Simple Politics

A recently enjoyed a conversation with one  Councillor who was elected into office in the July 2013 election. Mr X was extremely grateful for his fortunes, he spoke of how he had recently revelled in his maiden stay in a local five star hotel, he was also fascinated by his brand new Samsung Galaxy S4, he had never used an original handset. The Gods were truly smiling on him. 

And so because I am constantly on the prowl for stories to share with you I decided to humour the grey headed headmaster by asking about how he managed to win the election. Don’t get excited he didn’t have to kill, torture or even threaten anyone. Mr X has been a high teacher in his ward for 26 years, and that’s basically how he won the election. According to him close to half the electorate in his ward either learnt at the school he teaches or is a parent or sibling to someone who learnt at that school. Therefore “Teacher X”, as they refer to him in his ward, needs no introduction to the community, they know him and like him. 

His opponent also made things easier for him, he grew up in the area and left for the Sunshine city, there where he is known to be a businessman of some sort. He is known to visit his parents in the area from time to time but he doesn’t really mix with the community at large. He will buy a couple of old men a scud or two when he drives by the shops but it’s more of a pompous display of his supposed wealth than a genuine act of giving. 

So towards the election, the opponent’s visits to the area became more frequent, he campaigned and slaughtered a beast and bought drinks and alcohol for the masses. He promised them development and all sorts of niceties, but he also spoke with his hand in his pocket and frequently made reference to his wealth and their poverty in a condescending manner. And so the masses were not fooled by the food and drink, to put it in the words of Teacher X “they drink his beer, but they didn’t give him their vote”. Teacher X on the other hand lives amongst the people and he has served the community for 26 years. He attends their funerals and weddings and knows them by name. He taught them, he taught their children. He walks amongst them and they decided to give him the opportunity to represent them. And that’s how he won.

When all is said and done, I can only hope that by now he has gotten over the excitement of hotel stays and fancy phones and has gotten down to the business of executing his mandate.