English FAL – Task 005 – Prepared Speech
Topic: Why should every citizen vote in the upcoming election?
Just like Prince Hamlet, in the play, Hamlet by William Shakespear, the quote: "To
be, or not to be". I will be asking: “To vote or not to vote”, that is the question?
What does it mean to vote?
Referring to the Collins dictionary in simple terms, vote means: an indication of
choice, opinion, or will on a question.
South Africa is a democratic country. Our Bill or Rights grants all citizens aged 18
and older the right to vote.
Democracy means we have the freedom to give our opinion and to be part of the
decision-making that affects our lives and the future of our country. Where our voice
remains supreme. Others cannot make the decisions on our behalf.
According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, the IEC on their website, they
identified six key points as to why we should vote.
These points are:
1. Because you can
2. Elections have consequences
3. Not voting is giving up your voice
4. It's your money
5. Democracy needs you
6. Voting is an opportunity for change
7. Our generation knows best
What does this all mean for normal citizens like you and me?
The fact that we have access to technology, enables us to connect with others via
different social media platforms such as Instagram, X, Facebook, WhatsApp,
telegram, etc. This gives us access to information more easily and allows us the
opportunity to be best informed and equipped to vote.
We have the power to decide on the quality of life we want for ourselves and our
community, and even future generations. We get to have our say in how things
should be done. For instance, we pay taxes, therefore we can choose as to how our
tax money is spent on things like education, healthcare, social services, etc.
If we don't vote, we get stuck with other people's choices – and we won’t be able to
complain about it because we let it happen and will have to live with it for at least the
next five years.
Just like Prince Hamlet who had to choose between "To be or not to be" meaning "To
live or not to live" or "To live or to die", where suicide would be more preferable but
the uncertainty of what comes after death creates more fear. In the end Prince
Hamlet dies from poisoning.
Let’s not be like Prince Hamlet. Let us not be afraid. Let us not think that our vote
will not make a difference. Let us not believe that change cannot happen and leave
things rather as we know it. Let’s go vote in large numbers. Let us make the
decision of what happens next.
