CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
Participation is a central principle in every democracy. Citizen participation develops and strengthens democracy by enabling citizens to influence and make changes. They can do this directly or indirectly. Participation gives them a voice and ensures that they maintain power or at least control what happens to the power that they have given to others who act on their behalf.
Through participation citizens can help ensure that elected officials are being kept accountable. Citizens can highlight when officials use more power than they have been given or when they go against the interests and wishes of those they are representing. Citizens can demand to see the reasoning behind decisions and examine these.
PARTICIPATION BEYOND ELECTIONS
In a democracy people do not only participate through elections. There are many other ways in which people can participate in social, economic and political affairs. Some examples for these other forms of participation are:
- Involvement in community projects, self-help groups or charity initiatives
- Communal activities designed to support public programmes
- Membership in religious groups and churches, sports clubs, traditional associations
- Involvement in traditional and cultural activities and events;
- Membership in political parties
- Formation of interest or lobby groups
- Organising community meetings, dialogues and debates with elected leaders
- Formulating petitions
- Involvement in public planning and budgeting processes
- Organising campaigns and legal protests
- Using the media for raising awareness and publicly expressing opinions.
