• 
• 

Published on November 22, 2007

 But do not despair: they didn't say they would necessarily cast their ballots the way their vote-buyer wanted.

Take heart in the fact that there were still 35.4 per cent, according to the same poll - conducted by the government's anti-vote-buying agency - who declared they would not take money offered. You should, instead, be haunted by the finding from the same exercise that 82.9 per cent said even if they were witness to any attempt to buy and sell votes, they wouldn't inform the Election Commission or any other government officials. In other words, any sense of pride in being a whistle-blower has effectively been neutralised in this country.

The findings don't necessarily demote us to the status of a banana republic. On the contrary, judging from the new come-bid-for-my-vote trend in a number of countries, we are probably quite hip, politically speaking, that is.

According to Politico.com, a survey of 3,000 students conducted at a New York University undergraduate journalism class found that an overwhelming majority of those polled said their right to vote could be for sale. Believe it or not, 66 per cent said they would sell their right to vote in the next presidential election in exchange for a year's tuition at that pricey university. Another 20 per cent said they would exchange their vote for an Ipod. Half of the students polled said they would forfeit their right to vote forever for one million dollars.

Is that bad news? Does that indicate that the younger generation in the US has alienated themselves from politics? No. On the contrary, chairman of New York University's sociology department, Dalton Conley, was quoted as saying that he actually found the results of the survey "encouraging".  Why? The high price most students put on their vote shows they think the right to vote is valuable and important.

But then, you could offer to sell your vote for the opposite reason: you could just be fed up with politics as usual. In the UK, one man put his vote up for sale for a mere one pound on a website recently with the following note: "I have no idea who to vote for and to be honest I don't really care who wins. You are all as bad as each other. However, if you want to buy my vote, or rather two votes (according to polling card), for the upcoming election, then get bidding. One pound start … no reserve … I will e-mail the successful bidder a sneaky camera phone of me voting for them upon receipt of funds… The auction ends with enough time for me to nip to the booth and cast my vote before the close of polling… No scams (HAHAHAHA) or overseas bidders or ginger politicians, please."

 Of course, you need to be in possession of a reasonable degree of dark political humour to make such a move to part with your vote.  An enterprising Australian went on the Internet to declare that the highest bidder would decide who he should vote for. He said on eBay: "The successful bidder will have me vote according to his/her wishes on election day, whether it be for the Liberal/Labour cartel, Greens (sic), Communists or Pauline Hanson."

Was he out of his mind? "I am personally apolitical and have an aversion to the whole lot of them. But like any politician or party, my allegiance can be bought and will go to the highest bidder." Of course, he was aware that some phantom bidders might try to waylay him: "Non-payers will be mildly admonished." Thus ended his announcement.

 The most dramatic votes-for-sale phenomenon took place in Argentina, where a number of voters sought to auction off their votes on the Internet ahead of the October 28 presidential election. Opening prices ranged from one peso (about Bt10) to 300 pesos.

One of the voters, a doctor, told a newspaper that it was his way to protest against useless politicians: "I feel powerless to change the country's situation," he was quoted as saying. He posted his vote on an auction website with a price tag of 20 pesos. "It is a kind of protest and joke at the same time," he said.

Another voter who put his vote up for sale told politicians that if they wanted to be sure of winning the seat in his area, he had the answer. He promised that the vote was "new and unused" because "no one has been worth giving it to".

If it's any consolation, the Thai survey failed, perhaps deliberately, to include a really probing question: Would you accept payment for informing on your friends, relatives or neighbours if they were to buy or sell votes in the election? I would be really terrified as to what the finding on this would be. What if the majority of my fellow countrymen answered in the affirmative? What if a good percentage said the government had to pay them to remain honest, law-abiding citizens?

Selling your vote is one thing. Putting a price on your conscience is another. Or is it the other way round?

Suthichai Yoon