Who are we leaving behind?

By Fr Stephan Alexander, General Manager, CCSJ and AMMR

In an earlier article, I quoted the late Pope Benedict XVI, who wisely taught that politics must be geared towards the just ordering of society and the State. This is not a vague ideal. It is a call to action.

Politics, in its noblest sense, is how we shape our shared life—ensuring that no one is left behind, and that the dignity of each person is protected and upheld. And so, in this election season, it is worth asking ourselves: Are those people and parties who seek to lead us genuinely committed to the common good of all people?

This question is especially urgent when we consider the most vulnerable among us. We encounter them every day: the elderly woman who waits patiently for transport that never comes because our infrastructure overlooks her needs; the child who cannot hear but attends a school unequipped to teach her in sign language; the young man with a disability who longs for meaningful work, but is turned away again and again because accessibility is still seen as an afterthought, not a right.

For these citizens, and many others like them, political decisions are not abstract—they are deeply personal. A budget line item can mean the difference between isolation and inclusion.

A government’s silence on disability rights can echo in the daily struggles of those who feel invisible. A leader’s indifference can be felt in the pain of those who cry out but are not heard.

Yet we must also ask ourselves: Have we, as a society, done enough? Have we listened to the voices of those on the margins? Have we demanded more from our leaders—not in the name of partisanship, but in the name of justice? Are we mature enough to recognise that elections are not just about parties and manifestos, but about values—about the kind of society we wish to shape, and the kind of people we are called to be?

This is not about condemning one party or praising another. It is about calling all those who ask for our vote to a higher standard. It is about reminding them—and ourselves—that the moral test of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.

As people of faith, we cannot afford to be passive observers of political life. The Gospel compels us to be attentive to the cries of the poor, the marginalised and the forgotten.

Catholic Social Teaching affirms the inherent dignity of every human person. It insists that a society’s strength is not measured by its wealth or its rhetoric, but by its compassion, its inclusiveness, and its commitment to justice.

This insistence on affirming human dignity, inclusiveness, and justice extends from conception to natural death. Therefore, even as we recognise the attempts by successive governments to create policies and opportunities, let’s also acknowledge that these opportunities are often limited and not impactful.

This is especially evident in the case of persons with disabilities (PWDs). Firstly, the cost to access opportunities—including special schooling and therapies—is generally oppressive, as the service providers often exist outside the public sector framework.

Secondly, although the government has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), our legislative framework still lacks specific provisions for redress in cases of discrimination. Hence, legal challenges by PWDs on such grounds are often ineffective.

Thirdly, current policies are generally directed to children with disabilities. Consequently, when a PWD attains the age of 18—or, in some cases, is merely perceived as an adult—they are no longer provided for under existing policies.

Adequate care for PWDs and other vulnerable citizens must be a part of our consideration as we prepare to vote. We must ask ourselves: Who is being left out? Whose voice is missing?

Are the needs of all sectors of society merely mentioned in passing, or are they woven into the heart of a party’s vision? Are policies being proposed that genuinely uplift the poor, or do they cater only to the comfortable?

We cannot wait for political perfection. But we can—and must—demand sincerity, accountability, and a clear concern for the common good.

In this election, let us bring our faith to bear upon our choices, and our consciences to bear upon our politics. And let us pray—for wisdom, for courage, and for leaders who will guide our nation not with ambition alone, but with compassion, integrity, and vision.

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