Maravi

The vote is a serious duty

The vote is a serious duty
By Editor
Thursday October 16, 2008 [04:00]

A turnout of less than 40 per cent – just over 7,000 out of close to 21,000 registered voters – in the Kanchibiya parliamentary by-election is certainly a very low percentage.

There are many reasons that may be advanced to explain or justify this low turnout. And the Electoral Commission of Zambia may need to critically examine all the factors that lead to low voter turnout in by-elections. Ways to correct this negative situation must be found.

We believe that the lack of continuous voter registration is contributing to these low turnouts. People are continually on the move to earn a living. But there is no way of ensuring that as they move, they are not disenfranchised. And every day, there is a number of our citizens who are attaining the age of 18 and thus becoming eligible to vote but are not being given the opportunity to do so.

We also believe that many eligible voters are shunning by-elections due to lack of development in their constituencies. They would have voted if development was felt in their areas. And if development continues not to be felt in the country, Zambians will in future stop voting because they are relating voting to development.

This low voter turnout can also be attributed to lack of voter education by the Electoral Commission of Zambia and civil society organisations. None of these factors can simply be dismissed.

However, what is important is to realise that citizens cannot be required to take part in the political process, and they are free to express their dissatisfaction by not participating. But without the lifeblood of citizen’s participation, our democracy will begin to weaken and retrogress. Voting in the election of public officials and other representatives is the most visible and common form of participation in modern democracies, and also the most fundamental. The ability to conduct free and fair elections is at the core of what it means to call a society democratic.

In democratic elections, the struggle is often not to determine which candidate commands the greatest public support, but who can most effectively motivate his or her supporters to convert their opinions into votes. The lingering danger of voter apathy is not that public offices will go unfilled, but that office holders will be elected by smaller and smaller percentages of eligible voters. It is clear to us that voter apathy is creeping up slowly. Some call it “political depression” and it begs the question: if people don’t participate, at what point does a democracy cease to be democratic?

And here, the word apathy means that they have no interest, no emotion, no feeling, no voice on the issues. There is disgust, discouragement and frustration, but not apathy. The mistrust of politicians by citizens, and the decline in voting among the population in general, signal a low point in our people’s relationship with their politicians, and a real crisis of confidence, not just in politics, but in the value of public life in our democracy.

There is a sense of feeling that one’s vote matters has declined. But perhaps most of all, there is a sense that politics is increasingly becoming a dirty business in Zambia. Some people assume moral and ethical individuals won’t run for public office because they can’t stomach the dirty nature and corrupt character of our political campaigns.

It is important to care. Truly, there are problems. But what happens if no one “good” runs for public office? Who ends up running? And what happens if people don’t vote? Bad officials are elected by citizens who do not vote. It is a vicious cycle. Elected officials make the laws and they are in the best position to bring about reforms in our politics and political campaigns.

Good, hardworking elected officials are needed to turn things around. Our advice is: vote, get involved, run for public office. We need to convince more people, especially young people, who want to make a difference that they should enter public life. For our democratic and good governance efforts to remain vital, we need more people to offer themselves to public office.

There is no doubt, the value of our parliamentary by-elections seems to be diminishing in the eyes of Zambian voters. And this phenomena, if not checked, may continue to give rise to low and low voter turnouts. People should be made to see the difference their votes are making. And the frequency of parliamentary by-elections is not helping the situation.

Yes, election time may be ‘eating’ time for the hungry constituents because this is the time sugar, mealie-meal and other food stuffs are given to them for free. It is also the time when candidates are willing to talk to them and help them. After that, nothing, or very little, seems to flow in their direction from the individuals they have elected to be their representatives.

All they start to see is that individual they have elected drive new cars, dress in new and relatively expensive clothes, buying new businesses, factories, shops, milling plants and so on and so forth. Their position as voters doesn’t seem to improve much regardless of who they vote for.

With this approach to elections, people will soon start to wonder if the only democratic procedure for choosing leaders are the electoral processes they are today being subjected to that are so often prostituted to falsify the will and the interests of the people and so many times to elect the most inept and the most shrewd, rather than the most competent and the most honest.

When one looks at our politicians, when one looks at our political representatives, it is clear that very few of them are there to serve the people heart and soul. Most of them appear to be in politics, in public office because of personal ambition or pleasure; they are not there to fulfill a duty, to serve a cause.

This type of politicians does not certainly inspire confidence in our people; does not motivate them to start playing an active role in the politics of the country. it actually demoralises, demotivates citizens from meaningful political participation.

To increase the turnout in our elections, we will need to pay a lot of attention to all these factors. If we don’t, our representatives will continue to be elected by fewer and fewer citizens. But we shouldn’t forget that elections are the central institutions of democratic representative governments.

We say this because in a democracy, the authority of public officers derives solely from the consent of the citizens eligible to vote. The principal mechanism for translating that consent into governmental authority is the holding of elections where the turnout is high and the elections are free and fair.

And another election, or rather a presidential by-election, is exactly two weeks away. And we should be conscious of the role each one of us as citizens of this country should play in choosing a president who will help create the Zambia we want to live in. Again, we would like to remind all our citizens who have attained the voting age, that voting is not only their right, but rather their duty.

If they withhold their votes, we run a risk of putting into the office of president, a person who has no national interests at heart, but of self, and who is going to jeopardise not only our future but also of our children and our children’s children.

We urge you to exercise your right and take up your citizen duty – the duty to elect public officers. Ensure that the documents you need to vote are in order. If you have lost your voters’ card or your national registration card, replace it tomorrow.

Apathy will not do for this country. The neglect of the duty of participating in the choice of leaders brings catastrophic results to the nation. It is a great mistake to shun this responsibility. And every citizen is called upon to play his or her part conscientiously.

It should be understood that neglecting the duty of participating in the voting and in the election of good leaders allows unworthy candidates to take leadership positions and brings disharmony in the country. To neglect to vote is to lose a person’s right and the nation’s right.

The most important political right or privilege is the vote. Today, the vote is serious duty. Whether we will have an upright or inefficient president depends on us the citizens as voters. A person who is able to vote but never votes is guilty of a serious omission. Citizens who do not care for the duty of voting are an easy prey to tyranny. This imperative duty must be fulfilled carefully and one must choose wisely people who will take the direction of public affairs.

Citizens who are eligible to vote should use their votes for the good of Zambia, as opposed to the good of a political party, a group or individual; they should vote for a candidate who has proved himself accountable to the electorate, for the common good.

As voters, we should choose a candidate who is courageous in defending the truth and justice for all, who is completely honest in fulfilling public and private responsibilities;

we must use our votes to make sure that the best of the four presidential candidates is on October 30 elected. The presidency of our country should not be occupied by an individual who will let us down morally and otherwise. As voters, we should vote according to our conscience, in accordance with the highest human values, without allowing ourselves to be pressured or dictated to by bribes, gifts, threats, self interest and so on and so forth.

We urge all, including our candidates, to reject electoral corruption and violence in the strongest terms. We should all, including the candidates, respect truth. We should learn to be tolerant with people who have different political opinions and preferences from ours. There are several options in governing a country, and all have a right to express their opinions and preferences – and this includes us in the media, us who write.

We urge the candidates to educate their followers to be tolerant. It is only in that way that, after the October 30 elections, Zambia will remain united and peaceful. Let us set an example that will win us the respect of the whole world. Let all involved in this presidential election have in their hearts the desire that all will benefit and not just the party and supporters of the person who will win.

This presidential election provides all Zambians with a unique opportunity to show their political maturity and their sincere aspiration for peace and harmony anchored in justice. We have seen in other countries what happens when this is not the case.

Violence must be avoided because the electoral campaign should not be confused with a battlefield where the aim is to destroy the other person. We believe this is nothing but a contest to serve, and not a fight for survival. And the right to vote will only bear fruit for this country when we, as voters, choose good leaders for public office.
Let us improve on the Kanchibiya low turnout on October 30 and turn out in large numbers to vote.

Labels: ELECTIONS

posted by MrK @ 3:54 PM