12 People To Never Vote For

Ballot

Million of individuals have held elective positions since voting was identified as a tool for community development. Not many of these politicians have retained the reverence of the electorate. 

This is largely due to the fact that voters, at different times, have ignored tell-tale signs of fraudsters parading as saviors. On this piece will be discussed features of people to never vote for.

Dear reader, never vote for a public office seeker IF

1. They Have No Campaign Promises

In a bid to shield themselves from accountability and scrutiny, some politicians coined the rhetoric; ‘I am not promising anything’. The simple question is, ‘how do we know if you failed or succeeded if you never promised to do anything’? It is like seeking to write an exam and saying a report sheet should not be printed for you.

2. They Have No Detailed Manifesto

These are usually people who don’t attend manifesto debates. The electorate should have a clear idea of what to expect from an aspirant. The manifesto should not be mere jotted points, the mechanisms through which the objectives will be attained should be lucid. An aspirant who has the interest of the people at heart will not bother if his plans are copied and used to save the nation. An individual who believes the community should not move forward if they are not the ones calling the shots does not deserve the seat of power.

3. Their Manifestoes Have No Link To The Needs Of The Masses

A government’s sole purpose is to ensure the happiness of the people. A rational aspirant seeking election in a community with bad roads will not propose to bring in self-driven cars. Some politicians try to mesmerize ignorant voters with fantasies. At the end of the day, they get into power and realize these fantasies can’t be achieved. Since they had no concrete plans to begin with; they become mega looters.

4. They Have Occupied A Similar Position In The Past And Did Nothing Significant

Voting for this person means you have embraced stagnation. The person will see no need to do better than before after all, you liked their performance enough to bring them back. This also applies to people who did not occupy the position but, were very close to it (deputies, vices and secretaries). If your master lacked leadership abilities which brought hardship upon the masses and you followed them with devout obedience and loyalty; we can’t be sure you haven’t been affected by the same disease.

5. They Spend A Great Deal Of Time With The Elite

The elite include political, traditional and religious leaders, and business moguls close to the government. An aspirant who does this has simply openly declared where they are pitching their tent. They will dance to the tune of the elite who don’t care about the common man. They will become a conduit for oppressors.

6. They Are Rich But Are Seen Or Heard Of Only During Elections

A wealthy individual who cares about his country will initiate developmental projects even without political power. They will try to solve basic problems their communities face. These could be in the field of health care, scholarships, skill acquisition and many more. They could also use their popularity and influence to draw the government’s attention to the yearnings of the people. If they don’t do any of these yet, are able to spend colossal amounts of money on political campaigns; they are just self-seekers.

7. They Have Unresolved Corruption Allegations

They might be innocent however; it is a 50-50 gamble. What if they are guilty and are only seeking political power to boost their immunity and even commit more and greater atrocities? They should undergo trial and obtain acquittal from established courts before soliciting votes. If they get into power while guilty of the allegations, it could mark the beginning of a decades long reign of tyranny and impunity.

8. They Are Close To Corrupt Individuals And Entities

There is no such thing as a clean man joining a corrupt force. If they are part of that force, it means they are not mentally strong enough to lead a just cause. It is true that there are individuals capable of committing class suicide but, how many have done it in the history of mankind? What assurance do you have that they will be one of the few class-suicides? What is apparent is that they will defend the crows that supported them. They will defend the corrupt entities holding the country to ransom. You are doomed.

9. They Enjoy Support From Partisan Ethno-Religious Establishments

There are two things that humans hold most dearly to their hearts; faith and ethnicity. Unfortunately, these two things are major tools for mental enslavement and manipulation under the control of despots.  Being religious or conscious of one’s ethnicity is a good thing, so is being a member of religious or ethnic institutions. However, when these organizations are known to have expressed partisan interests; giving them a say in government by voting for their person could mark the beginning of the end of the country. Such individuals will enjoy the support and backing of these institutions even when they are clearly leading the country off the cliff. Criticizing this leader will become such a taboo that people could be put to death for it. This is the ultimate recipe for tyranny. A leader like this will be given the status of a demi-god. Their tribesmen or co-religionists will face the risk of excommunication if they dare to speak truths that expose the government’s misgivings. Every action of the leader will be labeled 'divine' and calamities that befall the community due to incompetence of the leader will be given the same label. A person like this on the seat of power will only ensure the perpetuity of ignorance, bigotry, fanaticism and suffering in the nation.

10. They Frequently Resort To Ethno-Religious Rhetoric

This person is surely a master of divide and conquer. This person is a selfish and corrupt manipulator who will shield himself from scrutiny by raising the dust of ethno-religious sentiments. A person like this will employ propaganda to turn members of the community against themselves just to hold on to power. 

Like the Scottish politician, George Galloway, said, “as long as you are fighting each other, you are not fighting them”. 

Fictional character, Fox Mulder of the X-Files, said, “Fear; it is the oldest tool of power. If you are distracted by the fear of those around you, it keeps you from seeing the actions of those above”. Frequent expressions that make the populace constantly conscious of their differences is a tell-tale feature of a potential manipulative tyrant.

11. They Pay No Attention To Sensitivities

Under the illusion that they are outspoken and freely speak their minds, some individuals engage in behaviors that clearly show their disregard for emotions they don’t feel. They don’t care if these behaviors are capable of pitching members of the community against each other. This is a major feature of a tyrant. They will make policies entirely unpopular among common men and stand by them no matter the intensity of protests. In a bid to maintain grip on power, they wouldn’t mind sparking a civil war by the help of their loose tongues. This kind of person is arrogant and will never accept when they are wrong.

12. They Clearly Show Weak Intelligence And Incompetence

Nobody should be voted based on pity or hope. If he is not intelligent, he will likely bring suffering upon the country and the electorate will regret ever going to the ballot for him. Lack of intelligence is made evident by a number of traits.

a. Frequent contradictions: An intelligent person knows if, how, when or where they said or did something.

b. Remains silent when the masses speak about their plight: This is largely because they don’t even understand the root cause of the problems, how much more the solutions.

Dear reader, these are products of my thoughts and observations. The aim of these piece is to show that if you ever voted an irresponsible individual into office; the signs were always there staring you in the face, you just didn’t take note.