Democracy is not just the right to vote, it is the right to live in dignity. Democracy is not something that happens, you know, just at election time and it’s not something that happens just with one event. It’s an ongoing building process but it also ought to be a part of our culture, a part of our lives.
Democracy is about voting and it’s about a majority vote. And it’s time that we started exercising the democratic process.
The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.
Voting is the foundational act that breathes life into the principle of the consent of the governed. Voting is a right best exercised by people who have taken time to learn about the issues. “The voting booth joint is a great leveler; the whole neighborhood; rich, poor, old, young, decrepit and spunky, they all turn out in one day.” David Byrne. The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men. Every citizen of this country should be guaranteed that their vote matters, that their vote is counted and that in the voting booth, their vote has a much weight as that of any CEO.
We must try again to be alive to what the people of our country really long for in our national life: forgiveness and grace, maturity and wisdom. Ideas are great arrows, but there has to be a bow. And politics is the bow of idealism. “It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs.” Albert Einstein.
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. “The future started yesterday and we’re already late.” John Legend. Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor.
We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends. “Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society’s margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies.” Kofi Annan.
A nugget thoughtfully prepared by Kelvin Beat, Mwingi North parliamentary seat aspirant for 2027 as he urges every eligible unregistered voter to register since the process is ongoing.
MWINGI TIMES for timely and authoritative news.
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