A Long Way To Go
The election has been held and the results are in. There have been winners and there have been losers.
Regardless of who won and who lost, what should be of paramount concern to us all is how the election was conducted, and whether or not the process of campaigning and subsequent casting of votes complied with the democratic principles that many of us hold so dear.
Alas, for this was not to be. At many of the polling stations incidents were reported, with fighting and violence becoming the order of the day. In one barangay one candidate for punong barangay was attacked by members of the opposing party. Such behaviour does not constitute a democracy process, but rather it is anarchy, born out of ignorance and from a lack of maturity in those individuals concerned.
Sadly this practice is all too common as most of us are well aware, with so many of our candidates being motivated either by the allure of position, by the prospect of personal gain, or else by both, rather than by a true desire to serve our people by striving to improve the society in which all of us live.
Amongst the candidates who stood I am sure that there were many too who do have principles and values that are to be admired, and who are driven by a more altruistic motivation. Such candidates would however be unlikely to even consider bribing others into voting for them, which puts them at an immediate disadvantage.
Democracy is a fine ideal, but to apply democracy in a real and practical way is another matter entirely. For democracy to work there must also be integrity, together with an electorate that is fully mature. I fear that here in the Philippines we still have a long way to go.
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