Corruption and election

It would be another election year and as it is in my country, it is always tense. Although we know Corruption does exist everywhere but I think I have seen a full glare of it in my country.

The election is coming up in 2023 and due to the disappointment that so many people felt of the previous government, they want to be sure they make a better choice.

Ever since 2011, electioneering system have changed to put under control the issues of under age voting, multiple voting and the issues of impersonation or voter's identity theft.

Before the change, politicians have had a field day, manipulating votes on all polling points and units and sometimes out of desperation would chase voter away and snatch the ballot to go do the thumb printing all by themselves. No system was there Initially to check the authenticity of a ballot paper. Rather, words of mouth are used and also reliance on withnesses. Yet also the withnesses are often bribed to manipulate the votes.

It came a point in time where people refuses to go vote because they are sure their vote wont count. All through that time politics of money was played and people are paid by politicians in other to contests to get to elective positions.

And what we ended up getting were hooks and crooks who paid their way through and turn positions of leadership to a family business.

Thanks to the previous government who gave autonomy to the new Election chairman to galvanize the process and to almost bring a free and fair election. The chairman introduced a new electioneering system by removing most analogue method of voter verification to an automatic one.

The card readers introduced means that every voter would have a voter ID that can only be for one person with their thumb print. This system removed most of the currupt practices that bedeviled the previous system. And for the first time, people have hope in the election process.

But this have not stopped desperate politicians to keep finding ways to cheat the process. They have hired hackers to hacker in to the election commission's server. However, this has not gone really well for them because cyber security are always beefed at all election cyber networks. Then they turn to buying voter's conscience. As a way to make a voter vote for them they pay some fees after showing the politicians you're eligible and they will ask you to vote for them. That is, vote buying.

The poverty in the land have made the pay so attractive that everybody wants to have a voter's card, not for a reason to change a leader but for the purpose of earning some paltry sum.

Education is fast making people realize their future are more important than some good sums of of money. And this is of great importance to especially the younger generation. I've seen people rejecting bribes for their votes and this only signifies that indeed there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Bad leadership affects everyone and the losses citizens get for electing bad leaders is such great that not even the sum paid to them can ever compensate. Even though Corruption have eating deep, there are still some not willing to be a tool to be used to cheat a process.

We can stamp out Curruption and bring all those who perpetuate them to book no matter how highly placed they maybe. All it takes is a collective effort. It is about each and everyone saying I won't be a part of it. It is about citizens deciding what they really want.

The best sacrifices that one could give to generation after us, is to give them a leadership that is concerned about them and direct every development towards their advantage. And it start by making a corruption free society.