Why am I Voting?

"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."
Lyndon B. Johnson

The world is filled with challenges. As must as I would like to be believes that the world we live in is a progressive and generally happy place, I cannot block out the immense amount of issues that people around the world go through each day. Voting is a right. I think more people who have the right to vote need to start treating it as privilege because of the people who simply don't enjoy the same right or struggle to have the right to go into a voting booth and cast a ballot.

Voting is a civic responsibility that all people share. The greatest power that someone has is too make noise at the ballot box. The statement may appear to be a cliche but it is the greatest truth in the book. Politicians listen to the demographics that vote. A decisive vote can also force political parties to rule as one or rule collectively. Canadians lets look back to two examples: Universal health care was achieved under the liberal minority government of Lester B. Pearson with New Democratic Support from the father of medicare Tommy Douglas. More recently, Canadians have seen one party action from the newly formed Conservative majority sending Air Canada and Canada post workers back to work and off of the picket lines despite having the longest filibuster in Canadian Government history at 58 hours. Would Universal Health Care or Back to work legislation been handled differently if a different electorate had shown up to the poles and voted?

Canadians take for granted the civil liberties that have been granted to us: health care, marriage equality, the right to choose and the system that grants us these rights. Its not just the people who don't vote but its the people who only get informed during election season or the people who are informed and don't act on that information. Lets be honest for a second, When was the last time you wrote to your member of parliament or any governing body that governs you? Civic engagement is a lifelong responsibility that needs to be protected, remembered and cherished.

There are a couple of moments in my time in Kenya where I have known how lucky I am to be Canadian. Talking to people on the street, in our offices, teachers and even students, they have described all to well the post election violence that shook Kenya almost four years ago. People literally were beheaded, shot, stabbed and murdered in the street in Kenya during the post election. I have walked through an area in our neighbourhood where people lined up heads in the streets. It was a dangerous situation and not one that many Kenyans enjoyed. Violence was created because of the instability of the political system and the corruption that takes place but even tribalism and old values clashing against a youth electorate were part of the challenges. When I ask people if they voted, those that say 'Yes' usually follow up with a comment. The most memorable so far has been, When I was voting, I was standing in the line scared and feeling very uncomfortable and I asked myself the question, 'Why am I voting?' The sincerity and vunerablity is that statement really made me think to the reasons that million of people around the world vote, its different depending on the country you live in. I cannot say that I would vote in places like Kenya where your life is at risk. I think believing in the power to vote is a lot different when your faced with death at a ballot box.

There are also instances where you understand that the system is filled with corruption. Just recently, the ministry of education lost over 5 million KSH. No one really understands how or why and the minister of education involved in the incident is under heavy suspicion. What are the chances of an inquiry happening? What are the chances the money will be returned to the Ministry? Will there be accountability? I think Canadians often times forget that even though the process is so slow and often times tedious that when instances like this take place there are some measures initiated to bring justice to the actions that have been done. The Chief Justice talk that I mentioned I had went too was also an eye opening experience. There were performance pieces before the Chief Justice talked about the challenges within the neighbourhood. There was a silent to music dramatization about a riot that reflected the reality of two weeks ago when two police officers shot and killed six children for a small disruption. When the lay of the land is too shoot first and ask questions later; its hard to determine who's responsible and who is accountable because it no longer matters when innocent victims have paid the price. It is ironic that it will be up to the Chief Justice to try to deal with these issues head on.

Kenya established a new constitution last year filled with lofty goals and big promises. People were living in fear that post constitution violence would break out. The fear still exists even though Kenya is roughly forty five years old.  Its astonishing to believe that people still are willing to participate in a system that is corrupt, unfair and deadly on many accounts. What drives these people to make change? I think its their own personal integrity and I am happy at least that they are strong enough to effect change no matter how small the impact.

It all goes back to the person standing in line at the ballot box. Thank you for voting and taking the time to shape the society you live in. Canadians complain about standing in two hour lines to cast an advance ballot or how inconvenient it is to follow a different route home from work to cast a vote but the reality is people die for the right to vote and risk their lives to shape the world they live in. Living without fear and obstacles on voting is the privilege we enjoy on top of the right. Perhaps, if Canadians treated voting as a privilege and exercised civic responsibility each day action would replace words and democracy would yet again be a shining example of effective and fair governance.