10 vital lessons from last elections

After all had been said and done, after all the proclamations and the protests, the celebrations and the charges of cheating, the labor front has picked up at least 10 vital lessons from the last electoral exercise. The Filipino working class and the middle class that really makes the democracy work and the labor front that keeps the nation going should come out with these useful insights and valuable nuggets of wisdom to enhance the quality of their judgment the next time around. The rich is not affected that much by any twist in politics. Whoever won and lost, the business sector always has a way of coping. The very poor know that they are always being used, and that whoever is on the helm won't make any meaningful difference in their lives anyway.

The first lesson is that nobody is indispensable in life, love and politics. Even the richest, the most popular bet, the seemingly unconquerable can lose. Look, who lost in the last elections.Very famous names.Very strong political titans. By that phenomenon, by all those upsets, the voters did make a strong statement: The power resides in the people and those “trapos” can never take the people for granted and be overconfident. The second lesson: The formula for winning is Good Name plus Hard Work. No one should hope to win by just sitting around and not going out to meet the people. The very famous names who lost in the last polls did not really work as hard as the winners did. They were over confident. They took many things for granted.

Third lesson: The perfect strategy is to choose good, untainted bets with a good message. A pretty face is not enough, a lot of money is not enough. Buying votes may work in local polls, but on a national level, there must be a very good message to attract support. Fourth: For the old fogeys, you should stop while on top. You should learn to let go. Leave while undefeated. When you are already a national figure, running for a local post is highly hazardous to your political career. To be defeated in the twilight of your career is a very big blow that you may not be able to take. Fifth: Never underestimate any opponent, no matter how seemingly “unwinnable”. You may end up with much, much regret. The ball game is now different. All candidates are probable winners, no matter how weak and how unqualified. As my barber in Ronda said: “You can not segurarize a man under the mango tree.”

Sixth: Expect the unexpected always. If anything can go wrong, it will. Even your closest relatives and most trusted friends and allies may abandon you at the most crucial moments. Elections are one of those critical incidents in life where you can finally decide who are really for you and who are against you. Blood may be thicker than water. But to the hungry and angry people, money may be more useful than blood. Politics, like love, is full of twists and turns, of loyalty, broken and enmity settled unexpectedly. Seventh: Money is not enough but in local politics, it may be almost enough, if supported by a good strategy and a well-oiled organization.

Lesson number eight: Arrogance irritates people. No matter what is your family name. No matter who was your father or grandfather, you have no right to insult people. The people will judge you, not just on the basis of competence but also on your character. Lesson number nine: Be humble in your victory and be forgiving in your defeat. Do not attempt to express anger or spite against those who did not support you. Politics is not the end of everything.Friendship is more important. Family is the top priority. There are many more important things in life than politics.

The tenth lesson is to take both victory and defeat as a gift from God and from the people. As a gift, you should serve with a sense of gratitude if you won. If you lost, you should take it as a privilege to rest for the next three years. Losing in an election is better than winning and then be ousted for graft, or be killed by an assassin's bullet.