In the Ramayana , even Lord Ram had to yield to public opinion . No sooner had he triumphantly returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravan than he was questioned as to accepting Sita as his wife : she had stayed for so long in a stranger’s house . Ram knew Sita was chaste beyond any doubt but according to the prevailing custom , she had to be fire-proved before they were re-united . This was done only to satisfy public opinion and eventually preserve righteousness in the kingdom of Ayodhya and the outside world .

Like the oracle in ancient Greece , public opinion is consulted today for any major decision that is taken in a democratic government or society ,the more so before the polls . The allocation of tickets to candidates has so much to depend on public opinion - whether the candidate in question has a clean record or a good image in the area or has devoted himself or herself to some good cause . During the recent election campaign in Britain , opinion polls suggested Tony Blair as favourite though with a smaller majority and so it was when the results were announced.

<B>Silent majority powerful</B>

In a country like ours , with a public having access to education and exposed to rapid means of communication , no one in politics can afford to play down public opinion . Each alliance whether in power , in the opposition or otherwise tries to satisfy the electorate . So much depends on their votes. Still , it is difficult or even impossible to change public opinion overnight unless something most spectacular or extremely sensational comes about at the very last moment.

Public opinion requires time to take shape . The silent majority are indeed powerful . By casting their ballots which have proved to be more deadly than bullets in a democracy , they either elect or reject an alliance or a party. Although Tony Blair as a loyal ally of George W. Bush in Iraq had somewhat lost his popularity compared with what it was during the previous two election campaigns , he finally won . Public opinion as a whole was in his favour thanks to a general satisfaction with the economic situation . On the other hand Atal Beehari Vajpayee , a stalwart of Indian politics who had largely contributed to overall development ,and done a lot to make India an economic giant in Asia next to China, lost in the last general election . This was simply because public opinion was not in his favour .

Mauritius has its own instances of the force of public opinion , too . The MMM / PSM alliance won 60- 0, unprecedented in the history of the country by defeating the government of SSR who brought political independence. Again , SAJ who was the driving force behind making Mauritius the first tiger of Africa ,an economic miracle for others in this part of the world to follow, also lost in the 1995 polls .

<B>Service to community</B>

Not by passionate eloquence along with empty rhetoric attacking those of the other side can public opinion become favourable. Although character has a prominent place in order to enter public life, the most important factor to win over public opinion is service to the community. Positive and sincere action in favour of the poor, the needy, the insulted and the oppressed go a long way in winning public opinion and support. A recent solitary example has been Dr Balkissoon Hookoom in constituency No 7 who, despite the landslide victory of the MSM/ MMM alliance in 2000, got elected with a Labour Party ticket. Unassuming as he is, some may dismiss him as a poor speaker but his actions spoke louder than words in winning public opinion to his side.

Essential as it is for electioneering, money has not the power to buy public opinion. Yet money will be flowing as ever in the election campaign. Activists and agents often take the money offered to them by candidates who may not obtain the votes as expected. Who knows? Even though public opinion shifts, much can be done to stand by it.

To be ambitious is fine; to aspire to become Prime Minister one day is great; however, there is need for selfless service and dedicated work to improve the lot of the common men - the surest way to win over public trust and with it public opinion . Has it not been said that the voice of the people is the voice of God ( Vox populi, vox Dei ) ?

<B>Kaviraj SOHUR</B>