By Ahmad Faizuddin
In today’s democracy system, the question like “Who will you vote for in the upcoming election?” has become a trendy topic in daily conversation. This is one of the questions that have been raised since the preparation for the election echoes. Not only at government offices but also at homes, universities, markets, or coffee shops. People tend to include this one topic to be discussed among their families and peers.
Some people might decide to be neutral in the election. To vote or not to vote? Since none of those candidates and parties meets their expectation, thus abstaining becomes the safe way out. And some others might be clueless as to whom they should give their voices. It is a big puzzle for many voters. Well, it is our rights. Yet, one vital thing to remember is that our voice will determine the good, the bad and the ugly of the country.
Yes, it sounds like a 1966 Italian Spaghetti western movie. Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach played the roles of the good, the bad and the ugly guy respectively. In the movie, they competed to find buried fortune gold. But, at some point of time, they collaborated and worked together to achieve their goals.
I am not saying that we should pair with the “bad” guys to rule the nation. The idea is to choose the “good” candidate so that the “bad” and the “ugly” candidates will not freely rule the country. This notion will not be realised if we do not actively participate in giving our voices. I believe we should actively contribute in choosing the “best” among the “good” and the “bad”.
We might try to find the best candidates through their track records. Thus, it is important to have appropriate information accessible. This will allow us to choose the best persons. Yet, the problem is most people do not have appropriate time to look at the profile of the candidates. Additionally, black and negative campaigns have worsened the situation. So, people do not expect much from the election.
At the end the result will be the same like previous practices. Society has become weary. Especially in rural areas, people tend to think that whoever wins the election people will still work as usual in their field.
Nevertheless, as responsible citizens, we need to contribute something to the country. It does not need to be a politician to choose the best ones. As good citizens, we can always analyse the qualities and characters of the people whom we will choose to be our representatives in Parliament. What should we look at then?
Al-Farabi, a scientist and philosopher before Avicenna in the 8th century, in his treatise entitled The Model City, describes that the ideal city ought to be ruled by those who possess such qualities of “great intelligence, an infallible memory, eloquence, a studious turn of mind, temperance, magnanimity, a love of justice, firmness of purpose without weakness and determination in accomplishing good”.
Those qualities are among the characters we should look for when we choose the candidates to sit in the government. Do they have the capacity to manage the society? Can we trust all the problems in their hands? How will they serve best all citizens? Are they moderates and receive critiques? Can they be fair in deciding many things? And the most important thing is, are they wise enough to drive this nation in achieving the goals?
Al-Farabi’s view is almost similar to Plato’s idea of government by the wise or the aristocratic republic. We need wise leaders to be able to raise and stand at the same level of other countries.
What can a wise leader contribute in economy, for instance? Ibn Khaldun, a historian and economist, writes his modern economic ideas in the book The Muqaddimah (The Introduction), “The state is the great trader, like a good and far-sighted trader it is his duty to see that the money he receives in taxes finds its way back into circulation amongst the people. Moderate taxes are the best incentive to work. On the other hand, by thoughtlessly raising any tax one renders it fruitless”.
But, what if we cannot find all of these qualities in a candidate? Then, we should seek out more candidates who together they have necessary qualities to rule so we can entrust our nation in their hands. When we want to buy something, we will select and choose the best. So, why not treat the same with the election?
We tend to choose those who promise shining hopes without seeing whether they are capable of doing it or not. Do we choose a candidate because he gives us a T-Shirt or RM50? How can we choose candidates who are far before the election have violated the regulations? It does not matter to have male or female candidates to sit in the Parliament. The most important thing is do they have good qualities and capacities?
Do not let anybody play with our nation. Do not just see their promises from their what they say, but see their qualities in real actions. Or is this the way our democracy has been running? It becomes like a game but without rules and regulations. Thus, we should teach our future generation to be critical and reliable.
The quest of bringing the nation to achieve the goals and success is still a long way process. It needs participation of all citizens especially those with the spirit of enterprise and productivity. They are the wealth of the nation. Everyone plays a great role in bringing success. So, when the time comes, choose wisely. A good election is just a starting point to improve the nation.***
(The writer is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Management and Leadership, Kulliyyah of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia | Email: akhi.faizuddin@gmail.com| Mobile Phone: +60178813515)
photo courtesy: www.voanews.com