Voranai Vanijaka
Someone once told me, "Love means you never have to say you're sorry." My immediate reply was, "Oh, really ..."
There are two extreme interpretations to this cliche', she went on to explain. It can either mean: "I can do whatever I want and I don't ever have to say sorry, because love is unconditional and you'll always have to forgive me. So there!"
Or, it can mean: "Sorry is a word I intend to never say to you. As I love you, I would do my best never to wrong you."
Who you are in this life is a question of character, she concluded.
Ladies and gentlemen, the world is divided between those who take and those who give, those who exploit and those who make sacrifices. Perhaps the tragedy is that the former has a bigger fan club than Thailand's favourite Korean pop idol, Pi Rain. While the latter is like a street hip hop artist who can't cut a record deal because his lyrics aren't about "you love me/I love you/smack my butt/won't you be my boo", but rather he weaves poetry about the struggle of the common man. And frankly, who cares about the struggle of the common man? It's neither sexy, trendy nor revenue generating.
What is this man bantering on about, you ask?
Bear with me.
Today, we who live in this City of Angels ... or, some may called it, City of 'Fallen' Angels, depending on whether one looks down on Bangkok from a high-rise condo or up from the gutter ... technically it's the same view, but definitely it is from a different viewpoint ... forgive me, I tend to digress. Today, October 5, Bangkokians head to the polls to select the man or woman whose job it will be to protect and to provide for us for the next four years.
To protect and to provide, not just for those who are registered to vote (and hopefully not just for their friends in high places), but everyone who makes a life here in Bangkok, no matter the race, creed or breed.
We all know the candidates, we are well aware of their policies. When we Thais go to the booth, there are many reasons why we cast our ballots.
Perhaps it's a particular candidate's policies that we like. Perhaps it's his or her image. Perhaps it's the political affiliation. Perhaps we choose a candidate for entertainment value.
Perhaps we like the one that came to the funeral of one of our relatives. Perhaps we tick the box next to a name, simply because we hate his or her political rival.
And frankly, perhaps we vote for financial or material gains.
But no matter. Every one of us has the right to choose according to our personal liking. However, allow me to humbly ask the voters of Bangkok to consider one more criteria before casting the ballot on this day: Character.
You see, any strategist can come up with fancy policies. Any marketeer can paint an attractive image. Any comedian can give an entertaining talk. But at the end of the day, it takes a man or woman of character to give, to make sacrifices, to do the right thing - even in the face of political intrigues, social pressures or any other seemingly insurmountable odds - to protect and to provide for the people of Bangkok.
After all, character isn't something made up by a team of political advisers. Character is something your mama gives you, and I'm not talking about the instant noodle.
We can vote for the candidate who will spend the next four years politicking and playing it safe, upsetting as few people as possible and effecting as little change as possible. The candidate who will neither undermine the power structure, nor disturb the social structure. The candidate whose mission is to ensure a bigger and brighter political future.
The candidate who exploits democracy like the callous lover taking the "unconditional" clause for granted. The candidate who takes our votes as a licence to do anything he or she wishes, to serve his or her own interests, and we the people have to stand by and take it, simply because somewhere in some dictionary or textbook there are words that say this is the way of democracy.
Well, we have had enough of such candidates in the history of this city.
Or, we can vote for the candidate who will each and every day make sacrifices (which means giving up all the things stated two paragraphs ago) in order to protect and to provide for the six million who are registered voters and the four to six million others who make a life here.
Reading this, some of you may declare, "By George, I know just the right candidate!" Others may protest, "But, dear man, you might as well search for the Holy Grail!"
To the former, I say, "Good on you." To the latter, I say, "We have a big problem, don't we?"
But if you are of the latter category, there is a box you can tick and a message you can send. And if enough people do so, then the message could mean something. The important thing is, make your vote matter.
Because four years from now, looking back, if we still see the same poverty, the same corruption, the same lies, the same apathy, then we have no one to blame but ourselves.
The cruel irony of democracy is, whatever happens, for better or for worse, we are all responsible for it.
Now, I'm not asking for a saviour or a miracle worker. Certainly, the problems of Bangkok aren't so easily solved. Surely, the road ahead is long and winding. However, is it not right and fair to ask for someone who will genuinely and honourably make sacrifices in order to protect and to provide?
Hopefully, there is such a person out there. Perhaps in this election, perhaps in the next. Someone of character, who makes sacrifices for his or her love of Bangkok and its people.
Perhaps I'll put out an ad in the Bangkok Post's classified section.
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