Maravi

Electoral promises

Electoral promises
By The Post
Sun 07 Feb. 2010, 06:50 CAT

IT is undeniable that elections anywhere in the world come with all sorts of promises. Interestingly, the Bible is very clear about promises. In Proverbs 25:14, we are told, “People who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain.”

Whenever the country heads to the polls politicians mount campaigns, rightly so, to lure voters to elect them and they promise to do certain things to improve people’s lives for the better. For instance, politicians will promise to tackle the economy, the country’s social sector, infrastructure, fight poverty and provide more jobs among other things. Some promises are feasible while others are totally outrageous and impossible, but still people go ahead to vote for them.

The leaders will govern the country and not fulfil some of their promises or at times they will just meet a fraction of people’s expectations. Come elections, the politicians will be back on the campaign trail with the same promises and the cycle continues.

Our country is not an exception as far as unfulfilled electoral promises are concerned. Our people have been promised hills and mountains and in most cases nothing much is done to improve their welfare; they have been promised heaven but have not even been made to see purgatory. There are actually projects that have now become campaign tools to woo votes from our people.

For many years now, the Mutanda-Chavuma road in North Western Province, Bottom road in Southern Province, the Chipata-Mchinji Railway - though there is progress currently - in Eastern Province and the Mongu-Kalabo road in Western Province are some of the projects that come up on the list of election promises.

Politicians have asked for votes from the people on the grounds that they will, for instance, work on the Mutanda-Chavuma road but the road still continues to be in bad state. And not so long ago some traditional leaders from that province vowed not to support the government in the next election if they did not tar the road in the next few months.

Politicians need to understand that they undermine the public trust in our politics and electoral process by not fulfilling election promises. Why should our leaders promise to tar roads, build hospitals and schools for our people and later on not fulfil their promises? Could it be that they have no capacity?

Could it be a matter of deception, manipulation, miscalculation or corruption? Could it be a combination of all these factors? Whatever the case, this situation needs to be corrected or else our people will continue to lose confidence in politics and politicians.

There is need for our politicians to start accounting for their election promises if this country is to see any semblance of development. We cannot continue to talk about tarring a road for 20 years when money is being spent on other less important things.

This is the reason why civil society organisations have been advocating for the signing of social contracts between political parties and the electorate to ensure that they stick to their promises. Politicians need to take stock of the many unfulfilled election promises to the electorate before they embark on election campaigns this time around. Our people also need to be proactive and take their leaders to task for not meeting their needs if their vote is to count.

Leaders need to understand that people will not sit and remain blind to their unfulfilled promises. How long will people wait for roads to be tarred in their areas? How long will the people wait for serious employment opportunities?

How long will people wait for decent housing, clean water and good services? How long will retirees wait for their retirement benefits? How long will the people stand by and watch the gap widen further between the poor and the elite?

How long will it take before the disillusionment turns into discontent among our people? Our politicians have over the last few years continued to give false hope to our people on many issues affecting them. And we would not be wrong to state that they have somehow betrayed their proclaimed mission.

As the country nears the 2011 elections, politicians need to seriously reflect on the promises they intend to make. They need to reflect on the manner in which they have continued to manipulate and hoodwink our people for votes.

In some cases, politicians have continued to take advantage of the illiterate who do not have sufficient information to make informed decisions. We have had reports where the poor have just been given a few handouts in rural areas and they have gone on to vote in the hope of a better tomorrow.

But today, they continue to wallow in poverty and they will again be casting their votes for the same politicians next year.

We need to move forward as a nation, as a people. The same way we want development in various sectors of the nation’s economy, is the same way we should expect development in our type of politics.

We cannot continue to tell the same lies to our people and ignore them after they have given us jobs. This is crookedness, it is theft – it is obtaining votes by false pretences.

Politicians are elected into power to work for the people and our people expect nothing less than that. Our people need to be more demanding of our politicians so that they start to understand that accountability is a must, a priority.

They need to understand that people need good public services and protection from avoidable hardships. They need to understand that they have a contract with the people to deliver and cannot operate on their own terms.

Their job is to serve the people and their interests, heart and soul.

We know that campaigning and winning an election is not easy. The temptation to cheat or deceive is high. But politics need people who are honest with the people; who tell the people the truth; who don’t promise what they can’t deliver.

False promises lead to apathy and low election turnout; it makes people withdraw their participation in the belief that their votes don’t count, don’t matter as whoever is elected will do their own thing, ignoring their election promises and manifestoes.

We hope that we will have tenable and practicable election campaign promises as politicians embark on their campaigns in readiness for next year’s elections.

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS

posted by MrK @ 3:15 PM