WHO should we vote for in the May 13, 2019 elections?
We should not vote for candidates solely for the reason that they will most likely win.
We all want to win in everything we engage ourselves in. With such desire, some us fall into the trap of voting based solely on the winnability of candidates because of the notion that when who we voted for win, we also do.
We should all realize that voting in democratic elections means entrusting the people’s power and resources to whoever we will vote for.
The winnability of a candidate does not necessarily mean that such candidate is worthy of the people’s trust.
Some candidates are more winnable than the others, given the culture in our country, because their names can be recalled easier by voters compared to other candidates. This is so because their names are familiar as they come from political families or are celebrities in the entertainment industry.
We should not vote for a candidate solely because their names sound familiar. Having familiar or easily recalled names does not necessarily mean that they are worthy of the people’s trust.
The worthy candidates are those who, when voted to public office, will honor the people’s vote (and trust) with actions and decisions that will serve the interests of the public and advance the development of our country.
“Winning” when the candidates we voted for won will only be an illusion if the election winners end up betraying the people’s trust because they end up serving their personal interests and not the public’s.
I am not saying that we should not vote for candidates with familiar names. What I am saying is we should not vote for candidates solely because their names are familiar or can be easily recalled.
We should vote for candidates regardless of the level of familiarity of their names. We should vote using criteria that have direct bearing on the candidates’ worthiness of the people’s trust and their capabilities in serving the interests of the public and advancing the development of our respective towns, cities, provinces and our country.
After all, in democratic elections for seats of power in government, the real winners should be the people and the country. We should not settle for a mere share in the victory (when we vote for winnable candidates) because the victory should wholly belong to the people and the country.
The election victory for the Filipino people and the Philippines can only be won when we vote for candidates who we are convinced will use the people’s power and resources only for the people and the country.
