Voter apathy and the politician

Oct 02, 2010 Editorial

There is a growing sense of apathy in the country and increasingly more people seem to want others to undertake measures that would motivate changes in the society if the apathetic feel that there is a need for change.
Analysts believe that voter apathy was responsible for the lowest recorded turn out at the polls in 2006. Traditionally, Guyana boasted as having the most voter literate people. It also boasted as having the most politically involved people and this was reflected in the crowds that the various political parties attracted at their meetings and rallies.
The older folks remember the days when political campaigns were conducted on the streets, when a measure of popularity was determined by the crowds a speaker would attract. Each of the political parties had the location from which it would hold its final rally and that rally would be the talking point and the catalyst for the votes to follow.
Other indicators were the conversations at the street corners and in the bars. In fact, people always seem to be discussing political topics at every turn. A lot has changed. People talk about the economic conditions, about other people and about scarcely about the political parties. It is as if the political parties have become meaningless.
And there is a reason for this development. People have been disappointed by the various parties. First of all there is the voter distrust based on ethnic considerations. The majority of voters of African ancestry would prefer to be led by one of their own ethnicity or ethnic origin. It is the same with people of East Indian ancestry. They are comfortable with a leader who is of their ethnicity.
So it is that issues do not readily form part of the political motivation. The voters, to their credit, were always drawn to personalities. Forbes Burnham and Dr Cheddi Jagan were charismatic leaders and people voted for them rather than the party when the system of proportional representation was introduced.
The days of the charismatic leaders are over. People have now gravitated to voting for the party. In the wider region such a vote is predicated on the issues that each party promotes. Things like corruption, while they form talking points among voters, rarely impact on the vote.
In recent times, people have been charging the government with being a protector of corrupt practices. There is also talk about the government operating as a milch cow for dishonest contractors and other people who undertake national projects simply to pocket money while rendering slipshod work.
Such charges mean nothing at election time because the voter with his ethnic insecurity will not allow such charges to let him open the gates for the creation of his own ethnic insecurity. In fact, this voter would even lay his life on the line to protect the government of his choice.
At the same time, the others who seriously feel that regardless of who rules, their fates are sealed would be prone to being among the apathetic. There are many in that category because most people are finding that unless they fend for themselves they are left to the mercies of the harsh life.
The irony is that while these people are less inclined to vote they are often the ones who are in the picket lines and at the head of street protests. These are the people who have no political loyalty and have no reservation about renting their services if the need arises.
This is indeed a new phenomenon but it highlights the extent of apathy among the population. Political loyalty is something of the past.
There is another aspect to voter apathy. These people feel no obligation to listen to any political party. Therefore, whenever there are outbursts, it is left to the law enforcement officers to restore calm. Gone are the days when the politician was the one who could restore calm.
There is a way to reverse voter apathy and it is to take messages of hope to the children in the area where there is apathy. However, this is a costly exercise and in these days when the opposition parties find funding hard to come by they are less inclined to correct the situation that affects them the most.

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Voter apathy and the politician

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