Why It Is Important To Vote

By: GWEN LISTER

PRESIDENTIAL and national elections will be held on Monday and Tuesday of next week, and all eligible voters in this country should ensure that they cast their ballots for the party of their choice.

The people of this country fought a liberation war against

apartheid rule and for the right to exercise self-determination,

and it is therefore important that we ensure this struggle was not

in vain and that people take an active interest in the affairs of

the country and those who govern us.

Regular elections is an important (although not the only)

component of a working democracy, and it is vital that there be a

high turnout at the polls to show that Namibians retain an active

interest in what is happening around them.

 

Voting is not compulsory in this country, as it is for example

in Australia where people are obliged to do so by law; and yet it

remains important that we keep apathy at bay and continue to be

involved stakeholders in the way our country is governed and by

whom.

 

Unfortunately our elections (and thereby the parties that

contest them) are not yet sufficiently 'issue-oriented', and

hopefully this is something that will happen as our democracy

matures and strengthens.

 

To people who are disinclined to vote, there is a certain

futility in criticising what is happening in a country, and yet

choosing to refrain from trying to make a difference.

 

Whatever issues motivate our voters to go to the polls, it is

important that they make themselves aware of the choices they have;

what the various parties have on offer; and then make informed

decisions before they register their ballot.

 

Namibia has already been characterised as a country that is

dominated by a single party, Swapo, which has consistently

increased its parliamentary majority since independence.

 

Because of this many voters may feel that their votes,

especially if they are for opposition parties, don't count, but of

course they all do.

 

The composition of a government is determined, not only by those

who vote for the party which runs it, but also by those who stay

away and in so doing, often influence the vote in favour of the

status quo.

 

Namibia, compared to many other democracies, still has a fairly

high voter turnout in most elections, national, regional and

otherwise, which is an indication that people overall feel that

their vote can make a difference.

 

This is positive and hopefully the trend will continue into the

future.

 

It is even more pressing in view of the fact that the ruling

party's majority has steadily increased to a more than two-thirds

majority over consecutive elections, and this overwhelming support

from the population tends to make a government complacent and even

unaccountable at times.

 

It is vitally important that the ruling party realise that this

is a popular mandate, which in fact should increase, rather than

diminish their sense of responsibility towards the electorate of

this country.

 

There is a tendency to take the overwhelming support of the

people for granted, instead of seeing accountability towards the

people as an ongoing priority.

 

But on the question of voting, we emphasise that it is

absolutely crucial that all eligible voters, regardless of the

parties they support and/or the issues they are concerned about,

should ensure that their votes are counted.

 

The only way to do this is to ensure they cast their

ballots.

 

Polls are open from 07h00 to 21h00 on both days, which gives

ample time to people to vote.

 

Regular elections is an important (although not the only) component

of a working democracy, and it is vital that there be a high

turnout at the polls to show that Namibians retain an active

interest in what is happening around them.Voting is not compulsory

in this country, as it is for example in Australia where people are

obliged to do so by law; and yet it remains important that we keep

apathy at bay and continue to be involved stakeholders in the way

our country is governed and by whom.Unfortunately our elections

(and thereby the parties that contest them) are not yet

sufficiently 'issue-oriented', and hopefully this is something that

will happen as our democracy matures and strengthens.To people who

are disinclined to vote, there is a certain futility in criticising

what is happening in a country, and yet choosing to refrain from

trying to make a difference.Whatever issues motivate our voters to

go to the polls, it is important that they make themselves aware of

the choices they have; what the various parties have on offer; and

then make informed decisions before they register their

ballot.Namibia has already been characterised as a country that is

dominated by a single party, Swapo, which has consistently

increased its parliamentary majority since independence.Because of

this many voters may feel that their votes, especially if they are

for opposition parties, don't count, but of course they all do.The

composition of a government is determined, not only by those who

vote for the party which runs it, but also by those who stay away

and in so doing, often influence the vote in favour of the status

quo.Namibia, compared to many other democracies, still has a fairly

high voter turnout in most elections, national, regional and

otherwise, which is an indication that people overall feel that

their vote can make a difference.This is positive and hopefully the

trend will continue into the future.It is even more pressing in

view of the fact that the ruling party's majority has steadily

increased to a more than two-thirds majority over consecutive

elections, and this overwhelming support from the population tends

to make a government complacent and even unaccountable at times.It

is vitally important that the ruling party realise that this is a

popular mandate, which in fact should increase, rather than

diminish their sense of responsibility towards the electorate of

this country.There is a tendency to take the overwhelming support

of the people for granted, instead of seeing accountability towards

the people as an ongoing priority.But on the question of voting, we

emphasise that it is absolutely crucial that all eligible voters,

regardless of the parties they support and/or the issues they are

concerned about, should ensure that their votes are counted.The

only way to do this is to ensure they cast their ballots.Polls are

open from 07h00 to 21h00 on both days, which gives ample time to

people to vote.

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