The show is on again

Watch out! It’s show time once again! Candidates are now on the road, eager to get the biggest number of votes from the audience -- the public. Expect fools try to thwart the way of the wise. See how the undeserving try to convince the electorate that they are more deserving than the truly deserving. Follow the money trail that will escalate till the eve or even during Election Day. Observe the Filipino voters, if they have become wiser in their choices or if they prefer to continue to sell their votes to the worthless candidates.

The ongoing political campaign can be likened to a circus. You have the crocodiles and fat pork lovers among the candidates who will try to devour and erode the best in our people through gold, goons, and guns. There are the clowns who mask their stupidity and ignorance with cash and other hand-outs. There are the unfit who deserve to remain as dancers or comedians, rather than be in politics.

There are the truly deserving, however, often in the minority and without strong, powerful, well-funded machinery and resources. Yet, these are truly the pure-hearted public servants, the qualified, knowledgeable, the noble, who deserve to be elected.

The voters, however, are divided as well. The well-informed choose their candidates on the basis of issues, track record of commitment, integrity and transparency. These are those who will never exchange the sanctity of their votes to the highest bidder. These will want to dialogue with other voters as to who are truly the genuine public servants or the fake ones among the candidates.

There are voters who enjoy the campaign period because of the short-lived but desirable perks (cash, privilege, performances) from candidates. These are the ones who have long heard the candidates promise the heavens to them but have never received nor experienced any campaign promise fulfilled before them. This type loves the eve and the day of election. The flow of cash is what they associate elections with. Suffrage for them is not a right but a commodity for sale. Their vote is worth the highest bid they can get from the candidates. Many of these voters become “rich” overnight but remain in poverty after elections and until the next round of campaign and election.

Why do they sell their votes? Why cannot they learn – given their long experience of unfulfilled campaign promises and continuing poverty -- not to exchange their votes for cash? One can also ask why candidates continue that type of patronage, why they shortchange the voters, mock the electoral process and proceed shamelessly to plunder the public funds after elections.

What about the checks and balances in our laws and among our implementers? Despite public knowledge about vote-buying and other forms of electoral fraud, why are the undeserving, dishonest, unfit scum allowed to be the “honorable” in the corridors of power?

This electoral show that is once again on the road is not just a one-sided performance of worthy and unfit candidates showcasing their folly or wisdom, their weaknesses and strengths before the voting public. This electoral show is interactive, with the public doing their share to get the show that they like, not necessarily the show that they deserve to have. Those that allow the show to proceed, the administrative and government offices tasked with managing the electoral show, have their share of the foolish and the wise, the honest and the dishonest, the fit and the unfit.

Must this type of electoral show be allowed to go on and on and on?

‘There are the clowns who mask their stupidity and ignorance with cash

and other hand-outs. There are the unfit who deserve to remain as dancers or comedians, rather than be in

politics.’