Quote of the week
Universal adult suffrage on a common voters roll is one of the foundational values of our entire constitutional order. The achievement of the franchise has historically been important both for the acquisition of the rights of full and effective citizenship by all South Africans regardless of race, and for the accomplishment of an all-embracing nationhood. The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and of personhood. Quite literally, it says that everybody counts. In a country of great disparities of wealth and power it declares that whoever we are, whether rich or poor, exalted or disgraced, we all belong to the same democratic South African nation; that our destinies are intertwined in a single interactive polity.
August and Another v Electoral Commission and Others (CCT8/99) [1999] ZACC 3
Pity they are not on the ballot…
The Social Justice Coalition will be holding a protest meeting on Thibault Square in Cape Town on Saturday morning from 12 a.m. to protest the Dalai Lama decision, the arms deal corruption and the dismal service delivery. Their plan of action states that they demand a commitment by all political parties to:
- Always act in solidarity with marginalised people by actively promoting the bill of rights and the UN declaration of human rights, both locally and internationally, and make decisions based on its principles;
- Enforce the principle that all are equal before law
- Protect the independence and integrity of the courts and allow for due judicial process without political interference;
- Prioritise the needs of the poor, disenfranchised and most vulnerable;
- Work actively to stamp out racism, bigotry, xenophobia, sexism, religious discrimination and homophobia;
- Ensure that corporations locally and globally engage in fair trade with fair labour practices and openness in financial institutions.
Pity they are not on the ballot because then I could vote for a party in whose principles and values I actually believe. See you there?
