It is good, in principle at least, for voters to have more options when they step into the polling station booth on Election Day. A proliferation of political parties does not automatically mean pluralism, however. If the parties are merely vehicles to forward private ambitions and settle scores for personal gain, that is not pluralism – it is senseless fragmentation.
Behind all the slick messaging and tirades against the “system,” citizens expect to see well-considered proposals addressing their real problems. They expect to hear how the parties intend to govern if they win. They expect a spirit of consensus and fresh ideas, rather than the same old tune of grievances and accusations.
The country’s “new” political parties need to prove that they are indeed new.
