Launch of the Digital Democracy Forum by Patricia De Lille
2003-11-13. I am very excited about this new initiative that we are unveiling today. I am excited because I believe that it represents the future of politics and will change the way that people engage with their politicians. Politicians in this country are too staid in their ways and are too afraid to think out of the box when it comes to connecting with the voters in South Africa. I reject this approach and I welcome any medium that allows voters to express their opinions and make me more accessible to the millions of South Africans out there.
I firmly believe that digital
technology offers us a tangible means of bringing politics back to the
people, which is a fundamental goal of the Independent Democrats. Kevin
James from Stonewall Productions will assist me in taking you through
the actual workings of the Digital Democracy Forum in a short while,
but what I will tell you now is that we are looking to canvass South
Africans' opinions on topical political issues through the use of SMS
technology. I feel immensely proud that ID is the first to introduce
this means of political participation to the South African voter. This
initiative reaffirms ID's image as a young, fresh and cutting edge
political party. With over 16 million cell phone users in South Africa
and a total of over 600 million SMS's being sent every month this is
surely the best and most democratic way of engaging with the South
African public. The Independent Democrats obviously realizes though,
that this initiative might not reach all the people of South Africa,
particularly those in the far-flung impoverished areas. The Digital
Democracy Forum will therefore not replace the other strategies of the
Independent Democrats to connect with South African voters but will
support our approach of personally interacting with people at the
grass-roots.
This initiative also departs from politics as usual in another important respect. Politicians in this country like to constantly mouth off their political opinions to South African voters. I believe that it is high time that the South African public has the opportunity to do the same to us. Being a new political party we have the space and the political will to listen to South Africans and use their thoughts about the future to influence our policy and approach. I believe that the Digital Democracy Forum will provide us with the means to do just that.
Before I hand over to Kevin I just want to say a few words about the youth in South Africa. One of the burning questions in South African politics is how to get the youth enthusiastic and involved in politics. I believe that we do it through communicating with them on their own terms and showing that their hopes and aspirations for the future of this country are truly taken on board. I reject completely the approach of other political parties to relegate the youth to second class members through structures such as the youth wing. In the Independent Democrats if you are old enough to vote, you are old enough to play a role in the shaping of this party and occupying leadership positions. We have already expressed this philosophy by including at least five people below the age of thirty five on our leadership structures. They were not put there to fulfill a quota but because they have proven themselves as capable people who are passionate about this country and possess the necessary skills to make a difference in the political realm.
People always talk about the youth as the future of this country. I believe that they are not only our future, but also our present. They are having a fundamental impact on our country in every realm including the economy, arts, technology and every other field you can think of. As an indication of this I can proudly say that the entire team who worked on this campaign and made it a reality is below the age of thirty five. Unfortunately I am the only exception to that.
I also believe that if you are going to reach out to the youth in South Africa you need to speak their language and communicate through their mediums. This Digital Democracy Forum certainly allows for that and I would encourage all the youth of this country to SMS me and tell me in their language what they demand from their politicians and politics in South Africa. Let me emphasise though, that this Digital Democracy Forum is not only intended for the youth, as anyone with a cellular phone can use this forum to share their views. I would therefore encourage people of my generation to also utilise this powerful tool to change the face of South African politics. The number 33811 must surely become the 10111 of South Africa's democracy.
This is just another powerful medium and manner in which the Independent Democrats is looking to reconnect with South African voters and take politics back to the people, where it belongs.
I thank you.
This initiative also departs from politics as usual in another important respect. Politicians in this country like to constantly mouth off their political opinions to South African voters. I believe that it is high time that the South African public has the opportunity to do the same to us. Being a new political party we have the space and the political will to listen to South Africans and use their thoughts about the future to influence our policy and approach. I believe that the Digital Democracy Forum will provide us with the means to do just that.
Before I hand over to Kevin I just want to say a few words about the youth in South Africa. One of the burning questions in South African politics is how to get the youth enthusiastic and involved in politics. I believe that we do it through communicating with them on their own terms and showing that their hopes and aspirations for the future of this country are truly taken on board. I reject completely the approach of other political parties to relegate the youth to second class members through structures such as the youth wing. In the Independent Democrats if you are old enough to vote, you are old enough to play a role in the shaping of this party and occupying leadership positions. We have already expressed this philosophy by including at least five people below the age of thirty five on our leadership structures. They were not put there to fulfill a quota but because they have proven themselves as capable people who are passionate about this country and possess the necessary skills to make a difference in the political realm.
People always talk about the youth as the future of this country. I believe that they are not only our future, but also our present. They are having a fundamental impact on our country in every realm including the economy, arts, technology and every other field you can think of. As an indication of this I can proudly say that the entire team who worked on this campaign and made it a reality is below the age of thirty five. Unfortunately I am the only exception to that.
I also believe that if you are going to reach out to the youth in South Africa you need to speak their language and communicate through their mediums. This Digital Democracy Forum certainly allows for that and I would encourage all the youth of this country to SMS me and tell me in their language what they demand from their politicians and politics in South Africa. Let me emphasise though, that this Digital Democracy Forum is not only intended for the youth, as anyone with a cellular phone can use this forum to share their views. I would therefore encourage people of my generation to also utilise this powerful tool to change the face of South African politics. The number 33811 must surely become the 10111 of South Africa's democracy.
This is just another powerful medium and manner in which the Independent Democrats is looking to reconnect with South African voters and take politics back to the people, where it belongs.
I thank you.
