[notice]ACDP MP Cheryllyn Dudley makes a case for voting your values in the local government elections on August 3[/notice]
The results of News 24’s “Which Party do you Support?” Election Quiz in 2014 surprised many as they found themselves most closely aligned to the ACDP in terms of their values — the percentage being over 40%.
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Our experience has been however, that many people whose values line up with the ACDP are concerned about splitting the vote at election time and they feel obliged to vote DA for fear of an ANC or EFF run municipality.
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ACDP – DA cooperation decision
A vote for a small party is very valuable. It is important to share with your friends and contacts that a high level party decision has been taken that the ACDP will cooperate with the DA if they need the numbers to make a majority. A vote for the ACDP will not be a vote against the DA. A vote for the ACDP at this election will actually ensure “a better DA” in that they will have to at least consider an ACDP perspective on issues when taking decisions where they will need the numbers.
The ACDP was the brainchild behind the cooperation agreement in Cape Town in 2006, that originally put the DA in the governing seat by just one vote. The ACDP/DA run council in Swellendam is also listed as “the best run local council in SA” for 2015 and the ACDP/DA council in George was at number 15 on the list.
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In these elections you will be casting two votes, one for your ward Councillor and the other for Proportional Representation (PR) Councillors — these are extra Councillors that parties send to council based on the number of votes they received. For the ward Councillor,you will see the face of the individual for whom you are voting and for the Proportional Representation you will see the logo of the party for which you are voting.
Using your two votes effectively
The ideal would be for you to vote both for the ACDP candidate in your ward and for the ACDP party on the proportional vote. If, however, you feel that a person who happens to be from another party is the preferred candidate then you can vote for them as ward councillor and still vote ACDP on the party vote. This will add ACDP councillors from the proportional list to balance and co-govern with the DA where they would otherwise not have a majority.
It is sensible to vote for a candidate you know and trust to deliver but it is just as important to ensure that where the priority is to ensure a council is not run by the ANC or EFF, that the super-liberal DA policies are held in check to at least some degree by men and women standing under the banner of the ACDP bringing perspectives based on a biblical worldview.
Where the ACDP is not yet strong enough in numbers to govern your particular ward you will then still have councillors in your town or city who not only hold your values but are allowed to express and vote in line with these values. ACDP proportional list councillors have on many an occasion held the balance of power in a municipality and their vote has decided the outcome of an election. Without the ACDP, the ANC, DA and EFF can potentially wreak havoc for Christians’ values if they are left unchecked and unchallenged.
In terms of value-based politics, in my view, no one comes close to the ACDP. In terms of visibility and popular rhetoric, yes, other parties are streets ahead. I actually agree with those who say an exclusive or “religiously biased party” is not the best model. The ACDP is however a political party influenced by Christian principles and values which include honesty, integrity, accountability, servant leadership and a good work ethic to name just a few. The absence of these and other Christian values in SA’s politics would be far worse.
Who runs the municipality?
The concern people have in terms of splitting the vote is, all about who runs the municipality. The decision taken by the ACDP to add their numbers to the DA where they have a chance of governing a municipality and the ACDP does not, is not about the ACDP agreeing to or having to compromise on policy as some ACDP members erroneously concluded.
If the ACDP wins outright in any municipality then clearly we make the decisions. If it is a close call between other parties and not the ACDP then the ACDP is reassuring the electorate that they will not hand the running of the municipality over to the ANC or EFF. Of course, if the ACDP has significant numbers but not a majority and another party agrees to co-govern with us we would also not object to running the municipality with the cooperation of others. We always value whatever opportunity we have to influence — by minority or majority — in line with what we understand to be better!
Don’t believe ‘wasted vote’ lie
Don’t believe the lie that a vote for a small party is a wasted vote because it is not. The ACDP had 7 MP’s in Parliament after the 1999 elections and it wasn’t much before that that the DA had the same number. If a vote for a smaller party was a wasted vote the DA would not have the numbers it has today. You decide the size of any party, big or small, through your vote!
There is much work still to be done by the ACDP between elections and with more support and people rolling up their sleeves to get the job done, we will get there.
We are reminded in the Word that principle lasts longer than populism and it will triumph in the end. I hope that clears up a few concerns and that you now have more peace to vote for your principles and values and not your fears!
Since GN has decided to bring politics into their ‘Christian News Portal’, allow me to say this:
Even though I am far more in agreement with what the ACDP stands for compared to any other political party, I have never voted for them. That’s not because I fear “splitting the vote”, as you put it, but because I believe in the separation of religion and state – perhaps an overreaction to the abuse of power which religion always inflicts on citizens of different persuasions when it takes over government. This has been true in every country in history where a religious party has risen to power, and it is still true today. As far as I know, there has never been an exception.
However, this time I will be voting for the ACDP, and considering my above opinion, it is for no small reason.
My reason is that I just cannot vote for a man (or a woman for that matter) who has shown little or no evidence that he actually cares for people at all, and is prepared to step on anybody, even his own constituents, in order to acquire his agenda. Quite honestly, it does not matter to me whether that agenda is better than everybody else’s, which I’m not sure if it is anyway. But as a Christian, I just cannot support a man who believes that the end result justifies the means, and also acts that way.
Secondly, I just cannot support a man (or woman for that matter) who is so divisive, that even his own friends and colleagues are constantly offended by him. In fact, someone who is so divisive, that it could never be called racism, because it goes way beyond the colour of one’s skin.
As a Christian, how in heaven could I vote for such a man (or woman), and still live with my conscience?
That’s why I’m voting for ACDP this time.
Do not confuse a POLITICAL party that has based it`s policies on what the word says about restitution, poverty, education, justice, equality etc with a church which PREACHES the word of God. It has never been necessary to separate your values from your political party or your vote.
Jeanette, you share my thoughts somewhat, and that is exactly the reason why I have now decided to vote for the ACDP.
For too long the church has abdicated its responsibility, and left it to worldly powers to fulfil our commission from God. Worse still, we expect these worldly powers to fulfil our commission from God by worldly power and might and without the Spirit of God.
According to scripture our commission from God goes far beyond the salvation of souls, otherwise why do we pray “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven”? And what kind of king would that be without reigning and ruling?
Every time we have an election we hear churches tell believers that if they don’t vote they are abdicating their Godly responsibility and possibly committing the sin of apathy. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realise that that is a ridiculously ignorant or naïve statement, or a half-truth at best and a grave deception at worst. Surely responsibility and the lack of apathy is so much more than to just vote?
The church has got to take at least some portion of the blame for replacing people’s faith in God to a false faith in a political party and the government. In fact, change the words ‘false faith’ to ‘fear’. Today, right around the world, that lie or ‘house of cards’ is falling down and no matter which political party comes to power there will still be disappointment, hopelessness, anger and fear, which will lead to more upheaval, crime and poverty.
In case you can’t see it, God’s hand is in this, and He is wanting to know what we the church are going to do about it. Will we fill this huge void in the people and in the nations by getting our backsides off the pews and bringing the reign of King Jesus and His kingdom?
And if we do, will we truly represent King Jesus this time or will we do what others have done in the past and still do in the present, which is to present a form of religion that totally misrepresents Him and has no heavenly power?
People who are wise in all four areas of Government ordained by God namely self-, family-, church- and civil – (politics) makes me proud to be a South African and give me hope for the future. Think before you ink!