As the election season heats up, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the general election of 2012 is going to be a generational election, perhaps as historically important as those of 1967 and 1972. The votes cast and the decisions made this year will likely mark the turning point from the Pindling era politicians to those who will guide us into the future. Now, more than ever before, Bahamian voters must embrace the seriousness of their role in this sea change that's coming as they determine into whose hands they will place our nation's welfare for the next five years and beyond. We therefore wish to Consider This... what kind of voter are you and how will that affect your vote and the future of The Bahamas?
This campaign, more than any other in recent memory, is seeing ideas and concepts proposed by one party in a matter of weeks being proposed by another as its very own. The Bahamian electorate of 2012 must carefully listen and pay close attention as never before in order to decide who had the original idea and make the right decision for the future. What kind of voter you are will play a very large role in determining how well you listen and how well you decide.
Are you a traditional voter, one who votes a certain way simply because that is the way your family and you have always voted? If so, you might want to analyze your choices in the light of today's world and today's needs and demands, determining whether the conditions that made you so dedicated to that party really still exist.
Ask yourself if what fulfilled the requirements of yesterday's Bahamas will still work for today and tomorrow. Is the party to which you are attached out of habit still relevant in today's world or is it still operating in that last generation mindset of the 20th century? Voting out of long-standing habit, without listening carefully to the changing issues in order to evaluate and reevaluate election by election, does not reflect the kind of conscientiousness needed in the voting process.
Perhaps you are a grateful voter, one who has received - personally or otherwise - something from a party and wants to give back in the form of the vote. Let's examine this more closely in today's context. Many are grateful for the new roads, the new beaches, the new infrastructure, the National Prescription Drug Plan, perhaps even citizenship. But aren't these things a government is supposed to do for its citizens, not special favors for which to be inordinately grateful?
A government is supposed to create a better way of life for its people through constant attention to their surroundings. Taking care of the health of a nation is also the job of a government, not something it does out of the goodness of its heart. If you qualify and have applied properly, citizenship is not a favor, but a right. Voting purely out of gratitude for someone doing what it is they are supposed to do for you, that you are entitled to, is not a vote based on the kind of critical thinking that is needed during this election.
Similarly, you could be an angry voter, one who is furious about the long lines of traffic, the rape of our beaches, the soaring cost of living, the huge national debt and other daily annoyances that we are all subjected to. These kind of voters must be very careful not to lose their discernment and use their vote out of spite instead of for positive improvement. Stop and examine what has made you angry and then analyze which party can rectify those existing situations and create scenarios where they will not occur again. Then, calmly, without anger, you can make a solid decision about where to cast your vote.
There are also pack voters, those who follow fashion, asking everyone their opinion regarding the candidates on offer; listening to every gossip-laden talk show, interpreting the issues and reading salacious material rather than taking some time to personally and privately scrutinize the candidates, their parties and the issues and then deciding which would best meet the needs of their family and the nation. Voting is one of the most personal and private matters undertaken by a citizen, which is why you are asked to cast your ballot alone. Voting with a pack never has a good outcome and these kinds of voters usually live to regret their choices.
Issue-oriented voters are those who latch onto an issue and vote into office anyone who comes down on the side they favor. These voters often shortchange themselves by ignoring other issues that may not be as well handled by their favorite as the issue they espouse. This can put some very one-track minds into office instead of the wide-ranging, experienced leaders we need so badly at this time in our country's history.
Timid voters and lazy voters share the reluctance to immerse themselves in the information that floods out during a campaign: one because they are unwilling to get into the fray and the other because they are simply too uncaring and lethargic about what's good for their nation and for themselves. Sadly, many times, these kinds of voters either do not vote or become pack voters, letting someone else make up their minds for them.
Then there are still the glamour voters who vote for the more physically attractive candidate with no regard for their skill or experience. These voters have been around since those early elections when some candidates were regarded to be very electable because their appearance was pleasing to some of the voters. Hopefully, we have few of these kinds of voters, but if you find yourself straying into this category, remind yourself that some of the 'prettier faces' in Parliament have also been the least effective.
Finally, there is the future voter, one whose eyes are firmly fixed on what today's candidates can do for the future of The Bahamas. This voter often sees the accomplishments and mistakes of today in terms of tomorrow and looks at the long-term effect rather than the short-term impact. They see the big picture and want to find candidates who discuss their ideas in the context of decades and generations rather than in five-year periods. Many of these kinds of voters are young and ready to assist in building the nation behind leaders who share their generational vision. While this is probably the kind of voter best suited to make the momentous decision that the 2012 election will be, they have to be mindful of choosing someone who also embraces the importance of today's problems as they pave the road to the future.
Whatever type of voter you are, the general election of 2012 will require your best efforts to filter the noise and rhetoric to ascertain the facts so that, when you come to the moment that you cast your ballot, you can make the best decision for yourself, your family and your country, for today and for the years ahead.
oPhilip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis & Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament. Please send your comments to pgalanis@gmail.com.
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