Live presidential debates are crucial for informed voting

One of the most awaited events in the US is the highly competitive live presidential debate, which began last week.  They present a forum where the presidential candidates are not only expected to eloquently and comprehensively articulate their party policies and think on their feet, but they are also expected to appeal and convince undecided voters.

These live presidential debates are so crucial such that any gaffe, misrepresentation of facts, belittling of your opponent or inability to clearly present your agenda is deemed catastrophic to one’s presidential ambition.

Watching the much-hyped live debate between presidential candidates Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, it was pleasant seeing the two tackle critical domestic issues affecting the US and its future stability. Although Obama did not live to expectations during the first debate, his opponent, too, did not perform any better as he dwelt on generalities.

The key lesson is that one can not be elected President of the US if their grasp of complex issues like budget deficit, tax policies, Government expenditure, job creation, and tax cuts are not up to speed. You must be smart, intellectually alert, and eloquent to convince and meet the high expectations of the American voter.

There is no room for an aspirant to pass the buck, adopt a hands-off approach, dilly-dally or even delegate responsibility. A candidate must lead from the front and be ready to bite the bullet and above all, show patriotism and provide leadership. These live presidential debates should be adopted in Kenya especially now that a momentous General Election is imminent. This will give voters a platform to analyse, assess and interrogate presidential aspirants on their character, temperament, attitude, intellectual prowess and alertness.

They will also determine thinking capacity and how they respond when under pressure. The debates also allow viewers to determine a candidate’s grasp of complex national issues like economy, modernisation, devolution, and globalisation. Political rallies should be discouraged and/or scaled down as politicians have more often than not used them to propagate propaganda.

If we adopt live debates, we will definitely get rid of joy riders that tend to sensationalise issues, creating fear among their kinsmen to garner sympathy votes. Kenyans must rebuke presidential aspirants and other politicians using unorthodox campaign tactics that pose imminent danger to stability.

Enock Onsando, Mombasa