EDITORIAL

Making a difference with one vote

It is one of the ironies that this country is considered the most democratic in Asia but the also the most corrupt. The corruption extends to electoral exercises characterized by guns, goons and gold. These are the three ingredients necessary for politicians to win in most parts of the country.

If one can’t buy votes, one can terrorize people. It is usually the constituents in the countryside who are most prone to the three Gs. They have no choice in some if not most cases. They have to get bribes from politicians or risk being branded as supporting the “other side.” If one is
identified with another politician, one could get killed.

This is what constituents have to live with and the undesirable politicians and other government officials are exploiting them more. This country has a lot of laws covering elections ranging from stopping corruption to media airtime. Problem, those who are in power or those running for elective positions are often the ones who flout the law.

A politician who can get away with a lot of electoral violations is even held in high esteem for being a shrewd man who knows how to feed his family albeit through illegal means. Gone are the days when politicians were looked up to as upright “servants of the people.”

There are many politicians whose main objective is to perpetuate themselves in power and get more taxpayers’ money for selfish ends. But there are also the sensitive and caring ones who are in public office because they sincerely want to make the lives of this country’s constituents better.

Come May 14, go out and vote for deserving aspirants to public office. Your one vote could spell the difference in making this country a better place to live in.