Reply to Dushy on Voter Apathy

I am also very much reluctant to vote but I keep track on politics. To most Sri Lankans' politics means entertaining the people at public rallies, politician who they can get a help such as get a job opportunity and show their sympathy or revenge.

Lot of Sri Lankans are borne with a party. They have different color blood which is same as the color of the party. It doesn't matter the policy of the party, whether they have changed, whether the politicians change the sides but voters don't change. It is their party. Latest trend is to do suicide because of the party reforms and I am really puzzled because how can a father with two kids can do something like this to a party.

When it comes to voting there are interesting trends too. In old days all the estate workers in plantations wait for their union leaders to tell who to vote. Most of them can't read and that is the reason that party symbol is more popular than any other thing because they remember the party symbol to put a cross. This is the same scenario in very rural area of the other parts of the country. So what can I talk about policies. I think most of the members in Parliament are not aware about the policies. However, I feel this is getting improving after looking at the last election results and hope for the best.

As a person I don't believe in democracy, voting and assume that the opinion with most votes is correct or is the best way of doing things. I think countries should have specialists for politics. Like in other professions, they should be trained and learned in schools and universities. They should maintain ethics and standards like other professions and industries. They should have hands-on experience with people in grass root levels and top level executives and entrepreneurs. They should be patriotic and transparent.

Parliament should be just a another institute to make policies and constitutes but no other authorities. Ministries should be regulatory bodies. I know this is not be a reality but this is my view. I don't trust present system even though I usually update my self about politics .

Although, I don't like to vote, I think my fellow classmates should be more informed about politics because the system will improve with the knowledge of the voters, which may lead to a system that I can trust someday. What really matters is not the voter turnout. Most important thing is the quality of the vote. It is how far you know about the voting system, candidates and consequences of that vote related to you, to your family, to your city and to your country as a whole.

Voting is compulsory in Australia and it is really interesting strategy to fight against voter apathy . If a voter do not vote, he/she has to give a valid reason for that or he/she has to pay a penalty. Do you think that as a good method to adopt in Sri Lanka ?