THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
How, do I make sure I vote wisely this coming May elections?
A good number of young people have been asking me this question lately, many of whom are first-time voters. It appears they are eager to take part in the forthcoming electoral exercise, and the good news is that they intend to make their votes count.
They asked us the better question: How do I vote wisely? An inferior question would have been: “Who should I vote for?” If that were the question, we would not have answered it. We would rather that our young voters learn how to and start making wise voter choices. After all, our millennial and Gen-Z voters now make up 63 percent of the total voting population. They will be a decisive factor in determining who the next set of legislators and local government officials will be.
In a figurative and literal sense, the future of our country and our democracy is now in their hands.
Our answer to their question is this: when choosing who to vote for, consider three factors – the person, the platform, and the performance.
When examining the “person,” we encouraged them to take a look at the candidate’s character. We told them that they will never find a political aspirant without fault or flaw, and that is not a problem. After all, we are voting for government leaders, not canonizing saints.
Our recommendation is for them to choose one whose character can be respected and trusted. Look for someone who has a heart and attitude for service to others, and who they feel would use the power of their office to advance the interest of constituents.
We also recommend that they examine the candidate’s platform. The “platform” has been the least considered criterion for selecting who to vote for. This is because the “platform” is sometimes equated with “promise”. Experience must have convinced voters that election promises are easily forgotten. Furthermore, many candidates' platforms in contemporary times are prepared by public relations outfits or advertising agencies. They make for great slogans and are hardly intended to serve as the program of action of a winning candidate.
A better definition of platform is “the reason for running for public office”. Our young people should take a look at what the compelling purpose is of a candidate wanting to occupy a public office. As they scrutinize this compelling reason, our young people should determine whether or not they are that very reason and that they are the centerpiece of the candidate’s purpose for running in an election.
The most crucial among the three bases for a wise choice is performance. We encourage our young voters to examine the candidate’s track record. What has he or she accomplished in life? What has he or she done to make other people’s lives better? Has the candidate displayed outstanding abilities in innovating, addressing crises, creating opportunities for others, and optimizing scarce resources?
Among the three-person, promise, and performance – only the last can be measured and documented and provides solid proof of a candidate's managerial and leadership abilities.
We also advised young people not to make decisions based on what is said against a candidate by his or her political nemeses. Character assassination, black propaganda, and smear campaigns are intended to instill fear in the hearts of voters against a target candidate.
We discourage fear-based decisions. We encourage our young voters to decide instead based on the opportunities that a candidate brings to the table. Opportunities have to do with the future. That must be the concern of the young – a bright tomorrow filled with opportunities for them to have what they need, to be able to do what they must and to become the kind of persons they are destined to be.
Equally important is for our young voters to go out and exercise their right to choose their leaders in the May 12 elections.
By casting their vote, they are participating in a sacred ritual exclusive to n ations blessed with freedom and democracy.
By exercising their right, they earn the privilege of demanding accountability and top performance from those who occupy public offices. They can criticize, scold, and call on non-performers. They must remember that the ballot is the reason why they are the “boss” of every elected public official. Those who do not exercise the sacred duty of voting in elections forfeit that privilege.
Our country and the rest of the world are facing tough times. Polarization, the threats of all-out conflict, and the changing landscape of geopolitics have made the world riskier, and the peoples of the world more anxious.
Our next set of national and local leaders will be making major decisions in the face of these risks. To make wise decisions, they will need the mandate of the people they serve.
Let us make sure they get that mandate. Let us make sure the mandate goes to those who deserve it.
(The author is the mayor of Antipolo City, former Rizal governor, DENR assistant secretary and LLDA general manager. Email: antipolocitygov@gmail.com)