Maravi

Zambia needs your vote

Zambia needs your vote
By The Post
Sat 02 Oct. 2010, 04:00 CAT

It is disappointing that some of our people have decided not to register and vote in next year’s elections. And some of the reasons we hear they are giving include: our votes in the previous elections didn’t make any difference and the party we wanted to win lost to the party we wanted to lose.

Even if we vote, the election will be manipulated to give the MMD an undeserved electoral victory. Our vote was a ticket for others to enrich themselves. They therefore do not see any reason why they should vote again next year. All politicians are the same, some say.

We have been reminded by Fr Nicolas Kaliminwa of Kasama Diocese that we “shouldn’t get tired of doing what is right. Even the Bible says so. It is important to get involved in governance and register as voters.

We shouldn’t lose hope”. And accordingly, we will not get tired of reminding you to register and vote in next year’s elections. We again remind you that voting is not only your right but rather your duty.

If you withhold your vote, Zambians run a risk of getting into public offices people who have no national interests at heart and who are going to jeopardise the future of your children. Exercise your right therefore and take up your citizen duty. Go, register and vote for the right persons in next year’s elections.

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 participation, our weak democracy will disappear.

Voting in the election of public officials is the most visible and common form of participation in modern democracies, and also the most fundamental.
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 the eligible voters.

Therefore, the voting population must be large enough to ensure that government is not chosen by a small group. A government chosen by a small group is not a democracy – no matter how democratic its internal workings may appear.

We all need to participate in elections because they are the central institution of democratic representative government. In a democracy, the authority of the government derives solely from the consent of the governed.

The principal mechanism for translating that consent into governmental authority is the holding of elections in which the greatest possible majority of the adult population participates.

Not voting is therefore not a way to fix politicians we don’t like or disagree with. In fact, neglecting to vote is the best way of giving the politicians we detest the greatest chance of winning.

The neglect of the duty of participating in the choice of leaders at all levels brings catastrophic results to the nation. It is a great mistake to shun this responsibility.
And if you don’t register as a voter, you will not only be unable to vote, but you will also not be allowed to contest any office.

Every citizen is called upon to play his or her part conscientiously, that is those with leadership gifts should register as voters and represent themselves and be ready to contest and serve the people in accepting office as a trust and service to the people and not as a stepping stone for enriching themselves. All citizens who have reached the voting age of 18 should register and participate in electing leaders who have the necessary qualities.

It should be understood that the neglect of participating in the voting and in the election of good leaders allows unworthy candidates to take leadership positions and brings disharmony in our country.

And even if those offering themselves for public office do not meet the standards we desire, we have a duty to choose the best among those who offer themselves. It doesn’t make sense to wait until the time when the type of leaders we desire will be constructed in our country.

Our participation today will determine the quality of leadership we will have tomorrow. We say this because the future is built on the threshold of today, on the decisions we make today – the future is not built on the decisions we make in the future. To neglect to vote is to lose a person’s right and the nation’s right.

Again, we would like to remind you that political rights consist in the capacity of every citizen to participate in government. They exist for public good and they are not strictly rights but rather privileges.

The most important political right or privilege is the vote. A person who is able to vote but never votes is guilty of a serious omission. And citizens who do not care for their duty of voting are an easy prey to tyranny.

It is therefore important that we heed the call by Fr Kaliminwa to register as voters en masse and not get tired of voting and participating in governance. And we think it is a duty of his pastoral care to guide you in the light of the teaching of the Church on such an important subject.

You have rights and duties as citizens and the love of your country urges you to act accordingly in all justice and charity and register as a voter and vote in next year’s elections. We should all be conscious of the crucial role each one of us should play in choosing the leaders who will create the Zambia we want to live in.

And we make a special appeal to the government in general and the electoral commission in particular to realise that they have a serious responsibility. As facilitators of the elections, they should ensure that every citizen who wants to register and vote in next year’s elections is given the opportunity to do so without unnecessary encumbrances.

Good elections require the participation of all voters. On our voting depend the progress of our country. Elections are for the good of all our people and our country, and not for a political survival of any individual or political party.

The additional 72 days is still a very short period. Don’t wait until the last day to start looking for where to register. You may miss the deadline and fail to register and vote in next year’s elections. Do it now.

If you can’t do it today, do it tomorrow; if you will not be able to do it tomorrow, do it the next day. Don’t pend it for long. Zambia needs your vote, so register and vote in next year’s elections.

Labels: VOTER REGISTRATION

posted by MrK @ 8:46 AM