South Africa, arguably the most powerful democracy on the African continent is having a general election. You won't hear about it on the news in any great depth, unless there's some violence, which is unlikely. Similarly you probably didn't hear that Ghana, a small west African nation of 20 million or so had a general election recently where power changed hands for the third time in four elections. Incidentally there was also no violence involved. There were a couple of reports in the media when it looked like there would be violence.
Don't expect to see much coverage of South Africa based on anything that doesn't involve violence of some kind. There will be little coverage of South Africa's political system that can justifiably claim to be probably the most representative democracy on earth. You probably won't find out from the media that South Africa's human rights achievement include comprehensive rights for LGBT people, including same sex marriage, adoption, serving openly in the military and a complete ban on discrimination. This is in a country that is strongly socially conservative and religious. 26 parties are on the national ballot, with more making regional ballots, from muslim and christian parties to anti-poverty and anti-privatisation parties. That South Africa has gone from decades of racism and disenfranchisement to one of the most vibrant and representative democracies in the world is something you will be very unlikely to hear about in the media. Likewise you won't hear much about the origins of South Africa's representative system, why the ANC and Nelson Mandela in particular rejected the winner takes all system and the Westminster parliament style, opting for a hybrid that would offer maximal representation, despite the nation's ethinc make up. Nelson Mandela's writings on democracy and representation make for interesting reading. Also South Africa is not a young democracy. It is a young fully representative democracy but as a union has been having elections since 1910.
South African General Election 2009
South African Elections Show the Way Toward Racial Fairness
Election News
5 comments:
But then it looks like Jacob Zuma's going to be President, and he's not exactly squeaky clean...
nope, but why should south africans be held to higher standards than americans or australians? the anc is a loose coalition of diametrically opposed interests, it's a party that encompasses neo-liberals, unreformed marxists, protectionists, trade-unionists and pan-african nationalists. the anc only existed as a coalition to end aparthied. as such it has no real mission or vision now. the fact that the opposition can't fracture such a shaky coalition is almost entirely due to the fact that the anc collects diverse votes from south africans while the opposition tends to rely on narrow ethnic cliques for its support.
ok - so this has NOTHING to do about Africa, but I had the weirdest dream about you guys last night.
First I broke into your house, and thought i'd use your internet, then i realised i'd been there for ages and it would be really awkward if you came home and found me in your house. break in/stalker!!
so I hid behind a futon, and then escaped out a window. I think Gam saw me, and you definitely heard me escaping because you were all "who'se been using our internet!!" (like the 3 bears)
I ran around to the front of the house and didnt even know where I was, so I had to ask a bikie with a beard what city I was in, and he said - Baulkham Hills
yeahhhh
we don't have a futon, it would be more, 'who's been sitting in my $600 chair that i had to freaking well assemble myself i can't believe i didn't go back to that shop and cram the tacky chrome plated allen key up the sales person's arse'. also, was i hot in your dream? because then it's ok, just don't dream me fugly...
I HAAAAAAAAAAAATE allen keys.
everyone is a supermodel in my dreams
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