U.S. elections, Iraqi elections n it should be crystal clear that a vote is a powerful tool to empower or disempower individuals, parties and military dictatorships. A lot of energy and money is used to both to suppress and intimidate voters, as well as to get out the vote.
In most instances, there is a correlation between the winner who collects the most votes and whoever has the most bucks. It appears that the masses of voters are merely pawns in the power game. When it’s possible, as in military dictatorships, they are circumvented altogether. Elections are beginning to redefine a phrase coined by Malcolm X: “the ballot or the bullet.”
When fellow columnist James Ingram reports on the East St. Louis political shenanigans, you can’t help but feel empathy for the residents whose needs and aspirations often get lost in these nasty, sometimes deadly encounters. East Boogie has a violent streak in its history of politics that includes shoot-outs, murder plots and unsolved murders (a city manager going over a bridge, for example). As in Iraq, only the brave and committed (or the equally corrupt) dare run for a public office n or get out to vote. This must change.
Unfortunately, too many of the predominantly African-American municipalities around St. Louis engage in politics that have little to do with a government for the people by the people. In fact, it’s more than just a career path. It involves a view that holding these offices is linked to one’s identity and worth and, without these superfluous titles, the officeholders would be nothing. They fight as if their lives depended on holding these offices.
We can’t lose sight of the fact that political power is economic power, so s/he who has the power controls the purse. We must challenge this neo-colonialist method of politics as we do the use of racist tactics to advance agendas of white supremacy.
During the next two months, St. Louis has some important elections coming up. We have the mayor’s seat, which needs a refreshing change, and the alderpersons in the odd-numbered wards are up for re-election.
And, just as important to the city, there are the school board elections. Many have been waiting for the chance to change the group composition on the school board in the hopes that it will lead to significant changes in better policies and practices for the educational system.
In the coming weeks, I urge you to get involved in these elections. Pick any one, but choose one to do something n sit on a phone bank, put up signs, distribute campaign literature, make a financial donation or do whatever is in your capacity to help democratize our elections.
We must inform ourselves about the candidates and the issues, so that we aren’t the pawns of the rich or wannabe powerful. We can make a difference, but only if we’re educated and active participants in the electoral process.
Remember this: those people elected to office make decisions that affect your life and your family. You need to know who these people are and what they have done or what they are capable of doing.
For the progress of the people, our error of margin is very slim. We don’t have the luxury of electing naïve, misguided, mentally challenged, politically corrupt or divisive candidates. After all, we have a future to plan n one that we and our children must live in.
