By Darren Lum
Four years can be a long time.
That’s the term for members of council in the Township of Minden Hills and the Township of Algonquin Highlands.
In contrast voting and learning about the candidates is not.
I love to complain like the next guy, but it’s time to put up or shut up.
Vote. Let’s see what happens.
Don’t vote. Either way the governments for Algonquin Highlands and Minden Hills will be formed.
Democracy works best when the citizenship is engaged. A few weeks ago I welcomed the sight of 220 Minden residents coming out for the all-candidates meeting organized by the Rotary Club of Minden. I’m sure residents of Algonquin Highlands would have come out too, if given the opportunity.
Every beginning there is an end.
I tip my hat to the municipal politicians who served the past four years and have decided to step away.
Kudos to you all. I’m sure not everyone will have agreed with what you did or did not do, but you put yourself out there, which is to be commended in a world when people complain more than act.
Let’s remember this when the next members of councils are doing their best and we don’t agree with them.
They are people with families, friends and homes in the Highlands. They care to serve the community and have hearts and feelings like anyone. Be critical, but be respectful when sending in letters, making online posts or communicating by whatever means, whether in person or over the phone.
I wish the candidates vying for positions and wards luck in their efforts to serve the community by working on council. You’re in for a challenging road.
Democracy is far from perfect. However, what some people in other parts of the world have to endure is far worst.
China is a case in point. Recently, their leader Xi Jinping, 69, is potentially moving towards being in power for the rest of his life. His first step is to assume another five-year term to break the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “seven up, eight down” rule. This is the guideline that states Communist Party officials can only be promoted up to 67 and should retire at 68. If this happens he will serve his third term. Technically, this might not be the first time, but it’s moving to a return to a leadership similar to when Mao ruled the country decades before. Xi is currently supreme leader and also holds the top three roles in the CCP as general secretary of the party, president of China and commander-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army. There isn’t any choice for the people there. I contend most people just want to make a living and, if offered an opportunity, issue a complaint. Good luck doing that in a place where one guy rules the country.
Maybe you’re not happy with how this country is governed and have disdain for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but I can assure you what’s happening in China is very unlikely to happen here, thankfully.
So, vote for who you want, but get out and vote.
There’s plenty of ways to vote so don’t complain because when it is all said and done we get what we deserve.
Yes, four years can be a long time, but it can be longer when you don’t do anything to influence who is serving on council. So, vote like your next four years depends on it. Because it does.
The 2022 Municipal and School Board Election is Oct. 24. Cast your vote up to 8 p.m. In Minden Hills you can vote by internet, telephone or traditional paper ballot.
In Algonquin Highlands voting can be conducted using the internet and with the telephone. Ensure you have a Voter Information Letter and be ready with your PIN and date of birth when voting.
