It’s almost a joke told too often for it to be funny. The moment someone loses, allegations of cheating will rise. It’s a knee-jerk reaction of the loser, that, sometimes, and this we say with much apology, it hardly comes off as anything but propaganda.
If the system is that corrupt that every other person is going to be cheated out of their victory, why not point it out in the first place? Before the campaign slogans go up and the commercials hit primetime, most of our elected officials held office and perhaps could have done something to clean up the mechanism that has put them in power.
Still, the right to say something against your opponent and the government is your right. And it is most definitely not denied to the current personalities that are using it to call the other parties cheaters. It is their right to cast doubt of the very institution they worked for, which is the greatest irony of this situation.
The result is increased fanfare, a lot of polarizing headlines, and just plain old mudslinging. Even before the officials take their oath in to public office, their reputation is tainted, warranted or not.
Are we asking them to stop? If they have the proof backing up what they are saying, then they shouldn’t. Given the accusations and lack of formal procedure, however, it just comes off as noise-making. And, frankly, we’re tired of hearing all of it.
As we wait for the results to be announced and as the candidates battle it out in the guise of the truth, life has gone back to normal. People are sitting at their desks, etching out a living, paying their bills, writing out their daily tasks, braving traffic, and are off to face the same problems they’ve grown used to.
This is happening while it seems like our political scene is at a standstill, even though our feeds are blowing up with different updates. We’re waiting for the proclamation and who will stop accusing who in the hopes that we can get on with the new administration. Until then, we’re going to have to witness all of this and how it plays on like a soap opera.
Until then, we’re sitting back and watching our TV screens. We’ve probably thrown out a comment or two on social media. That, however, is the extent of what we can do. While the rest of the country is living out their lives, we’re waiting on our leaders, both incumbent and incoming, to get their lives together.
If they do manage to get it together.
Art by Dorothy Guya