Council Local Elections – My reflections, importance of Voting and what this means to us
Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh
As the saying goes “if you are not at the table, you are on the menu”.
What does it mean to have representation , it means a lot plus more , to have a voice at the table. Representation in democracy is the most potent path through which a community can have a voice , express their opinions, mark their presence , make contributions , share their values and ideas to the society. This as the core , enables us to be part of the fabric of the wider communities , society in general and the country.
The range and depth our diverse community possesses is unparalleled , we cover all spheres of workforce from doctors, engineers, business , tradies to teachers and skilled workers. Our contribution to the community is quite significant , however when it comes to representation and having representation at the decision making table, there is a huge vacuum that thoroughly begs our attention.
Democracy needs participation of the people in the community to elect members of their choice, to make a difference and have a voice. In foreign lands ,apart from the necessary skills, it takes a lot of courage ,time and effort for ethnic migrant candidates to put their hand up for public office. Generally running for public offices is volunteer work , it takes commitment, funds for campaigns, lots of time for the individual outside normal work hours which also means depriving family time, and fronting oneself to public scrutiny , these are few of the sacrifices one has to make and be willing to offer.
As a candidate for the Whau Local Board 2022 ( area covering Kelston, New Windsor, Blockhouse Bay, Avondale , New Lynn, Kelston , Green Bay and Glenavon) , my motivation and what propelled me to run was to have a voice for the community , realising we play such a valuable part in the society and contribute so much , we have a space at the table and deserve a voice.
Local boards play a weighty role amongst the local communities that we use on a daily basis through libraries , community centres , parks, street lights, foot paths to funding community organisations that serve and benefit society, boards help shape development through providing ideas and inputs for implementation along with providing access to valuable resources.
Sharing my personal experience during and after the process, participation (voting percentage) amongst our community is very poor to abysmal. I scored around 5000 votes and missed it quite narrowly from making it on the board. Dissecting and taking a deeper look at the numbers, the voting amongst our community stands at paltry 2-3% of the voted population in Whau.
It is vital to understand that for a candidate to be successful it takes collective effort from the community to back the candidate by voting for them , otherwise they stand not much of a chance to get across the line and be at the table.
As mentioned before about being the fabric, our younger generation who have rooted themselves in this land , will be motivated and be confident to run for public offices with people being visible in decision making areas and take this seriously as this can only be good to have them in public posts for theirs and everyone’s future.
To make this happen and come to fruition for the benefit of us as a community to have a voice, and having a candidate at the decision making area ; community participation is absolutely essential ; make your Votes count and your voice heard. InShAllah we can achieve this much needed goal and make our voice heard in the future. Council elections are for 3 year terms , next will be held in 2025. While we have general elections in 2023 for the center , please make your choice and make your Votes count , utilize and exercise this powerful instrument of democracy.
Aadil Basha is a Executive member of New Zealand Muslim Association , Board Member of Auckland Inter-faith Council , Member of Waitakere Ethnic Board , Board Member of Whau River Catchment Trust , Treasurer of Council for Christians and Muslims.
Enrol/Update to vote so you can have a say. https://vote.nz/ or 0800 36 76 56
Published in the 14th Edition