Monday, March 30, 2009.

ahh it's the time of the year again, where people SPAM in an attempt to get into council.

i've seen 4 (including this year) council campaigns in my life, more than most others.

and truth be told, all look the same.

as a sec 2 boy, everywhere i went in rj all looked the same. all the colourful posters, banners, advertisements, popping out from everywhere.

soon, the outstanding became the standard, and nothing stood out.

that's where the problem soon lay.

a campaign in RJ is truly ineffective. what is the point of a campaign in a democratic process? to let the people better understand the candidates, to provide them with more info on the candidates' ideas and thoughts. so that people can make an informed choice on who they think is deserving.

but in RJ what is the point of it all? are voters biased? YES! people with larger social circles win because they know more people, and their friendship guides them to vote for their friends. given the extremely limited time schedule we see no true understanding of other candidates (we don't even remember their faces please.) and in the end we choose to vote for people, blinded by friendship/love.

is that fair?

is that voting for the best? are the electorate qualified to vote?

no.

and yes it is a popularity contest! no one denies that. winner = popular person.

and campaigns SOUND the same. every campaign shows off people with dreams and ambitions for the school, with great awe-inducing qualities that would make everyone swoon. they sound too good, it's generic.

in the end campaigns fail in their mission. everyone has more or less decided their votes (friend = maybe one vote for you. closer friend = confirmed vote.), and campaigns are ineffective, because of the inherent flaw in the system! so you're campaigning to show off traits that everyone else has, nothing special, everything so generic it fails to tell the minority whose votes aren't taken up what is so special about you.

yet there are exceptions. people who can make a strong impact with campaign will be able to break free and get into council, against all odds.

look at wang tianyi, with his "never let you down" tagline, winning him an ovation from the entire school.

and that's why the campaign has to exist. for people to try. to TRY, so that they might get a chance at being outstanding. even if all the campaigns may be the same. even if all the campaigns are so groan-inducing they make people cringe and cry.

because you never know if you try.

Labels: Life, school