Editorial: Manifesto season ahead

As political parties make their final preparations before publicly launching their respective manifestos, voters can brace themselves for a litany of promises.

Election season brings not only promises but is also the only time politicians fully make themselves available to the public; they are at their most accessible.

The biggest concern, however, is that the manifestos seldom explain clearly how the promises within them will be fulfilled.

Parties have over the years gotten away with meagre promises because the public, media included, failed to hold them accountable.

It is therefore not a surprise that many of these parties take the easy route of merely rewording their manifestos in each election to make them seem brand new, but in actual fact, they are exactly the same as the previous ones.

Political parties should also invest in qualified policy researchers to help them craft their campaign blueprints. This will help curb the trend of politicians thumbsucking promises in their bid to canvass for votes.

At this point, one can almost predict the universal themes that will be contained in the manifestos; from land delivery, job creation, fighting corruption, crime reduction, and ensuring that proceeds from the country’s resources trickle down to everyone.

These themes will be common, understandably so, but the differentiating factor should be how each party plans to attain those goals. Politicians are too comfortable dropping mega promises without sharing with the public how they will go about delivering those promises.