In a few days we will elect a government that will be in power for five years. It will affect our lives in fundamental and critical ways. We hope it will be a good or better government, but voting alone and hoping do not necessarily make it so.
Do we believe that once a government is in place our needs and wants will be met adequately? Should we leave this to chance? Your vote might bring you the person or party you wanted, but government is not a spectator sport and requires your involvement if you want desirable outcomes.In the next few days, find the candidates on their walkabouts and talk with them.
Quieten them when they talk about their opponents and make them talk instead about issues and plans. Quieten them when they talk about Marlene Gate and Emailgate and make them talk about City Gate.
Governing is an ongoing and dynamic business which is subject to the vagrancies of the local and international environments. All governments have to grapple with the same external forces and many of them can be dramatic (think price of oil) and can change the world in a heartbeat (think 9/11). All governments break their promises and disappoint us at some point.
However, it is important to remember that the citizens have employed the government. We need to tell them what we want done. It is our money they are using and it is our responsibility to hold them accountable.
Many of us lead busy lives that leave no room or inclination for reading manifestos and calling our representatives with our issues, but there are other ways to be engaged and bring us close to the outcomes we are aching for in this country. We do have more power than we realise. Gather strength and get results through protests and petitions and community involvement.
Government does not only happen in the corridors of power. Government occurs at many levels. It happens at the community level as well and this is where many can make their voices heard and their get the government working for them.You have to put time and effort into making your government what you want it to be otherwise it will be what it wants to be. Making time for the things that matter to us will bring us closer to the changes that we ache for in this country.
Generally speaking, the things we value or need in life are things we have to work at or work hard for. How government governs our lives is no different. We cannot leave this to everyone else.Government is a work in progress and reacts to the forces of the day.We will be married to the new government for at least five years so voting is important but, regardless of who gets in, stay in the game. Government is your business.
Jenny Baboolal