Kusukela ngeminyaka yawo-1930s ukunyakaza kwabasebenzi, amalungelo omphakathi kanye nokuthula kube lokhu kuhlangene emkhankasweni wobumongameli, futhi cishe akukaze nanini kubonakale amaqiniso aluhlaza anamandla adalulwe ngokusobala kangaka ngemuva kokuvezwa kwentando yeningi isitayela saseMelika.

 

Kuzoba kubi kakhulu ezinsukwini ezizayo. Abantu baseMelika abaningi kuzofanele badlulele ekuphikiseni izikhulu zamaRiphabhulikhi ezifuna ukuvimbela ilungelo lokuvota. Ngibikezela ukuthi kuzoba ngokomzimba.

 

Uyakhumbula isiphithiphithi esimhlophe esahlelwa ngabasebenzi bekhongolose yaseRiphabhulikhi, abaningi babo beza ngezindiza ze-Enron, ukuvala isibalo samavoti aseFlorida ngo-2000? Uyakhumbula ubuholi beDemokhrasi buxwayisa uMfundisi Jesse Jackson ukuthi angaholi imibhikisho yamasosha ngaleyo nyanga? Khumbula ingcindezi evela emazingeni aphakeme kakhulu ukuze kuzuzwe "ukuvalwa" kanye "nozinzo" kunokwelula impi yokuthi ubani owine iFlorida?

 

AmaRiphabhlikhi afunda kulo lonke uNovemba lowo msebenzi wamandla nokwesabisa. Kuyenzeka futhi. I-US "Federal Election Assistance Commission" iyavuma ukuthi ayinabo abasebenzi abaqeqeshiwe abangama-500,000 ngoLwesibili. I-Republican ephezulu e-Michigan inquma ukuthi ukunqoba kuncike ekutheni mangaki amavoti abantu abamnyama abangacindezelwa. Izinkampani ezifana ne-Diebold zilawula izigidi zamavoti asakazwa ngogesi ngaphandle kokugadwa. I-Ohio Republicans ibifuna izicelo zabavoti zibe sephepheni elinamakhadi eholide. AmaRiphabhulikhi aseNingizimu Dakota asebenzela ukuvimba iPine Ridge Oglala ukuthi iphume. Umshini wezepolitiki wePentagon uhlanganisa ivoti lamasosha aphesheya kwezilwandle. Ukuhlanzwa kwamakhulu ezinkulungwane zezigebengu zangaphambili kuyaqhubeka kuzifunda nezifunda. Futhi iFlorida isiphinde futhi, kahle, iFlorida.

 

Ngalesi sikhathi izici zenhlangano yeDemocratic Alliance zilungele ukulwa, ngokungafani no-2000. Izingosi zokuhlela ze-New York Times zenza iMelika iqale ukubonakala njengeriphabhulikhi kabhanana. Izinkulungwane zezishoshovu zibhalise abavoti abasha abangafika ku-700,000 e-Ohio. Inani labavotile eFlorida lilinganiselwa kumaphesenti angama-75. Kungaba umkhankaso omkhulu wabavoti emlandweni oqhubekayo. Uma uKerry ewina, kuzobe kungenxa yalaba bavoti abasha.

 

AmaRiphabhulikhi ayazi ukuthi ukunqoba kuncike ekuvimbeleni ukuvota, ukuthi okubalulekile ukuphenya abantu bebala, abadala nabafundi, ukubaxosha okhethweni nganoma iyiphi indlela edingekayo, ukucwilisa izikhalo ngesigubhu mayelana nama-whiners, bese ushiyela izinkantolo.

 

Lesi yisikhathi seqiniso. Kube yisimiso somqondo kwabaningi abangakwesokunxele ukuthi ivoti alisho lutho, uguquko oluguquguqukayo kakhulu. Kepha uma amaRiphabhulikhi ezimisele ukusebenzisa noma yiziphi izindlela ukucindezela ivoti, ikakhulukazi phakathi kwabantu bemibala, kungenzeka kanjani ukuthi noma yimuphi umuntu othuthukayo angabi nandaba? Iqiniso liwukuthi imizamo ehlelekile iyaqhubeka yokuqeda ilungelo lokuvotela izinkulungwane, ngisho nezigidi, zabantu baseMelika okhokho babo balwa futhi bavikela, noma kanjalo sifundiswa ukukholelwa.

 

Ake sivume iphuzu lokuthi ivoti likhishwe ngamandla emali, ukuyenga kobuntu, ukuhlelwa kwe-oligarchical kwamaqembu, ukukhula kokuthatha izinqumo eziyimfihlo. Kodwa wona kanye umzamo wokwenza i-franchise ibe yize iveza amandla ayo okushintsha ukuhleleka komphakathi. Isethembiso sokuthi wonke umuntu uyalingana ebhokisini lokuvota siyesatshwa njengesibonelo esingase siphume esandleni emphakathini owakhiwe phezu kokungalingani okungaka. Intando yeningi igcina isithathelana, yedlulele, kongqondongqondo abadla ngoludala njengoSamuel Huntington kaHarvard. Empeleni nje iqiniso lokuthi imakethe emsulwa yamaphupho e-neo-conservative ayikwazi ukuhlalisana eduze ne-universal franchise. Kuwukugxambukela ezimakethe zamahhala, okungase kube yisithiyo ekuhwebeni. Kumelwe ilawulwe njengelungelo, engalokothi ithathwe njengelungelo.

 

Kulokhu kungqubuzana okwenzekayo, izigidi zabantu baseMelika zifunda isifundo esijulile sokuthi ilungelo lokuvota alivikelekile, sokuthi izinhlelo zokweba ukhetho zenziwa emazingeni aphezulu egunya. Kuyisifundo esinamandla, hhayi ukuyenga entuthwini nasezibukweni zobuningi obuqanjiwe baseMelika.

 

NgoLwesibili okungenani, amasiko okungalaleli komphakathi kanye nepolitiki yokhetho angase ahlangane. Azokwenzani amaDemocrats uma imigqa emide yabavoti ivinjwa? Thumela i-imeyili uJohn Ashcroft? Ingabe ababhikishi abasanda kuba nepolitiki bazokhohlwa ngamasu abo okuxabana osuku, noma bawasebenzise ngokumelene neziqhwaga zaseRiphabhulikhi? Kufanele benzeni izinyunyana zabasebenzi lapho iRiphabhulikhi iphusha noma ishaya umuntu ozama ukuvota? Yini okufanele bayenze abavikeli bentando yeningi uma umhlaba wonke ubukele amaRiphabhulikhi esondela okhethweni njengokuphucwa amandla? Kuzokwenzekani uma sekudlule isikhathi kubameli bese kwenziwa inhlamba futhi?

 

Uma amaRiphabhulikhi emi endleleni yentando yeningi ngoLwesibili njengokuphindukuzalwa kukaGeorge Wallace omdala noma uRoss Barnett, kufanele kube yisikhathi sokuthi inhlangano isho futhi: qhubekela phambili noma sizoqhubeka phezu kwakho.

 

(c) I-Independent Media Institute ka-2004. Wonke Amalungelo Agodliwe. Buka le ndaba ku-inthanethi ku-: http://www.alternet.org/story/20349/

 

 

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