PARLIAMENTARY RULES
STEVEN FRIEDMAN: Secret votes by MPs are not democratic
‘Citizens are entitled to a secret vote because we do not represent anyone and so it is no one else’s business how we vote’
MPs can vote according to their consciences — but only if we can see them doing it. The opposition’s motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma will almost certainly not unseat him, but it has triggered important debates on the rights and duties of MPs. They may influence how democracy works long after the battle over Zuma is over. First, it has revived the odd idea that public representatives should be allowed to vote in secret. The Constitutional Court will decide whether this is legal — what is clear is that it is not democratic. Citizens are entitled to a secret vote because we do not represent anyone and so it is no one else’s business how we vote. A secret vote ensures that people can use the polling booth to say what they want free from pressure. But MPs are in Parliament because citizens voted for them. They are accountable to voters, who have a right to know what they do in their name. In some democracies, tracking how representatives vote is an important service to vo...
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