The campaign promise
makes people vote for a candidate?”
This is the question I have been asked by several young people vying for local government posts in the coming elections in 2019. The way they have been asking me this question show their eagerness to win. It also shows that they may not be ready to face a possible loss. Not winning could break their young hearts.
The fact is losing the election contest has the same degree of probability as winning it. The candidate can only do his or her best to tilt the balance in favor of winning by strengthening what is called the “campaign promise.”
That “promise” is what makes people vote for a candidate. Yes, experience shows it is not the so-called “platform” that wins the voters over. It is the “promise.”
I am quick to point out to the young political aspirants that such a “promise” has different meanings.
“Promise” could mean what a candidate says he or she will do “if elected.”
This is the “weakest” form of promise. This is the kind that voters listen to with much doubt and cynicism. This is the kind of promise that disappoints, disillusions, and disaffects constituents.
There is a story on this kind of promise told time and again in many a conversation over bottles of beer in our province’s barangays. Our elders relate that there was this candidate, a perennial loser in polls, who decided he would make one more try.
The candidate resorted to the “promise” to ensure that his last bid would be a successful one. Since he was running in a remote municipality, he thought that the “promise of progress” would help him clinch victory, finally. So, he promised that he would have the entire town cemented.
“Ipasesemento ko ang buong bayan!” he declared with that thenpopular bombastic Plaza-Miranda tone of political elocutions.
To his surprise, his promise ended up scaring off voters. He lost his last bid. Reason: The voters in his town thought that the promise meant he would also have their rice fields cemented. He may have overlooked the fact that he was running for office in a largely agricultural town.
There is another meaning of “promise.”
It is not what a candidate says in the campaign trail. It is what a candidate represents. It is a promise that triggers hope and which inspires voters to imagine a better future under the leadership of the political aspirant.
This is the more powerful type of “promise.” This is the kind of promise that inspires voters to get out of their homes, brave the heat, endure the long lines just to make sure they are able to cast their votes on Election Day.
This promise, however, requires “proof.”
This type of “promise” is the product of a simple equation: “P + P = P.” The Person (of the candidate) plus (previous) Performance equals Proof (that the hope for a better future can be realized).
Today, voters won’t buy an “empty promise.” They know that a candidate’s recitation of what they will do “if elected” is meant to create false hopes. Anyone can come up with an impressive list of “what I will do if elected.” “Nabili na ‘yan,” as voters would say.
There is one Promise they will count on: The kind that stands on a solid foundation. It is the Promise guaranteed by the quality of the aspirant’s character and track record of performance.
“May nagawa na ba ‘yan?” the voter would ask of a candidate each time he or she hears a promise.
It is interesting that voters have a more profound definition of “performance.” It goes beyond just having built something. New hospitals, new classrooms and school buildings, new facilities – these are mere representations of a more profound meaning of “performance” today’s voters are looking for.
We discovered that, to most of them, “performance” means having done something for others. It means having been there – having stood by them both in times of their collective grief or their shared joys. It means having listened to their concerns and gone out of his or her way to help address their needs.
“Lagi siyang nandiyan para sa amin,” is one of the best descriptions of this type of “performance.” I heard it said by an old woman from one of our barangays. It is interesting that in that particular conversation, the description was not intended for me. It was intended for my wife, Andeng. They were telling me about her and I discovered one important fact: People in our barangays have, for a long time, described her as a “silent performer.”
“Tahimik lang pero ang daming nagagawa para sa amin,” as the barangay folks would say.
I hope this short piece enlightens and inspires our young political aspirants.
Keep in mind: A candidate will no longer get away with empty promises.
A campaign Promise is valid only if it is backed by the quality of the candidate’s Person and a solid track record of Performance.
* For feedback, please email it to antipolocitygov@gmail.com or send it to #4 Horse Shoe Drive, Beverly Hills Subdivision, Brgy. Beverly Hills, Antipolo City, Rizal.