Setting aside the apparent despotism, it is apparent that the current political scenario in the Philippines engendered a kind of virulent social disunion among its people. As the race for electoral posts gets heated attention, it is hard to deny the stir that it caused the community. Misinformed propaganda, derogatory social media posts, and pervasive opinions abounded to the point of social toxicity.
Some time ago, elections are an affair that political aspirants use to lure people into their promising platform of governance. We can foresee the 2022 election as a dirty place of the campaign, denuded of the decency of political and personal motives. Instead of brandishing the hallmark of leadership of each politician, they began unearthing dirty laundries to throw against their competitors. This is not a quest for service to society anymore, but a measure of whoever has the power and the money to overthrow the competition. It is not about the politician who earns the credit but he who has the power to discredit.
Where do we, the public stand in this? We are in the line of fire, divided by our own fanaticism, hating the people we do not see eye to eye with our opinions. Instead of directing our probe on the veracity of the words of our aspiring leaders, we question each other’s opinions and ignite the thread of hatred. We are too blindsided by our extremism that we forget to unite and deliberate on who should hold posts for the next six years. The division is worrisome as soon as we begin to identify each other with distinctive political colors.
Sure, our vote is our right but there is also a responsibility attributed to that right. The election is not a reality show or a talent search where we ride the bandwagon as fans and supporters. Where our future is at stake, think of ourselves as the HR personnel who peruse the rightful job candidate. Our gut feel is not the prima facie of political will and professional demeanor. Political candidates have their records of services and experiences with their quality of leadership. There are a lot of information available to vouch for their capacities and predictive capabilities. These are the things that they will bring into the office, maybe with half of their platform of promises, intelligence, prudence, and moral values.
How do we exercise our freedom of suffrage along with our free will and wisdom?
The election period is provided to give us time to gather information about political aspirants. Learn to weigh empty claims from attainable political platforms. Like a diligent HR without the dirt of a red-tape, examine the candidate’s stand on issues and the issues that they are trying to evade. Let us not cloud our judgment with prejudice without looking deeper into verifiable facts and data.
The future of this country should not hang suspended in the virtue of political jokes and mass entertainment. Voting is not about giving in to emotional appeal but on conviction to intellectual demand. It is not about who we frequently see in advertisements and parades but who we cautiously judge will serve for the common good.
We are no longer standing united for our country. We are divided by our opinions on the early stage of the electoral fiasco. Surely, we can choose better if we step out of our fan-based ruling and dissect the motives of our candidates from the highest posts to the lower branch. If we use our wisdom and moral conviction to guide us on the selection, think maybe we can choose better?/WDJ