Stop me if you've
heard this before""An election .... is usually a chance for an ordinary voter to make a quick buck, enjoy a free meal and perhaps even grab a souvenir t-shirt at a campaign rally.
For the man in the street, it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the parties and candidates; they rarely live up to their campaign promises anyway.""
Typical elections in the Philippines? Yes, but it turns out also typical in Bangladesh. Fortunately for Bangladesh, there is something different this year.
""No-one is offering us money or anything else this time," said Abdul Jalil, a rickshaw puller in the capital, Dhaka. "Previously, we would get cash or other gifts during elections."
Bangladesh goes to the polls on December 29 for a parliamentary election the interim government says will be the cleanest in years -- if not the country's history. The election, the ninth since independence in 1971, will end nearly two years of mostly emergency rule and return the country to democracy."
I can only hope for the same thing happening in the Philippines in the next elections.
2 comments:
Merry Christmas to you, too, Roy. Somewhat belatedly...
Sadly, this description of elections reminds me too much of US elections, too. We are getting to the point where a large fraction of voters get money from government programs they don't have to pay to support. When you can vote yourself goodies and send the bill to someone else, it is a problem for the republic.
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