Election Fallacies

Since the election carnival started its tour, I have been asked by a number of friends, students, co-teachers, and relatives about “my president”. Since then too, I have been silent about the name and the reason beyond the silence. At the time I upload this post, I will see to it that everyone has already cast their ballot so as not to instigate any form of campaigning or propagandizing. Generally, I decided not to discuss anything election-related as much as I can because of the following fallacies:

Fallacy 1: Election = “Change”

I believe in the power of democracy, of having one’s voice heard through his/her vote. However, I beg to disagree on the “power of election” as it is perceived by Filipinos. In my analysis, the beauty of election is limited to “change” which may be merely defined as “transition of power and leadership”. Thus, I find it rather odd to see Filipinos squabbling about elections with the mindset that if so and so wins, their lives will “change”.

Most Filipinos see elections as and and-all-be-all solution. This is the most dangerous election fallacy. Yes, the government and its leaders play a vital role in the “changes” within the society, but I strongly believe that the “change” that we’re looking for is within us. Society changes because its major stakeholders, i.e. individuals, decide to change.

The gods in Olympus feed on human worship, so are the politicians. The moment Filipinos start considering that these politicians are mere fallible and normal human beings as we do, is the moment change will commence. The moment Filipinos start choosing education over trivial things is the moment change will abound.

I come from a poor family, and I’m not saying we’re rich now. But at least now, we eat more than three times a day, unlike before; at least now, we have something to pay for our bills. Did any politician help us get out of poverty? NONE. Ate and I struggled in PUP and PNU to get our degrees, get a job, and contribute to our family.


Fallacy 2: The power of the candidate

Fallacy 2 is strongly related to fallacy 1. Most candidates think that they’re gods, that they can pull the Philippines out of poverty since they were able to pull themselves out of poverty, that they can end poverty by simply ending something. But everyone knows it’s not as simple as that. These candidates should remember that they can’t do everything they want (provided that they also believe in Democracy). Sadly, the world is run by money, and people tend to embrace that ideal, which then fuels these blood sucking insects (to borrow Gore Vidal’s analogy, “poli” = many & “tics” = blood sucking insects).

Fallacy 3: Rich & Poor are equal during elections

This ideology may be true at some point, but never in its entirety. In concept, the rich and the poor are supposed to be equal during elections because everyone is only entitled to a single vote. However, some poor people would tend to sell their votes for a price. Yes, vote-buying and vote-selling is never acceptable. But can you blame them? They who are always burdened on how to make ends meet? For these people, a vote is of lesser importance as compared to food or money. Hence—though not entirely too—it may be fallacious to say that the rich and the poor are equal, because the poor would always have narrower options than the rich.

Fallacy 4: Voting for the “winnable”

Surveys have conditioned the mind of most Filipinos, and the worst result of this is to vote for the “winnable”. One day, while on a jeepney going to PNU, I overheard a passenger saying, “Ok sana si _____ kaso naman walang kapana-panalo. Sayang lang boto ko.” The stupidest election-related argument I have ever heard. A person who votes simply because of being swayed by surveys and popularity should never expect change. Voting is supposed to be a result of careful analysis and assessment. Voting a candidate should be based on personal criteria and not of audience impact.

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Call me a pessimist, but I just don’t believe that “change” will happen soon, not because we lack good candidates, but because we decided not to change. The “change” that we have decided to have is mere surface value, e.g. how AkoMismo became more of a fad than a movement. How frustrating.

I voted for a person who believes in the same God as I do; someone who, like me, believes that he alone cannot do it. I voted him not because I believe him, but I believe in Him.

Let us all hope and pray for a clean and peaceful election turn out.