Cayo candidate uses kids as campaigners

On election day and night, radio and TV correspondents for our Channel Five/Love FM joint coverage fanned out nationwide in search of facts and figures. Unfortunately, with thirty-one constituencies reporting in rapid succession, not all the video reports made it to air. Here’s an interesting filing, from Patrick Jones, who took a look at one independent candidate’s unorthodox and controversial campaign strategy.

Nazim Juan, Independent Candidate, Cayo Central
“I have no problem because I protect them and I have about five adult protecting the children. They get their salary and they get their lunch through their mother and the father.”

Patrick Jones, Reporting
They held no voting power, but children were the driving force behind the election day machinery of independent candidate for the Cayo Central seat, Nazim Juan. Why did he opt to employ children?

Nazim Juan
“Children are very honest, are very sincere. I have visit every home in Cayo Central and I take pity among the children. The children supposed to be looked after. The future belongs to them. Adults can be bribed by the two big parties that have a lot of money to pay but they cannot bribe the sincerity and honesty of our children.”

And it is that innocence and sincerity that Juan exploited on February seventh. He makes no apology for the move and Juan says while his opponents went deep into their pockets win over the parents, he was just schooling the next generation of constituency voters on their civic duty.

Nazim Juan
“But in their heart they offer their children to be with me and they have guidance, they’re getting paid. These children are getting paid and they got their lunch and they got their drinks and everything.”

Patrick Jones
“But what would you say people in other parts of the country who will see this and hear about this and they’ll say well, Nazim Juan you are just using innocent children for your own political gain?”

Nazim Juan
“No my friend, children learn from small to do the right thing and these children are not obstructing anybody or being rude like the adults that are fighting and cursing and disobeying the police and the law. These children are well trained and they practice for nearly a month now and they know what to do and what to say.”

Unfortunately for Juan, those campaigners were too young to cast ballots. In the end the independent candidate received only twenty-one votes.