IDEMOCRACY YAYESELWE-URHULUMENTE

UHarold W. Percival

INXENYE I

IBHOLOTI — ISYMBOL

Idemokhrasi njengoko isenziwa ayenzeli bonke abantu; ayiyiyo ke idemokhrasi yokwenene. Kwenziwa njengomdlalo okanye umlo wezobupolitika phakathi kwe- "Ins" ne "Ngaphandle." Kwaye abantu bangamaxhoba emfazwe kwaye ngababukeli abahlawula umdlalo kwaye bayakrokra bavuye kwaye bayancokola. Abadlali balwela i-ofisi yamandla obuqu kunye neqela kunye nokuphangwa; kwaye baxhaphaza bonke abantu. Oko akunakubizwa ngokuba yintando yesininzi. Okona kungcono urhulumente ngumbhali kunye nokuchasa; kukukholelwa, intlekisa kwintando yesininzi. Oorhulumente babantu bavela ebuntwaneni bomsindo. "Iipolitiki" zempawu ezihamba kunye nokuzalwa kwedemokhrasi, njengoko ukuzalwa emva kokuzalwa komntwana kulandela.

Impumelelo okanye ukusilela kwedemokhrasi akuxhomekekanga kwezopolitiko. Abezobupolitika zizinto kuphela ezenziwa ngabantu okanye babavumele ukuba babe. Impumelelo okanye ukusilela kwedemokhrasi, njengempucuko, kuxhomekeke ikakhulu ebantwini. Ukuba abantu abayiqondi le nto kwaye bayithathela ingqalelo, idemokrasi ayizukukhula kwimeko yayo embi. Phantsi kwezinye iindlela zikarhulumente ngokuthe ngcembe abantu baphulukana nelungelo labo lokucinga, lokuva, lokuthetha, kunye nokwenza into abaza kuyithanda okanye bakholelwe ukuba ilungile.

Akukho mandla angenza indoda ibe yile nto indoda ingazi kuzenza yona. Akukho gunya linokwenza intando yesininzi ebantwini. Ukuba abantu banedemokhrasi, urhulumente kufuneka wenziwe ngentando yesininzi ngabantu ngokwabo.

Idemokhrasi ngurhulumente ngabantu, apho amandla azimeleyo aphathwa kwaye asetyenziswa ngabantu, ngabo abo abantu bakhethileyo phakathi kwabo ukuba babamele. Kwaye abo bantu bakhethwe ukuba balawule batyalwe kuphela amandla anikezwe ukuba bathethele abantu kwaye balawule ngentando namandla abantu, ngokuvota kwabantu.

Ukuvota asilo phepha nje elishicilelweyo iphepha apho umvoti enza amanqaku alo, aze aliphose ebhokisini. Iphepha lokuvota luphawu oluxabisekileyo: uphawu lwento emiselwe ukuba ekugqibeleni ibeyona mpucuko iphakamileyo yomntu; isimboli ekufuneka ixatyiswe ngaphezulu kokuzalwa okanye impahla okanye inqanaba okanye ipati. Luphawu lokugqibela lokuvavanywa kwimpucuko yamandla okuvota; kwaye ngenkalipho yakhe, nembeko yakhe, nokunyaniseka kwakhe; noxanduva, ilungelo lakhe nenkululeko yakhe. Luphawu olunikezwe ngabantu njengethemba elingcwele elivezwe kwilungu ngalinye labantu, uphawu olo umntu ngamnye athembiswe kulo ukuba asebenzise ilungelo namandla anikezwe kuye ngevoti yakhe, amandla kunye namandla okugcina , phantsi komthetho nobulungisa, amalungelo alinganayo nenkululeko elowo kunye nengqibelelo yabo bonke abantu njengabantu banye.

Kuya kumnceda ngantoni umntu ukuba athengise okanye athengise into yokuvota aze aphulukane namandla kunye nexabiso levoti yakhe, asilele ngesibindi, aphulukane nembeko yokuhlonitshwa, anganyaniseki kuye, aphulukane noxanduva, kwaye baphulukane nenkululeko yakhe, kwaye, ngokwenza oko, ukungcatsha ukuthembela okungcwele okucaciswe kuye njengomnye wabantu ukuze bagcine ingqibelelo yabo bonke abantu ngokuvota ngokwesiko lakhe, bengoyiki kwaye benganikezeli ngcwangu okanye ngexabiso?

Iphepha lokuvota sisixhobo esingcwele kakhulu ukunyaniseka kukarhulumente ngabantu ukuba baphathiswe abo baphikisana nentando yesininzi, okanye abo bangenamandla. Abakwaziyo ukusebenza bengengobantwana, ukuba bakhathalelwe kwaye bakhuselwe, kodwa bangavunyelwa ukuba babe zizinto ekumiseni urhulumente kude kube lelo xesha banokuthi balunge kwaye banelungelo lokuvota.

Ilungelo lokuvota akufuneki limiselwe ukuzalwa okanye ubutyebi okanye ukuthanda. Ilungelo lokuvota lingqinwa ngokunyaniseka nokunyaniseka ngamazwi nangezenzo, njengoko kungqinwa kubomi bemihla ngemihla; nangokuqonda kunye noxanduva, njengoko kubonisiwe kukuqhelana kunye nomdla kwintlalontle yoluntu, nangokugcinwa kwezivumelwano zakhe.

Ilungelo lokushicilela 1980 ngu The Word Foundation, Inc.