Radical Ideas (Part IV)....

Radical Ideas for the Philippines (A continuing series)

Part I of this series.
Part II of this series.
Part III of this series.

IV. Consider Voting as a "Privilege" rather than a "Right"

Article V of the 1987 Philippine Constitution ensures that voting is a right of every Filipino citizen. I believe that we should not be so generous with that right. In fact, I suggest that we let citizens work for it.

In a society that requires you to possess a license to operate a motor vehicle, or to own a firearm, or to practice certain professions, all for the specific reason of offering protection to others, why shouldn't the privilege of voting only be given to those who best know how to wield it properly and responsibly? It is only logical to presuppose that irresponsible voting does not only have a negative effect on the person who cast the vote, but also affects others within the electorate. The power of the ballot is a power best not to be trifled with and underestimated.

Choosing a leader requires a certain degree of good judgment, prudence, morals, education, and intelligence. Unfortunately, not all citizens have these requirements. In fact, the vast majority of the voting public treat elections as mere popularity contests, or worse, resort to selling their votes. This explains our penchant for electing into office traditional politicians (trapos) and celebrities like television and movie actors and actresses. Really now, do we really think that all of this people elected into office really deserve to win?

People tend not to respect something which they have not worked for. By making people work for the privilege of voting, they will end up treating it with more dignity and respect than they do now. Of course, there will always be some who will complain, perhaps those from the lower classes of society who may even accuse this suggestion of being "anti-poor." In fact it is not. Rather, it is "anti-dumb." Considering that the state offers free...or at least significantly less expensive public schooling up the high school level, there should be no reason to complain. Only those who don't believe in the value of education would be left out, probably well as it should be. Traditional politicians and celebrities would no doubt complain as well, as their "winnability" would be severely compromised. Not to mention the logistics of managing a system capable of tracking who can vote, and who can't. But these are only nitpickings. This system would do wonders in the long run, ensuring only those with the appropriate expertise, education, background, and morals get elevated to positions of power.

My suggestion? Only allow citizens who are educated to a particular level the capacity to vote. Specifically, only allow citizens who finish high school the privilege of voting. It may sound harsh, but it actually makes sense if you think about it. Why entrust our future to people who do not have the necessary education to make the right decisions regarding our country? At the very least, this is something to think about. The act of voting in itself is a very powerful act in a democracy. Such power should not be abused, least of all for the flimsy reason of not having the necessary education to make an informed choice.