Why hello there! Long time no type!
After what can really only be described as an insane two weeks of sweat, heat, adventure and yams, I can finally pull myself away from the excitement of downtown Honiara to write something. From this introductory week to the Solomon Islands, I can safely say two things:
- Taro is a culinary commitment of surprisingly dense proportions.
- There ain’t no party like an ex-pat party.
And now for something a little more serious.
With Australia’s elections fast approaching there has been much talk about how uninspiring both major parties are.
Sample:
Q. What’s the difference between the Liberal and Labor party policies?
A. Nothing.
(What? You were expecting a joke? There’s nothing funny about terminally ill democracy.)
Amidst the talk back home about donkey voting and whatnot, the Solomons went to the polls on August 4 with a completely polar sense of zeal and excitement.
For weeks before polling day, trucks full of people took to the streets (well, street. Downtown Honiara is essentially one big, long street) honking their horns and chanting for the candidates. People wore t-shirts indicating which ‘team’ they were voting for. The newspapers were full of editorials and letters-to-the-editor urging people to be peaceful on polling day and avoid any repetition of the 2006 election and ensuing riots.
The Solomons were into this election. They were passionate. In the days prior to polling, boats literally packed to the brim with people scuttled back and forth between Honiara and the provinces bringing people back home to vote. People were cramming themselves onto already full boats, sometimes travelling up to twenty-four hours, so that they could vote in their hometown. And this is in a country were voting isn’t even compulsory.
Posters and images in the newspaper broke down the voting process into simple steps and suggested ways of making voting more accessible to those who might otherwise have difficulty (the elderly, the blind etc).
And in a country where a great many people are illiterate, posters and signs across the provinces indicated each candidate and their pictorial symbol that could be found on the ballot papers to make voting accessible to everyone. If you want to vote for this guy, then tick the box with the pineapple next to it. For this woman, tick the box with the truck next to it.
And in the days following, the entire country now seems to be anxiously listening to the radio, waiting for votes to be counted and seats announced. You can feel the tension, excitement and hope in the air. This is what democracy is about.
Meanwhile, back in Australia, from what I can see the whole thing seems to have turned into an episode of ‘This is Your Life’, with all the ghosts-of-Prime-Ministers-past wandering out of the dusty pages of history to speak in sound bites and get some free canapés at various functions.
Australia – I know this isn’t the most exciting election. I know the hope of trying to find something that resembles an actual policy seems about as successful as Mark Latham trying to be a journalist (When did he show up to the disco? Who saw that coming?).
But please don’t waste your vote. Please don’t donkey vote. Your vote is powerful and if you’re not happy with the two major parties, tell them this by voting for a minor party or for an independent.
Don’t take your democracy for granted. Use your vote. Power to the people! (insert fist pump/peace sign/other inspiring gesture.)
Tags: democracy, election, Solomon Islands
