Voting
By Chewe Mubiana
I have been spending a lot of time trying to figure out the psyche of a stereotypical Zambian voter. I have been trying to understand the decision-making process of an average Zambian voter. It has not been an easy task. The dichotomy between what an average Zambian person is going through and the decision made at the ballot box does not make sense. It is confusing. A Zambian voter is a complex being.
On Friday around 04:00am as I lay in my bed, a flurry of thoughts came into my mind. However the thoughts were about the Zambia voter. It suddenly dawned on me. I was kind of seeing the Zambian voter differently. I seem to have had an epiphany, a “eureka!” moment. I can finally see the light I said. It suddenly made a lot of sense to me. I hope it will make sense to you too. I suddenly realized that an average Zambian voter was not dull. An average Zambian voter was sophisticated in a somewhat primitive way.
Politicians must take heed! A stereotypical Zambian voter is neither simple nor complex. A stereotypical Zambian voter is not analytical. I suddenly realized that a Zambian voter was emotional and spiritual at the same time. The emotional and spiritual being of a Zambian voter sits in a very uncomfortable co-existence. In this three part series of “POLITICIANS TAKE HEED! – THE ZAMBIAN VOTER IS AN EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL BEING!” I shall try to share my thoughts on the emotional being of a Zambian voter, the spiritual being of a Zambian voter and finally, my advice to the politicians of today.
In this article, I wish to share my thought about the emotional nature of a stereotypical Zambian voter. Here is my take.
The emotional nature of a Zambian voter is exemplified through a number of manifestations. However, at a more primitive and primate level, the Zambian voter makes decisions based on basic emotions of HATE, JEALOUSY and the SHEER FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN! The Zambian voter does not vote “FOR”. The Zambian voter votes “AGAINST”. At a deeper level, the voter salivates and relishes at the prospect of “PUNISHING and HUMILIATING” the vanquished. This decision is arrived at based on either HATE or JEALOUSY. The overriding emotion here is that the voter is literally squirming and smirking at the thought of seeing the HATED candidate loose rather than seeing their preferred candidate win. In this type of reasoning, the voter will not be swayed or convinced by good policies or good programmes espoused by one candidate as compared to the other. If the Zambian voter is sufficiently convinced to HATE, you have lost their vote!
The emotional nature of the Zambian voter is manifested in many ways. For instance, when I have interviewed people on their choice of candidate, the responses have been astounding. Here are some examples of responses.
QUESTION:
1. Why did you vote for candidate “A” as opposed to candidate “B”?
ANSWERS:
1. Even if the economy collapsed, I would never vote for candidate “B”.
2. Candidate “B” will never rule Zambia.
3. I would rather die than vote for candidate “B”.
4. Candidate “B” is pompous.
5. Candidate “A” is humble.
From the few responses enumerated above, it becomes very clear that the Zambia voter is not rational. The Zambian voter is emotional. The voter is being driven by either HATE or JEALOUSY. This is what I refer to as “The Race to the Bottom”. The Zambian voter is making decisions based on non issues. The Zambian voter is making a voting decision because he/she HATES the other candidate as opposed to voting based on merit and attributes. POLITICIANS, KINDLY TAKE HEED!
P.S. In my next article, I shall look at the spiritual nature of the Zambian voter. I WISH YOU ALL A GOOD WEEKEND.