SURESH RAMPHUL
All over the world, during electoral campaigns, politicians use a number of strategies to seduce the voters. One strategy a politician uses is to present himself as the saviour of the country. He polishes his personality so as to appear responsible, reliable, and trustworthy. He markets himself as progressive, respectful of women’s rights, and puts the interests of the country first. He sides with the poor and the vulnerable. He shows confidence and wants you to believe that he is result-oriented. He gives an image of himself that the public expects from him.
He poses himself as a problem solver. Many people may have been sorely lacking water at home or getting depressed with unexplained power-cuts or with rising costs of living. He knows the people are frustrated; he therefore comes with reassurances. Once elected or re-elected, he will address the issues. To add conviction, he mentions that it is in his party’s manifesto. Somehow it feels good to hear that someone cares. People feel hopeful that soon their problems will be over. He gains your favour by calming your worries down.
The common man is not interested in philosophical or ideological debates or technical things like electoral reforms. He is more concerned with a better life, a better environment, and better facilities. One strategy the politician uses is to say that his party will increase the salaries of certain categories of workers. This is comforting news. The politician creates hope in the hearts of people. He sells dreams though he will deny being a dream merchant.
You may not have seen your representative since a while in your village. Now, he suddenly realises that he needs to keep in touch with the villagers. Interaction is an opportunity to take the pulse of the public and to see how things are shaping up. He will listen to complaints, suggestions, comments and promise to do the necessary. People somehow feel a sense of satisfaction and pride at a candidate’s visit to their places. A door-to-door campaign may prove to be useful.
Slogans are brief, catchy and capable of being shouted and chanted by supporters. They pass a message about the politician’s priorities or goals. They often become the signature of a political party.
Completing unfinished or last-minute jobs (asphalting roads, renovating public buildings, cleaning public places) is common. Latest accomplishments tend to hit the imagination better than earlier ones. When a mother gives food to a child, she always keeps the best part for the end so that the child eats the rest while waiting earnestly for the best part. Politicians apply the same principle. Of course, it is another matter that the roads turn to potholes or the buildings begin leaking within a matter of months.
Public appearances
Making public appearances is vital: the politician talks about his plans, and why people must vote for him and not for the rivals. And then, there’s the bain de foule. Getting photographed or selfied with a crowd of admirers is calculated to strengthen his popularity or to consolidate the idea of proximity. Moreover, it is an occasion to break any perception that he lives in an ivory tower. A man of the people: this is how he wishes you to see him.
Segmenting involves breaking the public into manageable groups. The young, the elderly, do not have the same expectations and demands. Segmenting ensures that speeches and messages are geared to the needs of each group in an effective way. Each group has specific needs and can receive full attention. There is greater synergy.
Politicians often use imagery to address a public or to make any statement: “raz-de-marée”, “pe met baton dan larou”, “boul vire”, “dinozor”, “vie siko”, “balie karo”, “sov sa pei la”, “pei pe koule”, “enn nouvo depar”. These are never used haphazardly. They are used to create images in the mind. They come with associations with other related words and create ripples. For instance, “pei pe koule” makes you imagine a vast ocean, maybe with high waves and dangerous winds, a ship struggling to survive, the idea of helplessness and no possiblity of finding a way out. The words spell disaster and if nothing is done we will sink forever. We will lose everything. The words also evoke the urgency of the situation. An image has a psychological effect. The politician knows this well. An image may evoke anger. This may be deliberately used to make you respond negatively to a rival party or to a rival candidate.
Clichés tend to be vague and overused. They do not create a surprising effect. Yet politicians use them frequently because it is safer to be vague than concrete. Take, for example, “enn lekip serye”, “enn signal for”, “nou pran langazman”, “transform pei-la”, “régime totalitaire”. They may not be clear-cut in meaning yet politicians use them probably because they sound good to the ears.
A frequently-used method is to instil fear in the mind. If Party X is elected, you may no longer enjoy the facilities Party Y gave you. They will snatch away whatever was given to you. They will undo what has been done. Party Y, for its part, says there have been abuses and so on. Focus on what will scare people. Continue telling your audience that the other alliance will not last long and give some arguments why. It is food for thought. The aim is to create doubt.
Giving gifts is a strategy to win votes. This may be a way of influencing people but it is far from ethical. At one time people were given free travel facilities to go to beaches and were provided free food and refreshments and even alcohol.
Downgrade or disparage your opponent as systematically as you can. In America we have Harris and Trump falling to the level of taking digs at each other’s fitness as future President. Harris describes Trump as unstable, unbalanced, probably with reference to his age. This is not scientifically backed. So her interpretation is basically erroneous, emotionally-charged and a distortion of the truth. Moreover, she has asked her staff to keep using the former president’s own words against him. Here, downgrading often takes the form of personal attacks. A campaign must focus on programmes and ideas on how we can be more productive and how we can combat problems relating to law and order.
Passionate, fiery speeches
We want to know what politicians have to tell us about how they intend to control the issues created by technology: telephone-tapping, sextorsion, digital threats, misinformation, disinformation, smartphone addiction and so on, and what they intend to do about the drug problem.
In ‘congrès’ or social events, you may find small groups of supporters seated in strategic places, their job consisting in standing up, shouting and applauding, and waving flags the moment a speaker has said something impressive. The herd mentality requires that others do the same. Politicians need to show they are appreciated. Viewers watching the scene on television will think that the political party is very popular. They will not know that the scene was scripted.
In Rabindranath Tagore’s novel “Home and the World” (Macmillan India Ltd, 1916, reprinted 1985), Sandip, a young supporter of Swadeshi Movement in the early 20th century in Bengal and which advocated burning of foreign goods in protest against the British, comes to live at his friend Nikhil’s place. Soon he begins using a series of strategies to seduce Nikhil’s wife: sweet-talking, flattery, making her believe she is special, persuading her she is essential to the Swadeshi cause, and passionate speeches. He uses his charm and his charisma. The woman almost falls in his trap of sexual attraction but ultimately sees through his deceit. Tagore shows how the man manipulates her by playing on her feelings. Language can be a dangerous tool if you are not careful about its subtleties. The woman will grow in self-awareness and learn how easily someone can fall a victim to words. She learns about the dangers of hero-worship.
