I presume I was not the only one who have observed the varied reactions from the local candidates on the result of the recently conducted political exercise, both from the winners and the also-rans. You see, their reactions can say something about them, their attitude and values which I would likely bear in mind for future consideration the next time around.
We normally receive thank you messages from losing candidates thanking their families, friends and supporters for their efforts. This gives the impression to the electorate of being a sport but an attitude of gratitude is one thing and the candidate accepting defeat, congratulating the winners and rallying his or her camp to support the winner is another.
One particular unsuccessful aspirant posted on social media a phrase that summarizes his political experience. All he wrote was “win or learn” but this caught my attention. He did not say, “win or lose”. It meant it was not really a lose but a learning experience. He gained more political wisdom. He garnered a hundred if not a thousand friends along the way and that is how to start the political journey – winning friends and influencing people.
And the winner I admire most is the one who did not just bask on cloud nine but would initiate conciliatory offers to those who are in agony as a result of defeat.
Meanwhile, politics does not end friendship between rivals in this part of the planet. Sometimes, they campaign together, joke with one another and generally play fair. Elections are usually peaceful and the winners and the losers would likely have coffee together afterwards when the election dust settles. I hope the present crop of politicians preserve this long established practice.
I don’t pretend to be a political analyst but I see a lot of factors in determining the outcome of the election. In fact, any intelligent voter has his own two-cents worth just like me. A neophyte running as independent is very risky unless you have established yourself as a very influential person in the community. A first timer going for a high position is also frowned upon. Another interesting factor is the culture of letting the incumbent graduate from the position if people are satisfied with the leadership. However, just one term is all you get if you are found wanting.
I also found out that being active in social media does not necessarily translate into votes especially if your name only came out just recently. People still prefer personal appearance and of course there is still a need to build up your name through the years even before the election period. I still believe that you can still win without a huge financial arsenal but you have to start somewhere until your name snowballs into a formidable force wherein people are talking about you and what you did in the past.
Political promises are not important in this particular corner of the world because people will scrutinize your background. What you have accomplished in your life, what you have done to your community and how you treat people around you. We also have that culture of giving you a fair chance to serve but as I stated earlier, you are only good for one term when you bungle that chance.
People in the co-op sector are also talking about the so-called co-op vote. Having a pro – co-op platform means instant votes and is said to be better that an endorsement from a religious group. The outcome of the recent elections however, have shown otherwise. Several staunch advocates of co-operativism lost in the election are now wondering why the co-op vote suddenly become non-existent.
