Availing
the right to suffrage --- what difference does it make?
Election
is just around the corner. Campaign gimmicks here and there can really get one
fed up. Advertisements of different sorts always have the signature or
sometimes, even the very face of a politician. All kinds of catchy and
convincing promises are made, all sweet talk uttered. 80-90% of commercials
nowadays are political ads and Juan dela Cruz is more than exasperated of them.
All of these
fuss are all for one supposedly priceless thing – a vote. Politicians exert
much effort in convincing the masses to cast their vote under their name. But
sad to say, politicians are so much blinded by their desire to “serve” (or for
power, as most Filipinos view it) that they name a price for the supposedly
priceless vote. A party brings up an offer, another accepts it. Transaction
done. Deal made. Another worm added to our rotten political system.
Despite this
harsh reality in our country, it’s never too late to change only if we start
now. We all have the chance to make a gradual change in our political system. Democratic
as we are, we have that capability to somehow make that change in this country
we live in. Though we cannot choose who will run for a particular position, yet
we could always choose among those who have volunteered for the spot. But there
will never be the perfect or the best leader - only better ones. One vote is an
essential component of the change that is about to happen in the upcoming 2013
midterm elections. No matter how small a drop may seem, it can still cause a ripple in
a vast body of water. Let’s not allow ourselves to be lured to the temporary
promises of the politicians. Overused as it may sound, but it is still worth it
to vote wisely. Who knows, that single vote will cause a tiny ripple of change
in our pitiful political system. Start the wave of change, one vote at a time.
One good thing
that has emerged during this season is the active political advocacy of the
Media to awaken and increase the citizen’s vigilance and participation in
election-related activities. This willingness of the citizens to participate keeps
our democracy alive – the very same democracy that cost the lives of our heroes
in the past. Democracy may sound more like a privilege, but instead it’s an
obligation we all must do. Literally means “people power”, democracy has been
given all other definitions. Some misuse it as the power to replace a
particular politician from a position. This is part of the democratic
principle, but we should be more responsible enough of our actions. We should
have anticipated that this situation would come, before we ourselves brought
that politician into office in the first place.
Unfortunately,
passivity is innately engraved in human nature. Given this pitiful condition of
our political condition, some prefer to sit back and watch others do what they
themselves should be doing. Some did not even register themselves so they can
cast their vote in May. They assume that others can handle it. But then again,
it is only an assumption – a guess. At the end of the day, many follow the same
principle, until there is no one left to do it. The result of this mentality is
evident in our society today.
Voting is our
right as a citizen of this country. It is our power to put leaders into office
to lead us into economic stability. Coupled with this power is the obligation
to know them well and even criticize them well, not only as politicians, but most
importantly as Christian leaders. We have had great leaders in the past, but
sad to say their intelligence and wit has brought us nowhere but deeper into
our self-dug hole of corruption and self-centeredness. If we reflect on our
status as the only Catholic country in this part of Asia, we will find it
ironic that our very leaders do not reflect what a true Christian Catholic
should be.
Availing the right to suffrage --- what difference
does it make? It could probably the very difference
that our ailing country has been waiting for all these years.
-
Ma. Valerie Joy L. Osuna
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