'Micro-failure' in urban polls an opportunity to move forward: Kamal

After failing to win even a single ward in the urban local body polls, Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan on Wednesday termed the poll defeat as a 'micro failure' which provides an opportunity to move forward towards the success from the setback. 

He asserted that temporary success and defeat had never affected their public service and the results of the urban local body polls are no exception.

"‘We accept the judgment of the people’ is a formal word. I do not want to say it. People often make wrong decisions collectively. There are examples of that throughout history. You have no pride in defeating honest people like us, those who do not consider politics as a money-making profession, those who do not deceive by making promises, and those who want to reform Tamil Nadu through a corruption free, transparent and efficient administration," the actor-politician said in a statement.

Hassan warned the voters that those who failed in duty would lose their rights. "Your next generation will care about who you choose and why. You have a duty to strengthen the hands of alternative forces like us. It is an unfortunate fact of history that those who fail in duty will lose their rights," he said.

Read: MNM draws a blank in urban civic polls

Appreciating the hard work put in by his party candidates and office bearers, he urged the candidates to continue public services in the wards they contested as if they had won. "Your service should make voters regret not electing you. We came to politics to serve the public," he asserted.

He claimed that there are two kinds of defeats in the election - a permanent failure that cannot be corrected and micro failure allows moving forward towards success after correction. "We faced the failure of the second category," he said.

The actor-politician said that in many places less than 50% of voters cast their ballots. "If the fraudulent votes cast by the Dravidian parties were left out, the turnout would be much less. This indicates that the majority of the people do not like the obscene politics taking place in Tamil Nadu. We have to talk to them," he said, adding that the situation would change when those who are tired of not being able to change the situation and the youth who dismiss politics as not their cup of tea change their minds and make their democratic contribution.