Election fever and election payola

ELECTIONS are a national pastime. We all enjoy news and rumors, gossip canards and scandals of elections. As mentioned in a previous article one of the great disadvantages of democratic election is the division it creates between brothers. Relatives hold grudges for unintended insults during the election period. Resentment and even acts of revenge are engendered. It takes a lot of faith in the utility and appreciation for the need for elections. After the elections there should be a period of kiss and make up. Otherwise rancor can keep burning in breasts as a result of getting voters to vote your way and away from the opponent who can be a brother or close relative. We have cases of father versus son and grandson against grandfather. But this can all be forgotten and forgiven. But it takes a lot of statesmanship and belief in the goodness of democracy.

One other problem with elections is the giving of money by the candidates. The voters really have a problem. If they accept it is possible to say that “I will not vote because of the money but vote according to who I think will do best for the country”. But this is extremely difficult in a culture like ours. In fact, the givers have little to fear. As long as the voter accepts the money, he is certain of his vote. Theoretically it is possible to say that I will accept the money and I did not promise anything. This is in theory but not in practice. Once money is accepted our culture dictates that you carry out the implied contract. There are places where the money involved is a token. But there are places where the money involved goes into the thousands. The money is given to the local leader and he takes care of distributing it. It even happens that the money is given not directly to the voter but he gets the money in the end. He did not agree to anything but as long as he gets the money we have a culture that says it is important to carry the other end of the bargain. In the end, the wise decision is not to accept. This may not be a problem for the middle class but a real problem for the D and E class of voters. This is considered their due. We therefore have to bring them up in income so they will not be tempted; or bring up their democratic education.

Selling your vote is not the problem. It is accepting monetary gifts in exchange for the long range good of the country. There are also places in the country where goons dominate and impose their will. This is a question of peace and order. Dinagat is such a place where the Singsingan goons dominate. Masbate is another. And I suppose a dozen other places in the country where there is no freedom to vote. We can justify the situation that we are a young democracy and we will outgrow these problems. Maybe, but if we want to be a real democracy these places should not exist. Peace and order should be in the control of the people in charge.

We have had the experience of improvement in our living conditions with only one good matuwid na daan. A second and a third election of honest people will put our country on the road to prosperity. There will be problems and mistakes but the election of good people has the long run promise of prosperity. We need to refrain from accepting anything for our vote.

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