Potential candidates paying for votes by whatever means is their first step on the road to political corruption. Small wonder they become more corrupt the longer they stay in politics.
How can the system change for the better if all parties engage in these practices? Other countries political parties do similar things but usually in a low key manner. Our incumbent parties rush to spend money on badly needed infrastructure projects prior to an election to gain votes. Bad enough because it ends up increasing our government debt but not as wasteful as buying food and booze for voters and paying off their debts. At least we get better roads, bridges, schools, etc.
The blatant vote buying in the DR and its media coverage gives it a level of acceptability and makes it’s the norm. As El Hiho says, “Nothing changes if nothing changes”.
If President Abinader is able to get at some of these root causes of political corruption, he may be able to reduce or eliminate them. A journey of a thousand miles but one worth taking. He’s already taken the first step.
