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Voting — a right and a duty

Sep 19,2016 - Last updated at Sep 19,2016

Today citizens go to the polls to elect their representatives under the Dome.

There will be those who cast their votes based on the candidates’ ideology, religious affiliation or policy position on the many issues facing the country, not least the economy.

That is, if they are familiar with the positions of the candidates, for, in most cases, little is known about most contenders to Parliament.

Clearly, it is not the voters’ fault if they vote in the dark or, as expected in many cases, for a friend or a relative, for, the great majority of candidates or blocs running for Parliament had a word or a vague sentence by way of “platform” on which they ran their election campaigns.

The published manifestos of most, if not all, candidates were general in scope and content, with slogans ranging from intent to combat corruption and promote integrity to, even, create an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, a thing which has eluded heads of states and powerful countries, but does not seem to be daunting to seekers of a seat in the Lower House. 

Such generalised campaigns are not clear and coherent enough for the electorate to make an informed choice.

Besides the ties, of friendship or blood, and, in case of candidates known to the voters, the fact that they may share some common ideas or ideals, there are no specificities that can guide voters and influence the way they cast their votes on election day.

So one should not wonder then that observers expect only about 40 per cent of eligible voters to go to the polls today.

In countries with long democratic tradition, voters know exactly what this or that party’s position is on everything, from running the country to environment and trash disposal.

They are informed through publicised debates, visited by candidates in their constituencies — not invited over for knafeh and coffee and idle chat — and they feel strongly about issues, which are, eventually, the decisive factor in their voting decision.

In our case, we have to look at it as, still, a learning process and hope that the time will come when we have political parties that spell out their programmes clearly and, based on them, attract followers.

His Majesty King Abdullah has long called for the formation of political parties to serve as solid foundation on which to conduct parliamentary elections. 

Until that happens, the country will have to manage elections the best it can. And citizens will continue to vote, in most cases, based on heart, not mind.

Whatever the case, they should not forget that in the course of history, people gave their lives for the right to vote. It is a civic right often acquired with difficulty, but it should also be a civic duty that we all need to exercise.

 

As often said in this space, we reap what we saw. We choose our own representatives, so we should not blame others for the choices we make — or don’t.

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