Democracy

    “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.” An old proverb, but it still rings true.  By virtue of studying at a tertiary level we can now count ourselves among the educated of society. We’re certainly educated enough to voice an opinion in a way that others will understand (although perhaps post-graduate study could jeopardise this). But increasingly it seems we don’t.
    It isn’t just an issue of finding contributors for debate. Involvement in community organisations and groups is dropping all around the country. Can you list on both hands the number of friends who are involved in not-for-profit organisations and local clubs? How about volunteer work?
    Generations before us fought and paid financially, with persecution and blood - all so we could have the right to speak up and participate fully in society. Governments, communities and even our student association go to some effort to open up meetings and agendas in order for us to inspect their process and have our say on important matters.
    But less and less seats are put out at AGM and board meetings – because people don’t turn up. Information flyers lie useless in the streets and students dodge the orange-clipboard election guy whose only crime is making sure we can vote.
    Perhaps I should apologise. In hindsight, I can see I could be wrong about some of this. A vast number of us do use our right of free speech with gusto - by complaining at every opportunity. Of course, the responsibility for fixing whatever problem is usually someone else’s responsibility.
    I hope you’ll forgive me if I’ve come across as antagonistic. I think that the democratic process and the ideal of giving everyone their say is something we should value. But if we don’t take advantage of the opportunity to express what think then what is the point of having the opportunity at all?
    With elections coming up later in the year I hope we’ll bear this in mind. Democracy can only stay a democracy if we as the public are involved.