The democratic “experiment” is getting much more mature in the Bahraini custom now. Bribing poor people with sacks of rice, sugar and some oil as has happened in the elections of 2002 and 2006 is no longer enough, according to Al-Wasat this morning. People now demand more for their votes, they upped their prices!
لكنالعرض والطلب قبيل العملية الانتخابية ÙÂيتصاعد مستمر، ÙÂÙ€ «ÙÂانوس علاء الدين» الذييعمل قبيل العملية الانتخابية وينتهيبعد إغلاق صناديق الاقتراع سيكونعاملا مساعدا ÙÂيالكثير منالدوائر للØÂصول على أصوات الكثير منالناخبين، وخصوصا أنهناك المئات منالأسر التيتعيش ØÂالة الÙÂقر الكبير. منجهة أخرى، قال مواطنون«أول مرة ندريانصوتنا يسوى خيشة عيش وخيشة سكر لا وأبو أربعينكيلو بعد»، مشيرينإلى أن«بعض هؤلاء المترشØÂينيوزعونالرز والسكر منأجل الØÂصول على الأصوات وهذا شراء للأصوات».Al-Wasat Newspaper 31 July 2010
But the supply and demand before the elections is ever increasing as “Aladdin’s lamp” which works from before the elections to the moment the ballots are closed will be an effective method in many electoral districts to gain more votes, especially that there are hundreds of families suffering from abject poverty. Further, some citizens said that “we realise that [in the first election] our vote was worth a 40kg sack of rice and another of sugar” indicated that “some candidates distribute rice and sugar in order for them to gain votes, this is a vote buying operation.”
But now, they’re wiser and maybe taking lead from the recent much maligned Chamber of Commerce elections in which some candidates allegedly bought traders’ votes for prices ranging from tens to hundreds of dinars – along with some probably unfulfilled promises – now voters know that they can get more, much more than what they have accepted in the recent past. Demands, according to the article above, range from air conditioners to fridges to other home utensils.
This is tragic. I’m not sure whether I should laugh of cry when I read articles like this. For a sacred duty to be reduced to this is probably indicative of the immaturity of the process, the abject mistrust people put into such democratic practices, or even worse complete disbelief and disenchantment in democracy.
While to an extent I can’t blame them, after all, the last 8 years were painful for the country with the only tangible results from this “experiment” being much more restrictions on personal freedoms and freedoms of speech, with no murderers and torturers being brought to justice but attempts to codify reconciliation were actively and vehemently opposed by some of those who are supposed to be representatives of the people. Essentially, what people have witnessed so far from this “experiment” is a degradation in their quality of life and an unchecked and increasing gap between the haves and have-nots.
What has increased since the first elections is the amount of hot-air and the acceptance of further promises which everyone knows could never be fulfilled.
Oh, and another thing did change. A lot more people just won’t vote this time around. I would be very surprised if the turnout exceeds 60% this time…
Comments
Somehow, this sounds like a more expensive version of Singapore politics. Of course, in Singapore politics, those who can’t be bought usually end up getting accused of some made up act under the Internal Security Act and kept in detention for many years or until they sigh away their integrity and ability to hope.
Is it the same in Bahrain?