of discussions held in the Board Room, Press releases, Terms of appointment etc. have to be clearly laid out so as to reduce the sordid drama that is being played out at present.
It is for this reason that I have suggested the appointment of an Ombudsman who will moderate the appointment of the Trustees and should they violate the written rule, this person will have the power to expel the Trustee from his duties.
I know that this is going to be a herculean task, however, I still feel that we need to have elections when it comes to choosing Trustees, only because it shows a certain level of transparency and a democratic mode of functioning of an Institution. I remember the euphoria shown by the community members when rules were changed from having a certain section of the community elect Trustees to the present system of universal adult franchise. Let us not go back to the days of yore.
You are absolutely correct when you say that as a community we are fortunate in having a pool of talented individuals who can serve the community well. One hopes that in 2015 such people take on the mantle of leading the community to its past glory.
scrutinize thoroughly and remove the old rotten fish from BPP for a smooth function of BPP.