Maravi

Issue-based election campaigns

Issue-based election campaigns
By The Post
Thu 24 Mar. 2011, 04:00 CAT

Good elections require intelligent and responsible participation of all candidates and voters.

And the political campaigning that precedes our elections is a critical aspect of the electoral process. We say this because it provides a platform to our politicians and their political parties to articulate party agenda on international, national and local issues, and ought to reflect the contestation of ideas on how the state and society should be organised and run. Such contestations are healthy for our political process in the sense that the electorate is thereby assisted to make rational political choices. The political campaign ought to highlight the outlook of the parties and therefore guide their perceptions of the state, society and economy.

The political campaign process in Zambia seems to be deviating from this normative approach we have outlined. It is rather unfortunate that the campaign process has become an instrument used to harass, humiliate, demonise, defame, intimidate and repress political opposition. We caution that our politicians should emphasise electoral tolerance and leverage on issue-based campaigns. The obvious lack of issue-based campaigns among our politicians, especially those of the ruling party who are supposed to lay a good example, is a source of serious concern. The Zambian people are looking forward to campaigns that will affect their lives and livelihood. They want to see campaigns that will consolidate and strengthen our democracy beyond individualism, ethnicity and regionalism. But what they are seeing are campaigns that totally lack vision regarding how to solve the myriad of problems confronting the nation. And maybe due to lack of any clear-cut programmes for the people, the only discernible message that they are selling is abuse. But abusive campaigns are not what the Zambian people expect to form the focal point of this year’s election campaigns. They expect to hear what plans are in the offing towards finding lasting solutions to the long queue of problems facing the country from those aspiring to emerge as our leaders in this year’s elections but not abuses.

We therefore encourage all our people to get themselves informed of the manifestos of the various political parties. The Patriotic Front launched their manifesto last Saturday in Lusaka. We expect the MMD and others to do so soon. These manifestos are supposed to have the programme of action that the parties propose to follow in order to serve the good of all people. A sound manifesto should articulate achievable programmes that will enhance the development of our country and our own wellbeing. Hence, we should be able to decide to vote for the party that has a programme we see as the best for us as a nation.
The candidates for political parties will be committed to the manifestos of their party as well as to their personal vision for their constituency.

Candidates should therefore be evaluated on their capacity to implement both their party’s manifesto and their personal vision. As we have stated before, those who offer themselves for re-election ought to be evaluated against the record of what they have or have not achieved. Did they fulfil their promises? Did they offer quality service to all the people and not only those who voted for them into power? Were they available to listen to the concerns of the people? Were they selfless in responding to the needs of all, especially the poor? Again, as we have stated before, those who have not yet held office, those in the opposition, should be carefully evaluated in terms of their competence and their reputation for honesty and selfless dedication to the common good.

In casting our votes, we should therefore not be swayed by personal profit but solely by the consideration of which of the conflicting issues or candidates is better for the nation. We should scrutinise the people who wish to represent us and select our candidate strictly according to the good we think they can do. The interest of the political parties should be kept subordinate to the public good. And at the risk of boring our readers, we again remind you that politics is for the good of the people and the country, and not for a political survival of any individual or party. And if this spirit of the primacy of the common good were to animate all the parties, we would not witness these campaigns anchored on character assassination, mudslinging, slander, lies, calumny, manipulation and deceit which leave the public dismayed and disheartened.

As we approach this year’s elections, we must express concern regarding the frequent instances of intolerance, intimidation, character assassination and lust for power. We call upon our politicians and their cadres to avoid distorted presentations of their opponents. Responsible politics demands a fair assessment of one’s opponents. We need to remember the lesson: “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

In the present atmosphere of fierce competition and character assassination, there is need to consistently remind ourselves of the noble goals of political activity. Politics should aim at the promotion of the common good and the service of all the people.

Ours is a nation where we may freely choose those who will represent us, where we may now review the performance of our present representatives, weigh them in the balance of truth, justice and unselfish service, and, if we find them wanting, reject them and elect others in their place. This is our inalienable right. Our vote can help eliminate the unworthy and improve the quality of the leadership of our country.

Free, fair and constructive elections would become a reality in our country when the politicians take their responsibility seriously by addressing themselves to real issues, to their manifesto, so that voters could judge what ideas the parties and their leaders had on problems that really matter: cost of living, unemployment, corruption, poor services in education, health, government offices and so on and so forth. They should respect truth and their political opponents.
It is always interesting and inspiring watching the leaders of the advanced democracies of the world during electioneering campaigns. Their campaigns are usually issue-centred. Candidates do take one another up on critical issues affecting the lives of their people, especially during presidential debates which we hardly hold here because the ruling party has consistently refused to take part in such debates. And theirs goes beyond ‘I will do this, I will do that’, ‘I will provide this, I will provide that’, which have become usual platitudes with our politicians here. They make it a matter of duty to truthfully explain how they intend solving identifiable problems in every facet of their lives and how to make life more liveable for their people. They hardly engage in name-calling, abuse, lies, slander, character assassination, malice and insults. This is the kind of campaign approach one expects our politicians, especially those in the ruling party, to emulate. Only those candidates who have nothing to offer the electorate resort to lies, slander, character assassination, calumny and deceit during electioneering period. This is unacceptable and should be discouraged. This is the type of politics and campaign the Dutch Ambassador to Zambia, Harry Molenaar, is discouraging in favour of issue-based campaigns. There are many issues for any serious politician to pick on.

Elections are an opportune time to review our past in order to prepare for better political choices for the future; it is a time to vote for honest and selfless leaders. Those whose only discernible preoccupation is to demonise, scandalise, defame and character-assassinate others don’t deserve our votes. We need honest and clean politics. Liars, crooks and dishonest politicians of all hues should not be given our votes – they don’t deserve them.

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, HARRY MOLENAAR, MANIFESTO, POLITICS

posted by MrK @ 7:38 PM