Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Johannesburg (Agenzia Fides) - “As we approach the elections, we your Bishops would like to share our concern about our young democracy, and what it should look like. While there is a lot of very positive and healthy debate about what it means to be a democracy, we are conscious of tendencies that we think are a threat to it. The tragedies that followed the elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe in 2008 remind us, even if our situation is not quite the same, that we cannot relax, and that guarding genuine democracy is an ongoing challenge,” say the members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC, which includes the Bishops of South Africa, Botswana, and Swaziland), in their Pastoral Letter “Awake! Awake! Protect Our Democracy,” issued in preparation for the presidential and political elections to be held in South Africa on April 22.
In the document, which was also sent to Agenzia Fides, the faithful are encouraged to be attentive to what the Bishops call “outstanding challenges” of the young South African democracy (the first elections following the end of Apartheid were held in 1994): poverty, the growing gap between rich and poor, rising prices and the lack of jobs; the lack of adequate housing, public services and service delivery;unstable families, increasing domestic violence and teenage pregnancies; sexual exploitation and alcohol and drug abuse; increasing instances of abortion; the high levels of crime and violence, and a justice system that is slow and often ineffective; the weakening of organs of society which should be strengthening our democracy (such as the SABC and the courts of law); the increase in HIV&AIDS and the plight of vulnerable children; the low quality of public education; and the influx of migrants and refugees and the associated xenophobia.
“These and many other problems are a serious challenge to any government, and it is up to each one of us to decide which party has the policies and commitment to address them effectively. It is important to judge a party on its overall policy regarding the key values of the Gospel such as promoting life, human dignity and justice in relation to the above issues,” the Bishops write, offering a series of guidelines for choosing the right candidate.
First of all, there is a need to guard against “blind loyalty”: “We should not continue to vote for a party simply because it is the one we have always supported (an attitude of “My party, right or wrong”). Every citizen must ask whether the party they have supported in the past is making a real contribution to the progress of our people...Guard against intolerance and intimidation. Freedom of speech does not give a person the right to speak abusively about others. So we should be careful to avoid saying or doing anything that will make other people afraid and thus limit their freedom...Guard against corruption. Corruption reverses all the gains we have made in our struggle for justice. It leaves people feeling disillusioned, powerless and hopeless...Guard against doing nothing. In a true democracy all citizens are called to participate and respond to issues that arise on an ongoing basis - not only at election time. However, many of us do nothing because we feel that we are powerless to bring about change. This then easily develops into an attitude of dependency, where we simply wait for the government to deliver.”
Thus, the Bishops invite the faithful to vote and to take into account the Church's Social Doctrine: respect for life and human dignity; social responsibility and the common good; a just sharing of wealth and resources; the importance of participation; and compassionate solidarity with the poor and the marginalized. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 19/2/2009)
