As young as I am, I never thought I’d see such vulgarity and dysfunction to what should be a clean election. Over the last few months, I’ve seen, heard and read about the horrid things people would do just to become a politician.
And now, a few days before the election, I am simply infuriated by the maddening thought that the people who don’t deserve to win are becoming a shoe in winning. These are the very people who buy votes, give death threats, some are drug dealers and in worse cases, people who were “cajoled” or “pressured” to run, meaning they lack the real passion to serve. This is just a disaster waiting to happen! It is political suicide for my country, and as someone who can’t vote for local and national elections, this enrages me.
I am practically losing my mind whenever I see people posting on social media that they’re voting for the person who could turn this country into ashes and I can’t do anything about it because I’m merely 17! So for now I would be using my voice as a youth and point out and reveal everything I have encountered ever since the year 2013 started:
Early Campaigning. The official start of the Campaigning period was set on March 29 of 2013. But why in the hell were there posters and vehicles with campaign jingles running around the city before the said date? Why was I seeing walls being painted with the logos of a candidate? Were they “special” for some reason that they were allowed to campaign before the end of March?
It just shows how someone can’t follow a simple instruction. Is this the person you’d like to vote for? Someone who can’t follow instruction? Although this isn’t actually a crime, I do see this as cheating in a way. Imagine a runner who ran before the marathon started. That’s how I see it.
Fixing the roads. Just as the month of January started to peak through, all of the sudden all of the roads that led to my school were being fixed. All over town roads that were fine before were being surrounded by bulldozers and cement fillers. They were practically fixing something that wasn’t broken. This sudden rise of “broken” roads were a big hassle every single day.
And the fact that this started just as elections were right around the corner was rather peculiar. I knew that whoever was behind the springing of “fixing” the roads were people who needed the budget for the campaigning, or it was someone who could say “I did something for this City. I fixed something. Vote for me.” It was obvious, right in the face, and downright idiotic. But at least they followed instructions and stopped breaking fixed roads before March 29 when construction works were prohibited.
Democracy to monarchy. Now this was interesting. A lot of people who were related to a past or present politician suddenly had the guts to run for a position. That’s right. They used their family name, their parents’/siblings’ achievement in politics just to gain some fame. And this is really pa-the-tic. Although those who are genuinely passionate about filling up their parents’/siblings’ shoes in serving the country is okay, but I am referring to those who are under qualified to run for office, yet their family ties make them qualified. Those people who campaign using the family name like politics was some kind of business that they had to follow through like it was an obligation. People nowadays would do anything to get into position, even using their family ties to bring them straight up.
Vote Buying. Although this topic has been worn out and has been a public crime, candidates are being more innovative these days in making sure they don’t get caught. They pay the owner of a house so that they could hang their posters and tell their neighbors to vote for them. They pay small stores and pharmacies to tell their costumers that they could get something free if they voted for this candidate.
And not only do these candidates buy with money, they practically buy a person’s life for a vote. That’s right. I’ve read in so many papers about candidates threatening a person’s life, putting a gun on their face, just to make sure that the candidate would win. This is the hard truth everyone. And you as a voter should know that you have the right to say yes or no to people trying to buy your freedom to vote. Don’t prostitute your vote for something that could be burned. Give your vote to someone who could change our history books in a good way.
Celebrity friends. Now this is a crowd favorite Just when you think a candidate has laid out all his cards, he pulls in a favor from someone who doesn’t know anything about politics, but knows a lot about corrupting thousands of innocent minds. Someone who could woo people, a puppet in a way. Someone who talks nonsense but still people would believe them.
It is just pitiful how a candidate would pull something like this, into basically hypnotizing people into voting for them. It’s like, they can’t fool the voters enough, so they brought in an even bigger fool to tell the voters how great they are. Wake up people! These people are using their fame in a very harmful way.
So there you have it folks. Everything that was seen by this seventeen year old girl in her community. So how about it legal voters? Are you going to the ballots next week blindfolded or are you going to vote with your eyes open to the truth? The power of the people is stronger than you think. This is democracy, and we the people have the choice to make something of our country, or break it. In the end you should know, that every vote does count. And your vote, may change this country’s fate. So vote wisely.