Just a quick post to remind people that they still have to the end of the week to vote in their local body elections.
If your first question is "what local body election?" then shame on you, go see if you can still enroll and get voting.
If your first question is "who the hell do I vote for?" then welcome to my world.
None the less I will be voting and have been taking the time to figure out what the candidates actually stand for apart form their 100 word blurbs in the candidates guide.
Democracy does not start at the national level but at the local and with low voter turnout this is your chance to have your say or even run for office (given that in Christchurch some candidates are running unopposed).
Anyway good luck and have fun!
Most of our people will not vote in the local government elections. They do not trust the candidates, who they see as egotistical, self-interested and deceitful, and they have no faith in the system, which they see as being rigged by the mass media. We have seven candidates standing for Mayor. One media outlet has decided to cover the campaigns of three supposed "front runners" (who all happen to be European) relegating the three Maori candidates to the status of "also rans" while the race was not even half-run. People know that most politicians are corrupt, and they know that the corruption is aided and abetted by the mass media. OK, you might say, these are the very circumstances in which the public should get out and vote. But people are choosing instead to work within their neighbourhood groups, hahi and marae. I myself am pretty comfortable with that.
ReplyDeleteGeoff: its good to see people to take democracy right down to the grass roots level in their community and to have a critical view of anyone who wants to represent them on any council.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the media can often distort the view of candidates and its an issue for sure.
I would disagree that there is no candidate out there that one could vote for though, even if only for a new face to see how they do as city or regional councils wield a lot of power over our day to day lives (rates and trash collection for example) and if we let them fall into disuse or worse being captured by those who would not be representative of anything at all except their own agenda.
Here in Canterbury such issues have come about with the Enviroment canterbury having been appointed by the government and basically no longer having any real representation in the community. Now the fight is on to get the power back.
And that's probably the point, its a lot easier to maintain our democratic rights than fight to get them, or get them back.