February 2009
30 Day Retreat 2010
34-day programme including a 30-day retreat.
Venue: Jacob's Well Retreat Centre, Botha's Hill, KZN.
Dates: 2 Jan - 7 February 2010.
Directors: Fr Chris Chatteris SJ & Puleng Matsaneng.
Cost: R11,000
Contact: c.chatteris@jesuitinstitute.org.za
Pariticipation in democracy, Peter Knox SJ
I ask myself why I should go through the sham of another election; why I should legitimate another five years of government with my vote; what difference my vote will make when it is a foregone conclusion; how I can possibly think I’ll make a difference. Isn’t it better just not to turn up on the day, and there will then be twenty-one million votes minus one – mine – abstaining, making my voice heard. Or maybe I should spoil my ballot and that may be counted as a protest vote – a protest against all these men and women who promise they have my interests at heart and then go ahead and do as their party dictates.
Life and Taxes
In the last few weeks our various political parties have been putting out their manifestos. As I read them different emotions are stirred up in me. Primarily anger. The 1994 elections were a time of real hope and enthusiasm for the future. By contrast these 2009 elections leave me feeling despondent. The ANC’s manifesto sounds inspiring in its focus on the alleviation of poverty and its frequent reference to their past achievements. Yet I fear that behind the rhetoric of being there for the poor, they really are and have been a middle class party with primarily middle class concerns.
New Liturgy, Old Problems
No one I meet seems to like the new English translation of the liturgy. Some have objected to its non-inclusive language. Others complain that it is grammatically odd and full of ancient words nobody uses today. It’s even been called a ‘Latinglish Funakalo’, a reference to the crude pidgin of South African languages used in the past on mines and in factories – seen by most black people as an insult to their languages and the rich cultures that underpin them.
Funding Parties – Buying Favours?
Elections, many argue, are won first in the media, then at the polls. The party that successfully saturates radio, television, print media and (increasingly today) online media with its message is the party that wins. In the age of ‘spin-doctoring’ the media consultants and advertising companies vote early and vote often – at a price. If you have enough campaign funding you ‘take’ the country. Can elections be ‘bought’ without bribing the voters?
