Democracy, The Right to Vote

South Africa was a buzz of activity yesterday as people flowed to the voting stations to use their democratic right, the right to vote for the betterment of their lives.  People stood in queues for hours, waiting patiently for their turn to put their mark on that ballad paper. It is commendable the determination and overall interest shown by people to go out and vote. Statistics say that only 52% of the population voted. That is representative of only half the people of this country. Why would people, who have earned the right to vote, not step out and make their mark.

 Those that voted always answer first, and that answer is always that people who did not vote are just lazy. Non-voters are the people that stayed at home and watched TV rather than go through the inconvenience of long queues and irritable people. This is a gross misrepresentation of the facts.  Not everyone that chose not vote fell in this category.

Two anonymous men explained that if a political party can build a toilet for its people, but build it on the pavement without walls and doors; you read that right, toilets built outside the house, next to the road, with no walls. Those people have the luxury of a loo, but they are going to use it in the public eye.

“Honestly,” the one man said, “how can I vote for any party that does that to the people it is supposed to protect and care for?” These men make a good point; no one should be able to do this to someone else especially if they gave them the power.  If they can do that to a group of people and leave them like that for years, what does it say about their humanity and their level of care? The guilty parties of course are the two main ruling parties in South Africa.

What else is left? The smaller parties range from the sublime to the ridiculous. For goodness sake, shall we vote for the Dagga Party? Considering the revolting things that these parties have done and are doing, is the man that does not want to vote for them not in his democratic right to refuse to vote for any of them?

People that do not vote cannot complain about bad service delivery is a common theme in local newspapers and on radio shows. This however is not very democratic is it? The person who believes in his party votes for it, and can complain whether that party is ruling or not, however, the person that believes in no party and chooses not to vote for any of them may not voice an opinion. Come people, everyone has the right to exercise his democratic right as he chooses and still be part of the country.