To vote or not to vote
Published Feb 6, 2022 12:10 am
THROUGH UNTRUE
Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P.
Recently, I asked some of my friends and acquaintances if they would vote in the coming elections. I was surprised to know that many of them are not voting. Their reasons are varied.
My former high school classmate said he is afraid to go to the polling precinct because the huge crowds are a veritable breeding ground for the COVID-19 virus. He would rather stay at home than risk getting sick.
One parishioner said: "Why vote? I don't want to be an accomplice in perpetuating a process that does not achieve its purpose. If past elections had not improved our system of government, the logical course is to take a different direction, rather than drift with what doesn't work. Besides, why vote if your choices are limited to those whom you do not want to win? The refusal to vote IS itself a vote."
A fellow priest was more vehement in his response to my question: "Are you blind? Just take a look at our Comelec, and you will realize how useless it is to participate in the coming election. Most of its members are political appointees who are likely not immune to pressure or influence by people with vested interest. It is now torn by disputes, personal conflicts, and interests. It is also saddled with unresolved legal and administrative issues, like the disqualification cases filed against some candidates. Many have raised serious concerns about the loss of independence of this poll body."
I told him that his observation is valid if the election is not computerized. With our automated elections, the Comelec has very little role in the actual casting and counting of votes.
He replied: "The use of computers should not be equated with error-free or cheating-free elections. Computers heighten our expectations for perfect precision. But as we know, there is the human factor that must be considered. This early, there are already talks about computer hacking and other possible glitches that would affect the integrity and credibility of the actual elections. No matter how advanced technology is, it is not impermeable to human manipulation.
A law student said with a smirk on his face: "It's all an illusion. We actually do not have elections. What we have are 'proxy elections.' The ones running for office are mere proxies or puppets of incumbent government officials who want to extend their rule, business and media conglomerates, landlords, capitalists, interest groups, foreign investors or multinationals, and political dynasties. With their elaborate political machinery oiled by their money and resources, they assure their proxy's victory."
He adds: "I will not participate in a proxy election which is an affront to real democracy. It diminishes our self-respect and our belief that we are a people with common sense, independent judgment, and moral autonomy — the foundations of authentic democracy."
Finally, one of my former professors, now retired, told me. "I'm not going to tell you if I will vote or not. That's something only I should know."
But he gave me this advice: "But if you're going to vote, please don't be influenced by surveys that are proliferating now. Many of these are paid advertisements designed to make us believe that those who rank high on their list are the winnable candidates. Surveys offer nothing more than statistics dressed up as scientific truth."
I agreed with his observation and promised to follow his advice. Surveys present one generalized view of reality and subtly absolutize this as the legitimate view, or worse, the ONLY view of reality we must accept. The survey result tells us: “That’s the way it is." But the subliminal message is: “That’s the way it should be.” By publishing and broadcasting survey results, the media unwittingly dignify these as predictive sources of future events.
In survey-based elections, the result is always the same: WHOEVER WINS, WE LOSE.
Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P.
Recently, I asked some of my friends and acquaintances if they would vote in the coming elections. I was surprised to know that many of them are not voting. Their reasons are varied.
My former high school classmate said he is afraid to go to the polling precinct because the huge crowds are a veritable breeding ground for the COVID-19 virus. He would rather stay at home than risk getting sick.
One parishioner said: "Why vote? I don't want to be an accomplice in perpetuating a process that does not achieve its purpose. If past elections had not improved our system of government, the logical course is to take a different direction, rather than drift with what doesn't work. Besides, why vote if your choices are limited to those whom you do not want to win? The refusal to vote IS itself a vote."
A fellow priest was more vehement in his response to my question: "Are you blind? Just take a look at our Comelec, and you will realize how useless it is to participate in the coming election. Most of its members are political appointees who are likely not immune to pressure or influence by people with vested interest. It is now torn by disputes, personal conflicts, and interests. It is also saddled with unresolved legal and administrative issues, like the disqualification cases filed against some candidates. Many have raised serious concerns about the loss of independence of this poll body."
I told him that his observation is valid if the election is not computerized. With our automated elections, the Comelec has very little role in the actual casting and counting of votes.
He replied: "The use of computers should not be equated with error-free or cheating-free elections. Computers heighten our expectations for perfect precision. But as we know, there is the human factor that must be considered. This early, there are already talks about computer hacking and other possible glitches that would affect the integrity and credibility of the actual elections. No matter how advanced technology is, it is not impermeable to human manipulation.
A law student said with a smirk on his face: "It's all an illusion. We actually do not have elections. What we have are 'proxy elections.' The ones running for office are mere proxies or puppets of incumbent government officials who want to extend their rule, business and media conglomerates, landlords, capitalists, interest groups, foreign investors or multinationals, and political dynasties. With their elaborate political machinery oiled by their money and resources, they assure their proxy's victory."
He adds: "I will not participate in a proxy election which is an affront to real democracy. It diminishes our self-respect and our belief that we are a people with common sense, independent judgment, and moral autonomy — the foundations of authentic democracy."
Finally, one of my former professors, now retired, told me. "I'm not going to tell you if I will vote or not. That's something only I should know."
But he gave me this advice: "But if you're going to vote, please don't be influenced by surveys that are proliferating now. Many of these are paid advertisements designed to make us believe that those who rank high on their list are the winnable candidates. Surveys offer nothing more than statistics dressed up as scientific truth."
I agreed with his observation and promised to follow his advice. Surveys present one generalized view of reality and subtly absolutize this as the legitimate view, or worse, the ONLY view of reality we must accept. The survey result tells us: “That’s the way it is." But the subliminal message is: “That’s the way it should be.” By publishing and broadcasting survey results, the media unwittingly dignify these as predictive sources of future events.
In survey-based elections, the result is always the same: WHOEVER WINS, WE LOSE.