Winston Churchill once famously remarked, “Politics is not a game, it is an earnest business.” So really, it is understandable that even here in our country, local politicians have chosen not to leave anything to chance and in their quest for victory; every single one of them has joined the mad rush that is election campaigns. We know why politicians campaign but what really constitutes campaigns? In the yesteryears, campaigns mostly intensified a few weeks before elections and even then, the modus operandi largely consisted of a few branded t-shirts, rallies and intrusive home visits dubbed as ‘house-to-house’ campaigns. Again, back in the days, political parties appeared to be more important than individual candidates and many people got to know of the candidates only after elections. Even independent candidates (mekoko) were virtually unheard of!
Fast forward to today, today’s voter is totally different. Politicians have also realised that and proper adjustments have been made to keep up! While most of them have been sensible and savvy enough to reach today’s sophisticated virtual voter through the use of social media and other modern means, others still swear by the old fashioned campaign strategy of direct approach. It was during a funeral this past weekend that I got to witness the direct approach first hand. Just like with any other funeral, the programme started at the crack of dawn. From nowhere, a man hurried upfront and immediately started connecting numerous wires, almost disturbing the proceedings, which were already underway. But no one seemed to mind, not even the bereaved. Within minutes the public address (PA) system was connected and in use. The thing about funerals is that no matter which one you attend, just like tent weddings, they are always the same and very predictable too!
