Cleaning up the elections

The game is afoot. When the election campaign period started on Feb. 9, the race for those much-coveted seats in government began. Supporters of the candidates running for office have started to make a collage out of the buildings and walls of the nation.

With posters everywhere — from buses to lampposts and even on cars — the politicians are really bombarding the populace with their images, names and promises. They’re making themselves unforgettable so that on the day we have to cast our ballots, their names will be the ones we remember.

Unfortunately for us and our property, many of these campaign materials are very difficult to remove from walls because of the paste used to plaster them on in the first place. It’s almost as though they want their mugs forever displayed in public.

The cleanup after the elections that is supposed to rid us of these posters rarely happens. Politicians don’t send their people out to clean up their messes. Regular Joes have to take the initiative if they want the coatings of paper and glue removed.

Politics is dirty, literally. What’s so difficult about finishing the cycle of work? Even little children know that, after playing, they must clean up after themselves and put things back in order! Robert Fulghum got it right when he said that “everything we need to know in life, we learn in kindergarten.”

There are so many regulations about the elections that are just grandiose versions of the basic rules taught to young kids. Only 120 minutes of TV air and a ban on celebrity endorsers are just more specific ways of saying “Play fair.”

Five-year-olds are taught not to hit people; 50-year-olds are asked to stop election violence. Kindergarteners need to be told not to take things that don’t belong to them, while politicians who probably have grandchildren in kindergarten have to be told not to take votes that don’t belong to them.

And of course, youngsters are constantly reminded to clean up after themselves. Sadly, for adults, cleaning up after themselves doesn’t mean removing campaign posters; more often than not, “cleaning up” means sweeping their dirty little secrets under the rug.

There have long been prohibitions and limitations in campaigning. We’ve been trying to squelch election violence and cheating since time immemorial.

However, the concept of an environmentally friendly election has gathered steam only in this era, at a time when global warming, pollution, and waste are big issues. Now, it is important to portray a green image, to show both the local and international communities that the politician cares about the environment.

This image is contradicted by the veritable sea of trash the campaign period generates. All the plastic and paper waste is not only unsightly (especially after months of being hung on telephone wires or pasted on someone’s wall) — it is also harmful to the environment.

Imagine how many trees had to die to create a million flyers and posters. Imagine how much plastic is being thrown away to spend eternity in some dump or metro canal. Environmentalists have also complained that posters being nailed onto trees can be potentially harmful. I’m sure PETA or Greenpeace has something to say about the destructive effect of litter on the animal population as well. 

The National Solid Waste Management Commission has recently drafted a program that would ensure a “zero-waste 2010 elections.” Dubbed “Linis Mo, Basura Mo,” the program is designed to compel political candidates to clean up their messes after the polls.

An environment-friendly election has long been called for by environmentalist groups such as the EcoWaste Coalition, and the Save the Trees Coalition. In the 2007 elections, these groups already criticized public officials’ bad campaigning techniques. Maybe now, at the height of the climate change issue, this dream can finally become reality. Although, the way it’s shaping up, a lot of work has to be done to rid our walls and streets of the faces of the political candidates.

Growing concern among the youth may be instrumental in preventing the 2010 polls from having a negative impact on Mother Nature. Students have been coming up with suggestions on how to shift from the wasteful tactics now employed by the candidates.

Some have said that politicos should invest in biodegradable plastic — it would be costly, but would show their commitment to environmental protection (besides, cost doesn’t seem to be an issue anyway!). Others have simply pointed out that if candidates would just follow the bulletin board rule, there would far less litter.

It may be too late to call for greener election materials now, but I believe that our aspiring government officials can still salvage this potential waste disaster by leading the efforts in the post-polls removal of campaign paraphernalia. After all, they promise to help the people and the country. What better way to do that than by cleaning up their acts and cleaning up the nation’s cities?

Politicos were all children once. Now is the time to remember those simple life lessons they learned in kindergarten. It takes maturity to lead, but a child’s honesty and discipline may just be the things needed for these obstinate grownups to follow the rules of the game.