[Editorial] Cast a Vote and Be Masters of Your Own Lives

Today is one of the happiest days people in a democratic society celebrate – it’s Election Day. It’s a time when we consider the meaning of democracy and put it into practice. Democracy literally means, as indicated by its etymology, a political idea and system ruled by citizens. Therefore, the “masters” shall act like ones by selecting the best servants who will serve them. If that small chore feels bothersome, the “masters” do not deserve to enjoy the privileges granted them under a democracy.

Goh Hyeon-cheol, a senior National Election Commission (NEC) official in charge of election administrative affairs, stressed, “If you want to direct our nation toward the right path and want to see it advance, you have to cast your ballot.” Experts predict that fewer than 50 percent of registered voters will show up at polling stations. The NEC will issue “cast-ballot certificates” which will function as free tickets or discount vouchers to public facilities. It’s a shame that participation has to be induced by such incentives, especially for an activity that should be normally carried out by citizens in democratic societies.

Those who forfeit their right of suffrage have no right to complain about the national administration for the next four years. They have to blame themselves if unproductive politics continue on. They are paying for their lack of participation, by aiding and abetting an incompetent or arrogant legislator.

Forfeiting one’s ballot poses a threat to democracy. By abstaining from the right to vote, citizens let political chaos to occur, national economy to suffer, and society to be engulfed in confrontation. We should not let the past repeat itself, a past that allowed servants to rule the masters, and partisan hegemony and corruption to ruin lives.

We recently turned the ruling elite from a socialist one to a conservative one for the first time in 10 years. Today’s election is a reaffirmation of that change. Politicians will understand whether or not what voters wanted in the most recent presidential election still remains valid. The will of the people, expressed through this election, will determine the future of every individual citizen as well as the nation.

Democracy cannot exist without the power of the vote. We cannot let unqualified representatives determine the future of our nation. We elect 299 representatives in the national legislature to shape our future. Our choice will enrich the masters as well as the entire country; otherwise, we will lose our status as master and see our national wealth diminish.