New Month Greetings and Accountability

At exactly 12:01 a.m. on the first day of each month, something happens.

Phones buzz all over the country.

"Happy New Month, dear constituents. May this month bring you prosperity, divine favour, uncommon breakthroughs, and limitless opportunities."

This message comes every month without fail. It arrives in January, February, March, April, and continues every month like clockwork. No network issues can stop it. No budget cuts can delay it. No committee meeting can push it back.

The politician knows your number.

But the real question is, does the politician remember your community?

Interestingly, while “Happy New Month” messages move fast, reports of government achievements move like a slow tortoise with a broken clock.

Every month, people get prayers.

Every quarter, they get silence.

You would expect that elected officials, who manage public resources and have the public's trust, would occasionally give a small update:

"Good afternoon, constituents. Here is what I promised, here is what I achieved, here is what remains undone, and here is why."

But these messages seem to be rare.

Instead, the public gets motivational talks, festive greetings, birthday wishes, holiday messages, and well-designed posters with a smiling politician pointing towards a future that never seems to come.

The irony is hard to miss.

A representative who cannot share a simple quarterly report sends twelve colourful “Happy New Month” messages each year.

A senator who cannot explain constituency projects can explain every public holiday.

A governor who struggles with budget details can tell citizens to stay hopeful.

A lawmaker who has no completed projects can post a sunrise photo with the caption: “This month shall favour us all.”

Indeed, favour seems to be the government’s main programme.

In many areas, roads are unfinished, schools are neglected, hospitals are not well-equipped, and unemployment remains high. Still, the monthly greetings come without regard for these issues.

Maybe some politicians think representation is about marketing.

They seem to think democracy is like a subscription service: send enough greetings and people will stop asking questions.

But democracy does not rely on greetings.

It depends on accountability.

The citizen's job is not to collect monthly wishes like greeting cards. The citizen's job is to check performance.

What laws did you sponsor?

What projects did you finish?

What promises did you keep?

How was public money used?

What real improvements happened during the time in question?

These questions are not attacks. They are just what people expect in a democratic setup.

In fact, accountability is not an extra in democracy; it is its foundation. Elections are not popularity contests where the best greeting-card writer wins another term. They are performance reviews done by the public.

This is why it is funny during reelection time.

The same politician who spent four years mainly sending festive messages suddenly becomes very interested in public engagement.

Billboards pop up.

Ads increase.

Convoys grow.

Promises come back from hiding.

Citizens hear about a bright future, but details about the past four years are kept secret.

One starts to wonder if some politicians think accountability ends when votes are counted and comes back only when votes are needed again.

A true democratic culture would change this.

The politician running for reelection should be the one eager to share quarterly reports, performance metrics, spending reports, legislative records, and project updates. This openness would let citizens judge facts instead of slogans.

After all, trust should not be asked for; it should be earned.

And reelection should not rely on forgetting but on real results.

So yes, send the Happy New Month messages.

Wish citizens well.

Pray for their success.

Share the colourful graphics.

But maybe, along with the monthly blessings, include something even more important:

A quarterly report.

A list of promises kept.

Proof of service provided.

Evidence that public office has been used for the public good.

Because while greetings are nice, good governance is better.

And in a real democracy, the most important message a representative can send is not "Happy New Month."

It is: "Here is what I have done with the trust you gave me."