Kunento enkulu eyenzekayo lapha futhi akusikhona nje ngoNovemba 2. Kumayelana nentando yeningi eMelika.
Ngithe ngesonto eledlule, i-Good Old Boy Party ye-GOP ibambe iqhaza ekugcineni ukubeka uJim Crow America ekusekeleni impilo. Ngiyayibuyisela emuva. Iqembu lempi yangaphambi kwempi lizama ukukhipha intando yeningi hhayi ngokubambelela ezindleleni zekhulunyaka elidala, kodwa liqedele ukunyakaza kwamalungelo omphakathi, futhi kuhluke.
I-Los Angeles Times ibe nombiko othakazelisayo ngoLwesihlanu. Abameli bakaBush bazama ukubhala kabusha ubulungiswa besikhathi samalungelo abantu.
Ezifundeni ezintathu okuqhudelana ngazo kakhulu, abameli bokuphatha baphikise ngokuthi uMnyango Wezobulungiswa kuphela, hhayi abavoti ngokwabo, abanelungelo lokumangalela ukuphoqelela amalungelo okuvota abekwe ku-Help America Vote Act noma i-HAVA, eyaphasiswa ngemuva kokhetho luka-2000 olwaba nengxabano.
Ukubaluleka kwalokho?
Cabanga-ke i-Civil Rights Movement ngaphandle kukaDkt. King, ngaphandle kwe-NAACP, ngaphandle kwenqwaba yamacala alethwa abantu ngabanye namaqembu aye enkantolo ukuze alwe nezikhulu ezibandlululayo. Kusukela ngeminyaka yawo-1960, abantu ngabanye namaqembu – hhayi izikhulu zikahulumeni - aqhubekisele phambili ukuphoqelelwa kwamalungelo omphakathi. Ngempela izikhulu zikahulumeni zivame ukuba yinkinga.
Umthetho Wamalungelo Okuvota bekufanele uqinisekise ukugunyazwa kwawo wonke umuntu kodwa ekuqaleni wawungabandakanyi ilungelo langasese lokumangalela izikhulu zombuso ezibandlululayo. UMnyango Wezobulungiswa wasekela kuphela umbono wamacala azimele, ecaleni elagcina lifinyelele eNkantolo Ephakeme ngo-1969. Esinqumweni sabo, amajaji athi “ukuphumelela kwezinhloso ezitusekayo” kuzophazamiseka kakhulu uma isakhamuzi ngasinye sidingeka. ukuncika kuphela esikhungweni samacala ngokubona kommeli-jikelele.â Iphuzu elihle.
Manje, okuningi kuka-John Ashcroft bazama ukuguqula lowo mbono. Emabhukwini omthetho alethwe e-Ohio, Michigan naseFlorida, abameli bokuphatha baphikisa ngokuthi kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kwenzekani ngeminyaka yawo-1960, i-HAVA inika u-Attorney General amandla akhethekile okuletha amacala ukuze aphoqelele izinhlinzeko zayo. Njengokuthi “imfuneko yokuthi izifunda zihlinzeke ngezinhlelo zokuvota ezifanayo nezingakhethi” futhi zinikeze amavoti esikhashana labo abathi babhalisile kodwa amagama abo angaveli kurejista yokhetho.
Umthetho Wamalungelo Okuvota umuhle kakhulu ngamanye amazwi, kodwa ngenxa ye-HAVA ungase usebenze kuphela uma u-John Ashcroft ewuzwa. Umfana uthambekele kakhulu ekuphoqeleleni amalungelo enhlangano ngayinye ukuze anciphise i-Redwoods futhi abhoboze i-arctic…Kodwa ukuze avikele ivoti lakho uma ubukeka njengeDemocrat? Angicabangi kanjalo.
Ngaso leso sikhathi – futhi akukho okwenzekayo njengamanje kuyinhlanhla – I-Internal Revenue Service isongela i-NAACP. Ngokukasihlalo weqembu, u-Julian Bond, idokhumenti ye-IRS yangomhla ziyisi-8 ku-Okthoba ithi emhlanganweni waminyaka yonke waleli qembu e-Philadelphia ngoJulayi, i-National Association for the Advancement of Colored People yephula isimo sayo sokungakhokhi intela (ingxenye yekhono layo. ukuqongelela izimali) ngoba “sabalalisa izitatimende eziphikisana noGeorge W. Bush esikhundleni sikamongameli.” I-NAACP’s ihlanganiswe ngaphansi kwesigaba sekhodi yentela evimbela ukukhankaswa kwezombusazwe.
Ubani owabamba izigcawu zokuqala zokulalelwa kwecala eFlorida okwaveza ukuthi ngisho nezikhulu zokhetho zikhishwe ohlwini lokhetho? Owaqale wamema ofakazi ukuthi bafakaze ukuthi bekunezivimbelo zamaphoyisa ezindaweni eziyidlanzana, kanye namakhompyutha amadala obuchwepheshe obusezingeni eliphansi ayengakwazi ukuxhumana nehhovisi elikhulu, njengoba bekunemishini yesimanje yobuchwepheshe obuphezulu ezifundeni zabaMhlophe abacebile. Ubani owagcina efake uNobhala Wezwe uKatherine Harris enkantolo? Idatha ye-NAACP. I-NAACP iyinhlangano yamalungelo abantu endala kunazo zonke esizweni.
I-NAACP kanye namalungu athile okuphatha kukaBush abuyela emuva. Babekuphi uDonald Rumsfeld noDick Cheney ngo-1969 njengesibonelo? Ukusebenzela u-Richard Nixon, eHhovisi Lethuba Lomnotho – ezama ukuguqula leso senzo sikaKennedy, ukusebenzisa amalungelo omphakathi kanye nezinhlangano zabantu abampofu, nokusebenza ngokumelene nezinzuzo zenhlangano yamalungelo abantu. Babengathandi iningi laseMelika ngaleso sikhathi. Abakakuthandi.
Ngakho-ke basinikeza ithuba lokuqeda ukunyakaza kwamalungelo omphakathi.
Makube njalo. Ngicabanga ukuthi kungase kube yithuba lokukwenza kangcono. Ilungelo lokuvota alikaze libe yilungelo, khumbula, bekulokhu kuyilungelo, linikezwa abathile futhi lincishwe abaningi. Okuvamile kubo, ithimba likaBush Cheney lizongena ekungeneni ngokweqile ngokuncishwa amalungelo, ukuphonsela inselelo abavoti kanye nomzamo wokwesabisa. Ingabe ukhetho luka-2004 lungaba uphawu lapho iningi laseMelika ligcina lilutholile? Intando yeningi kunoma yimuphi wethu incike entandweni yeningi yethu sonke. Kulula kanjalo.
I-ZNetwork ixhaswa kuphela ngokuphana kwabafundi bayo.
Nikela