Vote Buying + Corrupt Officials = Poor Governance
Vote Buying is only one of the symptoms of a systemic lack of political integrity.
Giving money to voters is always the easiest path. But how about taking time to listen to their stories? Giving them a pat at their back? Greeting them with your warmest smile? Giving them advice or words of wisdom during their times of troubles? Appreciating their passions and work? Trying to really understand what is inside their hearts...
These things are free, they do not need your money, but sometimes they can really make a huge impact to the lives of your constituents more than any material or financial benefit you could offer. Money can buy votes and perhaps loyalty...
But it can never buy the love of your kasimanwas.
This is an attempt to process things more peacefully after learning from a friend that a vice mayoral candidate was witnessed handing over "purple colored bill", that is, hundreds of pesos.
In a discussion over dinner, a friend whose name I cannot disclose for his job security is at the mercy of a string of politicians,asked me this remarkable question: "do you know what is the real solution to corruption?" Curious lad that I am, I asked him "What?". I was highly surprised with his answer, "Eat healthy and Exercise regularly". I laughed at his answer and waited for him to elaborate. "If you cannot beat them, outlive them". (More laughter)
While it is true,corrupt politicians,like us, are finite beings and they will also eventually succumb to death one way or another. Some people would find this remedy of my friend acceptable, to just simply wait for these people to die, we have after all the advantage, if we are talking about longevity...
But I should have asked my dear friend this question, "If we do not change as a people, if we do not start voting differently, how long do you think before the next tyrant goes into power?" Sure, there will be some vacuum once a political giant dies, sure it would take some time for them to consolidate power and set up their corruption machinery, at first there will be a free for all royal rumble, but eventually, if we keep our old habits and do start voting differently, we will just elect corrupt politicians one after the other.
My dear friend, I am afraid we cannot just wait for them to die. In fact, we have to utilize them while they are still alive, make the most out of them, use them to fuel the ideas that will make us change as voters, convert them into stories and lessons so that we may learn who should we not vote for in the future.
That instead of saying, "If you cannot beat them, outlive them". Let us try saying "If we cannot beat them, let us learn from them".
I must concede, criticism is never the best place to start, but so does traditional politics. I would rather start off as a loud annoying critic and learn afterwards, than to start off as a traditional politician and end up becoming a tyrant. With the former, there is chance of a character arc. But I have never seen a trapo transition into a statesman.
There are political butterflies and there are political dragonflies.
Political butterflies are those who move from one ally to another in order to grab power. Political dragonflies on the other hand are those who move on from one enemy to another, burning themeselves on both ends, trying to stubbornly impose their ideals. Both are not wise.
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That's also happening in my country in the Philippines. People don't see what will happen to their yellow or blue bills or even violet bills after election. Money is money it will gone for one day or 2 but the position of that curropt leader will last 6years or 3yrs .