Monday, March 19, 2007 Church advises voters to use ‘laser’ in picking candidates
THE Catholic Church calls on its flock not to vote for undesirable candidates during the May 14 polls, using a decision-making guide that may be called “laser” vision.
Laser stands for lifestyle, action, support, election conduct and reputation, said Fr. Carmelo Diola, who discusses this “focused approach to conscience formation” in the Cebu Archdiocese’s publication Bag-ong Lungsoranon.
According to Diola, among the questions voters should ask of aspiring public servants are: Does he have unexplained wealth? How will he fight corruption and drug addiction while remaining a person of integrity? Has he been involved in corruption and/or drug issues in the past?
The publication also echoed the bishops’ call for a debate that will “help the people decide who deserves to be voted for and question the candidates’ platforms.”
In a series of articles for the archdiocesan paper, former government executive Lindy Morrell also cautioned voters against candidates that practice “AKOnomics”, have high “IQs”, are ignorant of the law, immoral, “bottle-fatigues” and incorrigible gamblers.
Morrell explained that “AKOnomics” practitioners are experts in “political arithmetic.” They subtract the funds earmarked for development projects by deducting their share of kickbacks from the project budget; they divide the loot among themselves and multiply their political campaign money to buy more votes from the people, said Morrell.
The “IQ” that Morrell warned against doesn’t refer to intelligence quotient, but “incompetence quotient.” He urged voters to watch out for candidates with no hands-on management experience, yet behave as though their word should be treated as law and their will imposed on the people.
“A good number of our legislators are alcohol addicts. And when they lose while gambling, it is the people who pay for their gambling debts,” added Morrell.
He appealed to voters to stop complaining and start explaining the need for all qualified voters to choose wisely. (NRC)
