adminThe allegations, coming mostly from rival candidates, were of course not verified, but, if true, paint a very dark image of the of political leaders on show.
Vote buying, bribing and rigging are the clearest signs of unethical practice in politics and if these go on unchecked, political organisations can degenerate into de facto organised crime syndicates.
The selfish act of wanting to win, regardless of the cost, shows an apparent lack of compassion and care for the very community politicians may wish to lead.
That form of election strategy begs an answer to the question, the aspiring MP can make deals clandestinely, and for selfish reasons with rival party supporters, what in the world can stop the same person from entering into an unholy covenant with the bigger fish of rival organisations for the same petty justifications?’
Vote buyers have to rank among the most narcissistic individuals who feel they deserve to have authority over others, regardless of whether or not they are popular enough to be in power.
Unethical electoral practice robs constituencies of fair competition, shuts the door firmly in the face of democracy and should the vote buyers succeed, robs the electorate of the better candidate.
Because cheating on its own merits is an acknowledgment that there is not enough support around for an outright win, anyone found using illegal means to gain political advantage should be deemed unfit to lead and be disqualified.
But the big political parties have to shoulder some of the blame.
Their membership lists and recruitment processes have to be computerised to enable easier integration between members and to ensure that each member’s personal details are captured and updated periodically and systematically.
A roll similar to the one prepared and controlled by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) but consisting of names of party members only would be good for party politics as less opportunities for unethical electoral practice would exist.
Planning is vital in primary elections.
Based on events surrounding recent primary elections held by the two main political parties, using the phrases “well-planned” or “without a hitch” will border between being too generous and being outright lies.
Allowing the electorate to gather as early as 7am and only making the ballot papers and boxes available at 4pm clearly exposed glitches that would-be vote buyers could use to gain unfair advantage.
Suppose someone, an aspiring candidate, brought food and water to the polling stations, or splashed out some cash to hungry and tired voters, wouldn’t that tip the scale a bit, or completely?
There are power-hungry politicians out there with absolutely no ignominy scale and are willing to get their hands dirty to any extent in exchange for political power.
It is important for political parties not to intentionally or unintentionally aid vote buying by being less heedful on rules and regulations.
Vote buying through bribing of rival political supporters has underlined the immaturity that characterises some sections of our young democracy.
The opposing supporters willing to accept material gain in exchange for a vote for a person they hardly know or believe in shows that money may be used as the vehicle and catalyst to change political opinions.
If one can be bought to do a proscribed act such as voting when ineligible, then other more dangerous, illegal acts such as violence, murder, extortion, blackmail, kidnapping and embezzlement may be available for hire, subject to negotiations.
If the sponsoring politician can get away with brazen acts of electoral fraud, there is every likelihood that they may repeat the act and more dangerously, graduate into more serious offences.
When we as Zimbabweans rid ourselves of colonialism and imperialism, it was an accepted fact to everyone that the two were toxic elements polluting our political system that needed to be eliminated.
Similarly we are faced by more noxious forces in the name of unethical, illegal and immoral political practices that benefit the bribed in the short term and the political figure for a bit longer.
Henry Graham Greene, the late English critic, once said: “I have often noticed that a bribe has that effect — it changes a relation.
“The man who offers a bribe gives away a little of his own importance; the bribe once accepted, he becomes the inferior, like a man who has paid for a woman”. From the above, vote buying through bribery cannot be described as a win-win situation.
The downside of it all is that eventually, people will catch up and from within the politician will always feel insecure and terribly short of self assurance.
Online Reporter