The atmosphere of the Alexander Brown Hall is thick with the election frenzy for the executive council. If you don’t know this, what rock are you under?
Candidates are choking residents physically with banners that placed strategically as if your votes will be based on the position and number of banners. There are also stickers; you probably brush your teeth in the presence of the canvassing eyes of the aspirants for different posts. Or hasn’t your room door been knocked on countlessly by a gang consisting of a beseeching leader, a number of awkwardly smiling, some uninterested folks or probably overactive hype men, interrupting your evening? If you are at home, I know you are not completely off the hook, with the uncaring spams of flyers, stickers and unamusing memes sent to various Whatsapp groups in chains that prevent you from sifting important information that the group was probably made for.
Like they say, what is an ABH election without drama? Have you been asked to join a campaign team by two opposing candidates with whom you have no preexisting relationship? I know, right? Your personal cut of the drama. When it comes to the agendas, the hall gives more than its fair share of propaganda-cooking up their versions of the performances of opponents, digging up forgotten histories, and painting possibilities of rivals’ incompetence. I don’t dismiss their relevance nor do I pretend they aren’t as entertaining as they are calculated.
Have you been met by the same person everyday on your way to procure your daily bread for seven days as if you were being stalked? Have you been saluted personally, with your name resounded by a candidate that you don’t know from Adam? Have you been smiled at sheepishly in a way that made you doubt the planet you are in, and then they say it’s not because of the elections, but building relationships is more important? Did you notice any minister in this tenure firing in their duties because they are running for the next tenure? You wonder, ‘I didn’t know, this person was still alive?’ Then, welcome to ABH elections.
Now, to the Godfathers. Yes, we have our versions here in this hall. They are perceived as low-key advisors, campaign influencers and among the most politically attuned; they are also regarded as strong persons to connect with to pool surrounding (related) residents onto the side of the contender. In case you are contesting and things don’t look good, get a godfather today.
It’s two weeks into the election campaign season and none of the the candidates haven’t given us the slightest peek into their performance based uniqueness. It’s almost as if they are worried their rivals will copy them. All we have been fed are catchy slogans like Count on Charles, The Mickey Way and so on like we are to vote based on copywriting and graphics design. This better be fixed as voters are expectedly voting for the brains of aspirants and not creativity of campaign teams.
You might wonder: what is really the metric of choosing a candidate? Is it the number or size of banners? Is it the number of time they knock my door or greet me? Is it the number of committees they claim to be members of? Or Is it whether they are a friend, or a friend of a friend of a friend, or a classmate or block mate or floor mates? Or is it the most energetic spammers or if their stickers accompany you to dispose waste?
The truth is the past couple of months have proven that the need for competent leadership is invaluable. So, it comes down to us to ensure our choices are informed. Look at the candidates- not just as people appealing for your support, but people that will be at the helms of affairs, managing the hall, determining the quality of life of you, a Brownite.
I advise that wherever they corner you to sing the songs of support, ask for their plans and determine the feasibility. Command them to state which experiences makes them qualified. They should, at your demand, list the flaws of this administration and what they will improve. Inquire if they have researched what Brownites’ needs are and their solutions. Charge them to mention external relationships they have developed to contribute to the advancement of the hall. You don’t need a pest in the position of management; what can they do? They should be a capable nuisance, if at all. Don’t worry about the time they will take, instruct that they pitch in two minutes. I must mention, don’t fall for the variety of adjectives they can spout reflexively, words could be the emptiest promises.
Good luck, my dears. Ensure your presence at the manifesto and press night, you cannot be too informed while making this decision.
