HIBAPRESS – Mohammed Manfalouti
Hugs, wide smiles, modesty in gatherings, markets, villages, and on the land…
Listening, paying attention, affection, closeness, and an oath to God Almighty to fulfill promises…
A noticeable appearance after a long absence of nearly five years… except for those whom God has mercy upon…
Marathon campaigns that reached villages, hamlets, and remote areas in search of votes…
Crowds and supporters chanting, with cameras accompanying them, broadcasting live updates with praise, commendation, and documentation of slogans: "No chicken, no apricots, only… in the ballot box"…
Leaflets distributed for free in the sky and on the ground, from the tops of trucks and cars, filling the surroundings and threatening the environment with paper pollution…
In the cities, the scene is no different from what has been mentioned. Streets and alleys count the remnants of election campaign leaflets scattered here and there after the end of marches and promotional activities, while sanitation workers follow up on their aftermath.
All these are scenes and images of some candidates and their supporters participating in election campaigns…
However, the most important scene of all remains the way leaflets are disposed of once the weak turnout of citizens is noticed, or because they possess quantities exceeding their ability to distribute them, which increases the burden on sanitation workers.
In the villages, leaflets spread after disposal, in the fields, and some mix with fodder and straw, despite their susceptibility to decomposition by moisture, water, and heat. However, this process takes days and months…
What is required today, as we live to the rhythm of election campaigns, is for these competitors to place the environmental dimension at the very core of their concerns, and to be true to "their word"…
How can a candidate carrying an electoral program that includes respect for the environment and a commitment to protect it, at the same time, throw paper leaflets into environmental spaces, contributing to their pollution…
Such practices accompanying election campaigns can contribute to wasting resources and polluting the environmental sphere. The principle of environmental education and its link to sustainable development remains a trust that weighs on the necks of political parties to work on its implementation, obligating organizers to clean the places that host their marches and electoral activities.
