ANC list process must not fool voters

THE election run-up is under way: parties with candidates and voters with hopes, fears and doubt.

The ANC is compiling its list of candidates. According to what criteria? To screen for honest brokers this time? To eliminate cronyism, influence, nepotism, the political equivalent of street fighting and gangsterism?

Tremendous preferentially free publicity daily for ANC and EFF already compromises the idea that things will be “free and fair,” for media cheating has begun.

And inflammatory racism is being added, regardless of whether voting is best done with cool heads. Which parties can be trusted?

Unfortunately, party leaders are often more pragmatic than sincere! If their aim is merely to “win” in a “numbers game” manipulation happens.

They imagine they know their audience and play to our weakness to identify with “heroes”.

So what of us voters? Can all of the people be fooled all of the time?

How many of us innocents, expecting to vote in good conscience, will assume that candidates are “clean” and incorruptible? That those with “previous criminal convictions” might not be wangled on to party lists?

This points to the biggest flaw in our otherwise deservedly muchvaunted constitution: the lack of “constituency representation”. In other words, having to vote for unknowns – candidates not known to the local community.

What then can guide our selection? How do most people choose, subjected as we are to much false news, media propaganda, and shameless stirring of racist fears already?

We’ve plenty of training in voting by the seats of our pants. Is national voting just a popularity contest, where sporting heroes and film stars should be chosen to run our countries? Spectacle, hysterical screaming, all such “fun”, can be so beguiling. A dancing, singing feel-good mob will just put a cross next to the name that’s most familiar. And if the candidate looks like fun, like a pop star, why, that will seem good enough. He, he, he.

Depressed voters, more in touch with daily stressful realities, will give up and abstain. Voting is not compulsory in South Africa, as it is in some countries. Some, encouraged by cynics, will simulate, deciding pathetically to spoil their papers.

Not only this country, but the world, stands at scary crossroads of choice. So we must become serious, conscientious voters, collect evidence of policies and examine propaganda for what it is. We must control potential racist impulses lurking deep within, discuss and scrutinise the world delivered to us and to those around us so far, and live out our civic responsibilities and rights.

We voters must appreciate what little leverage we might still have, register and turn up to and make crosses in good faith. No use saying later, “Oh, I didn’t know.”

It’s our business to find out. And it actually can be quite fun. DESI HALSE Durban