It started as a childhood game on long trips to the country, lift your feet whenever you cross railroad tracks for good luck on your journey.

It got slightly more complicated when I learned that for added effect you also had to touch a screw, but not nearly as complicated as when I finally learned to drive. It was one day when well into adult life I was driving across the tracks lifting both my feet in my manual car while contorting myself to touch the one exposed screw available; that I realised that this superstition was more likely to bring bad luck than good.

Yes, I throw salt over my shoulder, divert dramatically rather than walk under a ladder, and I love to see a mongoose take a direct route across the road without turning back, but even I, thought that a Prime Minister choosing an election date based on superstition was the final straw in an already ridiculous spectacle. The national debate over when Portia would call the election was incredible. A 'date' has very little relevance to the future of our country intellects tried to give it some, but as a nation we got sucked into a game of 'guess the date'.

Based on her preference

There were those who speculated based on political strategy, others based on the economy, some on the tenuous state of our security, but our Prime Minister was going to prove them all wrong and chose the date based on her preference for the number seven. Portia flaunted her power to choose the date we all get to execute our constitutional right, she even used it as a campaign tool. There is no doubt that her use of the announcement added to her campaign, but also the late date is to her advantag probably bad for the economy, the security forces and the school children. Sheis a very effective campaigner who will only shine more as the campaign trail drags on, unlike her opponent who is in danger of fading over time. Her predecessors did the same, and we all remember 'fly the gate' but perhaps due to Portia's ability to reach the masses and campaign, she took this game to new heights.

The idea of a fixed election date is being debated, and the reasons against seem easily addressed, yet a fixed date could never be worse than a Prime Minister basing her choice on numerology and superstition, and a country being distracted from important national issues by a senseless game of power. There seems to be no logical choice but to take this tool away from our almost irresponsible leaders.

So the debate continues on the merit, or lack thereof, of the date that she did chose, and the media seem reluctant to let go of the hype. The election date has commanded headlines, been the subject of talk shows and been the topic of discussion around town, perhaps because there are no more important issues to fixate on like the economy, the crime or education? But if the media do not give prominence to the issues and encourages the hype then we can only expect the electorate to vote accordingly, based perhaps on hype, superstition and emotion.

The truth

The truth is I have learned that you cannot drive a car based on superstition, a safe journey has more to do with staying alert, not breaking the traffic laws and driving a car in good condition than it has to do with touching screws and lifting feet. One would hope that our leaders will accept that running a country successfully has more to do with hard work, having the right skills and tools, discipline, and abiding by or enforcing the laws of the land, than campaign tricks, hype, and superstitions.