AM I mistaken, or do you also get the idea – with just a week to go before election day – that this election is creating far less fanfare than did previous national and provincial ones?
I’m not just talking about the sorry decline in the number of ‘town hall’ debates that regularly saw plastic chairs being thrown after voices were too hoarse to hurl abuse.
Those were proper debates (for the journalists), when fists flew as often as did insults, and there was more heat generated than light.
Come to think about it, apart from a few public meetings of late, there has been little that’s happened in the public domain given the enormity of the D-day that lies ahead.
This, of course, excludes subtly canvassing for votes: the mandatory benevolent acts to gogos and visits dispensing gift parcels to poor communities that have battled to survive as they waited for the previous promises to arrive.
Certainly in this part of the world, it’s a tame, low key contest by previous standards.
And while it could be put down to over-confidence, I believe it has a much simpler root – lack of finances.
The global and national recession is no secret, and of course the political parties are feeling it as much as everyone else.
It costs a lot of money to run an election campaign that encompasses the entire nation, from major cities to the smallest rural constituencies.
It was reported that more than a billion rand was spent by the ruling party in the last municipal elections where not only the party, but each individual candidate had to be introduced and supported.
Printing costs have escalated and a single roadside poster on a pole can cost a few rands – not to mention a massive billboard.
Then there’s TV and radio slots – not cheap – while a decent rally in a stadium will set you back quite a few million, including the free meals and T-shirts and the huge sound systems.
Accommodation, trucks, cars and fuel add to the bill, along with the party paraphernalia that ensures the colours and logos can’t be missed.
If one assumes that the amount of exposure a party can afford is directly proportional to the number of votes it will attract, that could mean the party with the biggest budget will win the election.
I hope not. I’d rather it came down to whose message made most sense in terms of being rational and workable.
On that score, let’s be thankful we’re not like the USA, where it costs millions of dollars just to become your own party’s candidate, and billions to become president.
Proving that big bucks and rationality do not necessarily co-exist.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
For news straight to your phone invite us:
WhatsApp – 072 069 4169
Instagram – zululand_observer
