KOZHIKODE: Suprabhatam daily, the mouthpiece of Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama, has said the UDF’s performance in the by-elections to the local bodies calls for a serious introspection about the functioning of the new government.
In the editorial published on Wednesday, the newspaper said it needs to be examined how the UDF government that came to power with 102 seats lost its shine in just four months. The editorial said that the question remains whether the government succeeded in giving satisfactory answers in the controversies that rocked the state in the recent times.
Incidents like Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s sponsored journey, foreign trips of ministers and the controversy over a minister using a private vehicle have created confusion in the minds of the people, the editorial said.
These incidents have raised the question on propriety of those in power using the facilities provided by private individuals though the government has clarified that such incidents have not incurred any loss to the government exchequer, it added.
“The results of the elections to the local bodies may not lead to loss of power to the UDF. But the signal from the first test after coming to power cannot be dismissed,” it said, adding that small changes can be the signals of big warnings.
The editorial said that it is not sure that the controversies are the sole reason for the dismal performance but the UDF should examine whether the continuous controversies have adversely affected the image of the government.
“The people’s mandate is not a permanent thing. People’s confidence should be renewed thorough constant and transparent activities. It would be proper to consider the election results as a democratic warning.”