Usually, in cases of #bribery, both the giver & receiver are equally guilty. The same is the case with #votebuying. If the electorates (sellers) stop selling, the politicians (buyers) will keep their money.
I don’t believe in the excuse that poverty has been weaponized hence, voters are forced to sell their votes. I think it’s a case of ignorance & loss of personal value/dignity (or devaluation of self).
Ignorance because if one is to sell something as valuable as vote, why do so for pittance? You could at least have asked for billions and see if the buyer is willing to pay. That way, you would have made a good deal that will last you for a long time.
Loss of personal value because poverty alone cannot make a person sell his birthright (in this context, vote). It has to be someone who doesn’t value it to sell it off and also, do so at a ridiculous amount as some cups of rice, noodles, etc. There are many poor people who still maintain their integrity.
Don’t get me wrong. I admit that the people are poor and hungry. But don’t we all say “a hungry man is an angry man”? Then I ask: angry at what? Shouldn’t we be angry at the person/persons who made us poor and hungry? Why then do we sell our birthright to the same persons who impoverished us? Something beyond poverty and hunger must be the reason for that.
So while we may blame the politicians for offering to buy votes after impoverishing the people with bad policies while in office, we must also balance this by also blaming the electorates who help these bad politicians to perpetuate themselves in power.
HERE IS HOW WE ALL CONTRIBUTE TO VOTE BUYING 👇
* The thugs who collect pittance and become willing tools in the hands of bad politicians are supposed to be part of the electorate. They are also poor but chose to collect blood money at the expense of their own lives and future.
* Those who collect money and vote in bad politicians are part of this same electorates. They are no better than the thugs.
* Those who didn’t come out to vote at all are also part of the problem because your votes against them may be the missing link to remove them from office. They did well by not collecting their money but destroyed that nobility by refusing to participate in the process. Evil thrive when good folks, rather than do right, choose to do nothing.
* There is yet another group who either collect money but claim to vote the candidate of their choice or advise people to do same. What you do is encourage the buyer that their is a market. You may not have been influenced by the money but the fact that you collected it at all or encourage others to do so also made you an accomplice to their evil act. You are telling them to keep doing so.
So check yourself against these points you have just read, if you are found guilty in any, you are not qualified to complain about vote buying or bad politicians emerging from the polls. Your only right course at this point is to begin to seek ways to undo the damage you have aided in any of the ways mentioned above.
The other issue is #ElectionViolence. I shall speak on that soon.
Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment.
My name is TCP Whyte. I am a mission to effect #positivechange with #thewholetruth!
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“Evil thrive when good folks, rather than do right, choose to do nothing”, this sentences standout for me.
#TrueTalk #GDB