On Wednesday I participated in my first ever election... OK maybe that isn't my ink stained thumb above (I am far too lazy to post a picture of my sexy digits), but rest assured that mine bears a similar mark of accomplishment.
Your first time is something you are not likely to ever forget. You know, you hear about it from those who have experienced it in the past, but they just can't prepare you for the emotions that wash over you the first time you are there yourself. Standing in line waiting to get in, the excitement and tension was palpable, I found myself jumping up and down on the spot uncontrollably. Then came the checking of credentials... a smile flickered across my face as the little machine beeped approvingly... everything was in order. The moment that I had been waiting for had almost arrived. Then, as it happened, something that had been welling up inside me seemed to explode and left this warm glowing feeling flowing throughout my body. Little did I know that Adam Gilchrist would hit a further four fabulous sixes on that magical Wednesday evening at Newlands and each time would feel almost as good as the first.
Oh the election? I had completed my duty as a citizen a couple hours earlier. It is said that after you vote in your country's national election, there is a sense of pride, joy and patriotism that overcomes you. A real feeling of accomplishment... yea I didn't feel any of that. The process was a completely soulless affair that took all of 20 minutes and left me feeling strangely empty inside. I'm sure that some of it had to do with the fact that the winner had been decided over a year before the election actually took place, at a location that most people can't even pronounce correctly, by a small group of politicians who may or may not have the best interests of the nation at heart.
Now I'm not into politics, not at all. I'll openly admit that some of my misgivings about our president elect are most likely based on prejudice (not all my misgivings however, that shower statement still cracks me up). I'll also congratulate the man on a victory well deserved (depending on your definition of the word), because I am honestly confident that he will do a decent job. I certainly do not feel any less patriotic towards this great country than I did on Tuesday. But that hollow feeling still remains...
I'll leave you with one last thought regarding these historical elections.
Were the elections free? Definitely. Were the elections fair? Sure. But was it a truly democratic process?
