JEDDAH, 14 April 2005 — To sell or not to sell a vote is among the top issues discussed by Saudi male university students and graduates now that candidates have to win their favor to become a municipal council member.

As competition rises with the proliferation of campaign tents and election pamphlets, prospective voters talk about how this could be a ticket to a “fast buck”. On and off campus, there is a buzz of the different prices and conditions for which students and graduates would consider selling their votes. Talk of candidates’ agendas, their objectives or achievements are beside the point.

Arab News asked several students and graduates whether they would sell their votes.

“If I was offered SR5,000 I’d sell my vote”, said Tareq Bakhsh. “The reason my price is so high is that I believe that one’s vote can be destructive if given to the wrong person.”

Mohammad Al-Assem totally refused the idea of selling his vote even for 100,000 riyals. “What’s crucial is that the candidate is an educated man who knows what he’s doing,” said Al-Assem. “He must be someone who wants to improve the city.”

While Bakhsh and Al-Assem were not made any offers by any candidates, this was not the case with Adel Al-Jihani. One of the candidates approached Al-Jihani through a middleman offering to buy his vote for SR1,000. “I refused the offer,” said Al-Jihani. “SR1,000 isn’t more important than improving the city I live in. My advice to my fellow students is to forget their personal interests and to think of the general and public welfare,” Al-Jihani added.

“Candidates should help in finding jobs for the youth instead of buying their votes. In fact they should convince them that this is their aim if they won the election,” he said.

Providing job opportunities is one of the major means of convincing graduates to prefer a particular candidate. “I’ve heard my friends discussing the job offers and opportunities the candidates speak of for their votes,” said Ali Al-Matrafi.

“The elections have already given me a job,” said a university graduate who chose to call himself “Abu Fahd”. “Not only did I get paid for ensuring my vote would go to a candidate that I won’t mention of course,” said Abu Fahd, “but I will get a commission too for anyone I can win over for the same candidate.”

Furthermore there were individuals who believed that the system “owed” them so the money was compensation for shortcomings.

“There are bills to be paid and necessities that have to be bought,” said another prospective voter who preferred to call himself Abu Mohammad. “I graduated two years ago and my job doesn’t fetch much. I could give my vote to a candidate if I get money in exchange for my vote, at least I’ve ensured that I’m getting something in return whether the candidate wins or not or stays loyal to the promises he makes or not.”

“I used to have a shop and I went bankrupt because the system isn’t equipped to catch and punish those responsible,” said Abu Abdulrahman. “Most of the candidates are prominent, financially able men, they can afford to pay, why not?”

“SR1,000 would resolve my rent issue,” said Khaled Al-Harbi. “Why should I cling to ideals and principles that don’t feed me?”

“A candidate offered me SR3,000,” said Ahmad Al-Harthi. “He told me that I’d get the money once the results showed that he’d won.” He added, “There’s no contract between us. I told him that I wanted the agreement written but he said no and that his word is his contract.” Since each voter in Jeddah can vote for seven candidates on election day — April 21 — the money he can make is better imagined than said.