The Good, the Bad, and the Politically Correct, Part 2 (Discussions With My Father #6)

Click here for Part 1

Father takes off his glasses and shifts his weight on the couch, and I know he's about to tell a story.

“There is a friend of mine,” he begins. “A man who currently worships with us at the church. Some years back, he got into a political race to become either a local government chairman or a senator in his home state. To begin with, the amount of money that he spent! And not just on the election form or the campaign itself. He had to pay this fee, and settle that group, and appease that part. After spending all these just for the chance to get in, what do you expect a person's first goal will be upon assuming office?”

My reply is quiet. “To get his money back.”

“To get his money back!” Father agrees. “You see? There's a problem there already. And remember, he wasn’t running for Governor or Speaker, or senator in the house of reps. This was a much lower position. Can you now imagine what those others would have spent?”

I nod. Yes, I can imagine. I can really imagine.

“But that was not what drove him away,” Father continues. “He went along with everything, paid all the amounts, started a campaign. Then his party managers took him for a ‘meeting’, only for him to discover when they arrived that it was a ‘Baba’s’ place. They had brought him there to pay homage to the shrine and be bathed with juju! Remember, this is a very devoted Christian we are talking about. He told them he had already done everything necessary at the Church, that that was enough and he wouldn’t do anything else. Do you know what they said? That he had ‘given God what belongs to Him and it was time to give Caesar his own due'. When he still refused, they told him he couldn’t represent their party unless properly prepared. And that was it.”
“So he dropped?”

“He dropped. But after spending so much, most persons wouldn’t. All his money was gone.”

I sigh and shake my head. Poor fellow.

“Sometimes, though, “ Father goes on. “It’s not about those in office, but those around them. A president could make good plans only to have wrong information given to him by his advisors, or have his cabinet not execute them. The committees are another thing too, as are the ministers. The person at the top can never really control everything, and this goes for every political body. It's not an excuse for bad performance, of course, but it's something to put in mind.”

I understand. Father has never been one to presume anything about anybody, and when it comes to politics, what does anyone really know?

“That's the thing about politics and government,” I say. “Despite all the noise about transparency, those at the grassroots – the masses never really know anything. Everything we are told, everything we see, every speech or argument we watch is part of propaganda, created to manipulate our thoughts and opinions, and most times not in ways we would expect. You see persons down here fighting due to perceived friction between their factions, while their leaders are secretly having drinks together. Nothing is ever as it seems.”

Father nods in agreement. “Yes – nothing can be taken at face value, but that’s just how the system works. Truth – real, authentic truth –is hard to come by.”
I sigh again and glance at the TV. Another advert has cone on. This one urges persons to go get their Permanent Voter's Card in order to participate actively in the coming elections. I turn to father and gesture at the television.

“Personally, I don’t see the point,” I say. “Why are we even voting when everything will end up being rigged, and the winner will be the party that can rig better? Plus going to vote only puts you in danger from electoral violence at the polling booths.”

Father is silent for a moment, musing. In every election I have been old enough to witness, he has never failed to cast his vote. In the last one, he had watched through the entire collation process, performing his own summation as each count was announced.

When he finally speaks, his words are slow and deliberate. “Yes, rigging will take place,” he says. “Yes, we don’t know what takes place behind the scenes. But do not waste your time worrying about things you can't control. However, the ones you can, at whatever level you find yourself, those you must do. If all you can do is vote, then do all you can to cast that vote. It is your right. If you’re at a higher level and can do more to ensure a freer election, then by all means, do it. Change comes from an accumulation of actions, one person at a time.”

When he puts it that way… he is right, but I am not convinced. “But we just said it: we don’t really know what's going on. We don’t know the persons campaigning for office. By what criteria are we to vote? Eloquent speeches and catchy party slogans? Endorsements which are most likely bought? The look in their eyes? These guys are politicians – they are all actors! Every gesture, word and expression is prepared and practiced.”

“Most times, there are previous works to look at,” father replies.

“That says nothing. We know how someone hoping to get a second term in office behaves in his first. You can never know how they will behave at their next office, especially when they reach their highest goal. And what about in cases where there are no works? What do we do then?”

“You follow your instincts and pray to God.”

I huff.

Father smiles indulgently. “Listen, even those campaigning do not truly know how they will perform if they win at the polls, to talk less of you and I. Those are things neither of us can control, so do not worry about them. Do your best and leave the rest. But always, always do your best.”

I look into his eyes and finally, I understand. By definition, the best any of us could do is our ‘best'. Worrying about the other parts – that is what is pointless. And not doing the best we can, that is what is wrong.

I nod. Father is right.

Just then, the gate outside opens. Mother has returned.

---

'Discussions With My Father' will be available in a complete ebook from July 2nd!

---

Upvote, Comment, Resteem

Follow me @petermarie