The worst will prevail

The author recounts vivid childhood memories of electoral engagement in their homeland, dating back to their first voting experience. A particularly striking early memory involves a local candidate named Mandan Dass from Chase Village, who utilized a light aircraft for aerial campaigning, dropping hundreds of flyers over a community recreation ground. This spectacle deeply impressed the young author, who felt a sense of pride in understanding and even participating in the campaign at the age of four.

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I had been through the voting process for around six elections before I faced the one in 1976.

Further recollections include assisting Dass by distributing campaign materials and encouraging his father's vote. Later elections saw candidates like Mitra Sinanan and Uriah Butler campaigning door-to-door in Freeport. The author remembers plastering their bicycle with stickers supporting these candidates, expressing excitement and encouragement from engaging with politicians, even if the intricacies of voting were not fully understood.

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I remember being awestruck by this man and his airplane.

Reflecting on these formative experiences, the author expresses a wish for today's youth to engage with the electoral process rather than resorting to violence. They contrast the candidates of their youth, whom they found easier to discern despite their unscrupulousness, with today's politicians, whom they perceive as more crooked. The author also laments the state of former recreation grounds, now converted to housing and commercial districts, questioning why these spaces, once central to childhood, remain neglected while development occurs elsewhere.

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How I wish today’s youths would take such an interest in the ballots and not in the bullets like they are currently doing.

The piece concludes with a reflection on political promises, noting that while some are fulfilled, many are not. The author observes that projects initiated by one party are often abandoned by the next, leading to the country's troubles. This cyclical pattern of unfulfilled promises and political inertia is presented as a persistent issue.

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Promises are made every political campaign. Many are never kept. Many are also fulfilled.