Democracy in action

Wongaletu Vanda (“Don’t believe racist Zille”, DD May 23) errs in dismissing the (then) Democratic Party’s plan for a qualified franchise. Until the mid- to late 20th century, universal franchise was inconceivable.

Throughout history, every nation and tribe with a form of democracy has had qualifications such as education, property ownership, military service or a prescribed initiation. Vanda ignores that whites lacking education or property would also be denied franchise. The challenge for the DP plan is to nurture a country where access to education and to property ownership is available to all. The post-apartheid government has patently failed in this regard. Remove all the educational institutions built prior to 1994 and what is left?

Before decadence set in, the ancient Greeks (from whom we derive our form of democracy) and the Romans who followed, allowed only “citizens” (whom they defined as free landowning native-born men) the right to vote. Every citizen had to take his turn in government or lose his citizenship.

Government was constitutionally designed to be an unpaid onus that nobody wanted to endure longer than necessary.

Corruption was treasonous and punishable by death. Five centuries BC, Athens practised ostracism: once a year the citizens would consider individuals thought too powerful or dangerous to the city and, by vote, exile them for 10 years. The ostracised had 10 days to put their affairs in order and leave. How many politicians would keep their seats if either remedy was practised in SA? The city-states of ancient Greece were independent, preventing cadre deployment and interference from party bosses. Democracy is not the right to vote. It is the responsibility to act in the best interests of the community and to help steer it along the best path for all. If people can objectively study all the evidence instead of crying “racism” every time somebody says something they do not like, we may succeed in South Africa. – Dave Rankin, Cambridge