Victorious voters
Elections proclaim politicians as winners. Political dynasties testify to the power, privileges, and perks that accompany victory. Hence, the dynasties live on.
On the other hand, the persistent poverty experienced by voters and constituents confirm that the politicians are not, are never there for the people, but for themselves.
For a night or within the duration of the election campaign, the voters are treated to fleeting cash. To those used to poverty, any cash, small or big, no matter how temporal, is manna from heaven. They continue to trade their votes for this fleeting cash from the crafty politicians and their paid community leaders.
For sure, the voters know, from the start, that the cash given to them is really theirs, not at all the property of the politicians who plunder the public coffers and funds for their own and their family’s vested interests. The voters also know and have witnessed that public funds often end up in the pockets and accounts of the corrupt. Perhaps that is why they accept whatever cash they receive during elections? Is that the voters’ way of expressing their desire to partake of the public loot that is never allocated for them but instead go to abusive politicians and their partners?
Of course, not all politicians are abusive and corrupt. There are true and genuine public servants among the elected. Oh, that more of them get elected! More genuine public servants elected will translate to victory for the voters, for the constituents.
What can convince and encourage most, if not all voters, to vote for these genuine public servants? Often, these genuine candidates are not as loaded with cash as those that end up winners. It has been a sad but continuing reality that votes are bought, voters choose the highest bidders, those candidates who release the largest amount on or before election day.
Why can’t the voters just receive the cash and then vote instead for their own candidate, especially for those who will truly serve them as elected officials?
Aside from the gold, the voters see the goons and the guns of those who buy their votes. If they take the money and not vote for those who gave them cash, voters fear for their lives, for their peace, for their future after the elections. They have witnessed threats as well as exclusion from other benefits against those who do not support the winning candidates with the most cash.
Voters know that candidates and their supporters have enterprising ways to learn how the voters voted, who the voters wrote down in their ballots. Hence, voters accept the cash from the candidates and/or their supporters, then vote for the candidates. As politicians and their backers have a system to confirm the voters’ votes. this system continues to go on and on, with the voters eventually gaining cash during elections but ending up as the bigger losers for the duration of the term of the winning candidates they sold their votes to.
Is not vote-buying prohibited by law? Of course, yes. Then why does it continue to persist? Aside from the voters’ connivance and the political groups’ pressure and tactics to ensure that this vote-buying system continues, what are the electoral bodies mandated to safeguard the sanctity of the votes doing about this violation?
Perhaps, there have been attempts to stop and end this vote-buying system but its persistence until now confirms the ineffectiveness of prior attempts to ensure clean and honest elections.
What can stop vote-buying and finally allow the voters to come out the real winners every elections?
- Latest
