Poverty is always blamed as probable cause in the enigma of vote selling.
People attribute this wrongdoing in the county side to economic predicament of
the poor. Justification to this criminal act is bestowed in abundance to excuse
condemnation and even prosecution. It is always the romanticism of the poor
that provides shelter to absolve offenders from fault and consequences.
Is it really a question of poverty? Is it a ganta of rice and a cup of ginamos
to fill the empty stomach of family members? If this is so, what happens then
during the three years between elections?
I maintain a fair conviction that this crime has only little to do with
poverty. I was born and raised in the barrio and grew up with this electoral
practice. It started with a simple gesture of gratuity and gradually evolved
beyond control. Someone thought of a notion of gift giving and it grew up into
a nightmare. The mistake was not from intention alone but also from genial
compassion. Nevertheless, it is a serious malady nowadays.
This crime is not as complex as we thought of. By simply cutting off few
distribution centers of political parties in the barrios will eventually starve
the system.
This was how it was before:
Late afternoon, a day before election, blood money was brought to the party's
point man in the barrio. Distribution was done during the night. Heads of
families came for their share. Instruction about counter signs, etcetera was
given as proof of compliance. There were times when carbon paper was used to
non-secured voters. It was a simple operation where family heads got their
allocated share for voters in the household. This kind of operation was used
for decades. It was revised when it became apparently obvious especially the
use of carbon paper.
This is how it is today:
The barrio is organized months before Election Day by adopting a multi-level
pyramid strategy of marketing candidates. The beauty is its legitimacy while
still in the initial phase. It is however most advantageous to administration
party as it uses the already well established barangay management as a
networking campaign entity.
As before, money is still delivered to party's point person in the barrio a day
before election. He/she is also the head of the local multi-level network.
Money is disseminated through the system and down to voters. It is a
sophisticated way to buy votes.
There are also unorganized side deals on Election Day. Agents of individual
candidates, regardless of party stripe, secretly put more incentives to further
sweeten voters' choice towards especially targeted candidates This is effective
as it gives extra income to voters. This is also where trouble is likely to
occur as it is extremely difficult to control. It's a dog eats dog kind of
inducement.
A day after election is Christmas Day. It's a celebration where proprietors of
sari-sari stores welcome voters with open arms. Booze and sumsoman are favorite
buy. Money from election gains are spent like there's no tomorrow. Heavy
drinking sprees are common and rural folks behave like drunken sailors.
Democracy is alive again and what better way to meet the harsh rigors in life
than to inebriate consciousness from usual hardship and misery. They don't care
about anything anymore and why should they? Time and time again and this
democratic ineptitude of a town running amok serves no better purpose. It only
adds to create desolation and mental anguish. People crave for change but this
wouldn't come as it didn't before. And it will never be for as long as public
governance is continually under the mantle of a dynastical and cronytic
leadership.
Why should barrio folks care when they know that election is a farce? It's a
process to insults their intelligence. It is tainted so wickedly that it
entirely lost its purpose and meaning. Election is nothing but compensation to
the already abuse from baneful deeds imposed. It is sweet vengeance and
politicians therefore have to pay their way in cash to deserve.
Why should they care when our government is declared as the most corrupt
amongst the neighborhood of nations? If it's a race into hell the rural folks
too desire to be contestants. They are in the same boat and when it sinks, all
are in the same murky water anyway.
Why should they care when it's predicted that a decade from now we could
successfully dethrone Bangladesh as the poorest country in the area. They may
as well enjoy the spoils of the day while they can. Poverty grips the barrio
and common getaway is to get drunk.
Yes, vendors of doom they are and poverty contributes a little. But it's what
becomes of society that is at fault. It's the haywire management of cities and
country that are mostly to blame. This is where people's attitude emanates.
Electoral wrong is most difficult to resolve as it is already embedded deeply
in the conduct and behavior of people.
Seldom can one find an honest person in Gomorrah.
