I actually missed the news item on Gecom and campaign funding which one friend mentioned. I wouldn’t bother with any “second–hand” report but in doing some peripheral research for a Civil Society group I came upon a brief item about our Parliamentary Opposition Leader commenting on issues related to electoral campaigns and their funding. Hence these fleeting thoughts on the topic.
I could have never imagined, two decades ago, that I would have become almost totally disillusioned with elections and voting after I passed the age of sixty. After all, I was something of a political player for the People’s National Congress (PNC) amongst my other, more “creative” and professional pursuits. I actually headed the Party’s Public Relations/Elections Campaign Education outfits for three elections from 1980. Those three electoral events were master classes in Persuasion and Propaganda for me. I believed in the PNC’s purpose then and still value the experience gained.
Elections are still a bedrock of any functioning democracy. I understand their function. Through elections citizens express their will. The electorate make choices they hope will manage the country’s resources and their very lives for defined periods. Sadly for me perhaps, I have little faith or confidence in the choices available to me here. But even though voters are frequently faced with