BEN TUROK: Parliament remains remote from the daily concerns of ordinary people
Parliamentary system and the way it is meant to represent people's interests, especially that of young people, is not working
Six-million South Africans under the age of 30 have not registered to vote. The total number who have not registered is about 9-million. Michael Donen has pointed out that the non-enfranchised almost equal the number of voters who supported the ANC in the last election and outnumber all the voters who supported opposition voters put together. This is reason enough to worry about the health of our democracy. However, if you add the mood of disillusionment brought on by recent revelations of looting of public funds and the possible abstention of formerly committed voters, the total number of non-voters may be disturbingly large. But my concern goes deeper than the immediate disenchantment with our politicians. I am not at all sure that our parliamentary system and the way it is meant to represent ordinary people's interests, especially that of young people, is really working. I shall certainly vote in the coming elections and I know what party I shall vote for. But I don’t know who wi...
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