Happy New Year! 2012 is in full swing and it’s already looking jam-packed. As the Democratic Alliance continues to prove that we can govern, and that where we govern we can provide an Open Opportunity for all South Africans, it’s important that we continue the fight against corruption, poverty and crime as well as the many other issues that continue to plague our country today. In order to achieve success and build a better South Africa we need to choose our battles wisely. The success of our campaigns is dependent on your support, so we’d like you to help us choose what to focus our energies on in 2012.
We already have a number of campaigns on the go which we will continue into the year. The biggest of these at the moment is No To Secrecy, our Global Campaign against the Secrecy Bill, which is gaining huge momentum, with four peaceful protests taking place in New York, Mumbai, Perth and London over the next four weeks. Be a part of this campaign by joining the group on Facebook, attending the protest in London or simply submitting a photo to the group of you and your mates with black tape over your mouth symbolising the impact the bill will have on our country.
The other campaign on our agenda is the Global Voting Campaign which focuses on the right for all South Africans abroad to be able to register and vote conveniently wherever they are. The campaign also focuses on voter education to ensure that when 2014 arrives all South Africans are ready to make their voices heard and vote in the national election.
We’re also raising money to buy desks and chairs for an underprivileged school in Diepsloot, Johannesburg in our Adopt-A-School campaign. This project is in co-ordination with the Ubunye-Unity Charity, and we’ll be telling you a lot more about it in the next few months.
But now it’s your turn. Visit our Global Facebook page and vote for what you think we should be focusing on this year. You can even add a few suggestions – we want to hear from you! This is your opportunity to get involved and make a difference.
This column first appeared in The South African, a UK newspaper, on the 20 January 2012.