A question on motives and timing

A question on motives and timing

This refers to the editorial “Lighting a candle” (PDI May 12) which says that a nameless group headed by Senator Francis Pangilinan and ChangePolitics Movement are taking the cudgels of responsibility of convincing around the country “about 9 million lazy or apathetic citizens to register and vote in 2010” and “to get rid of vote-buying” respectively.

I am not questioning the effort of Senator Pangilinan on his desire to bring about political reforms in the country by urging the youth to register and vote. However, I question his motives and timing. Is it really his sincere wish to encourage the youth to register and vote or is he using this laudable effort as a prelude to his political nationwide campaign for a higher political post in the 2010 elections? The timing is even shady. If the senator had this “register and vote” youth campaign in mind during his first few years as senator, he should have introduced at the earliest time a bill requiring the youth to register and vote.

Why don’t we make it a national policy that students who already reached the voting age have to present to the Dean of Admission of colleges and universities their voters ID as a proof that they already registered and such ID be made also as a requirement of their school enrollment? In this way, there is almost the assurance that practically all youth will vote every election and prove themselves ultimately as a potent group in charting the fate of this country.

It is admirable for the senator to share his most precious time, energies and talent to improve our electoral system by his involvement in this youth register and vote campaign nationwide. But in my opinion this is a kind of cheap visibility campaign. For sure he will be benefited from it because it will boost his popularity and enhances his image as a youth leader. I think the best campaign advertisement so far of any elected official is the service he renders to the public. The work of the public official speaks for itself. Conversely, those politicians who put tarpaulins and streamers to advertise themselves and the despicable ploy of going around the country enticing all to register and vote probably have not done any good job and have no honest-to-goodness accomplishments to speak and be proud of.

If the senator is eager to position himself as a citizen who will work for political reforms such as initiating this nationwide campaign for youth to register and vote, he should do it in his capacity as private citizen and not as a prospective candidate for a national office on 2010 elections.