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WE can’t have really democratic elections without a free media. But can we have them if the media does not help us to choose?

FREEDOM may not last if we don’t value it – and use it.

THIS year’s election may be the last in which large parties dominate. And because the days of the large parties are ending, coalitions are sure to become part of the political furniture. Politicians and citizens are yet to adjust to this.

THE belief that some of us are better than others did not die in 1994. It is not only alive – it can be so deeply embedded in what we hear and read that we do not even notice it .

In this country, the people really matter – as long as they own a car.

AT first glance, democracy around the world is healthier than ever. But a more careful look shows it is seriously ill.

AN unnoticed puzzle of this year’s election is not the many parties which will be on the ballot but one which will be absent.

HOW the national debate talks about a political party can tell us more about the debate than the party.

CAN South African democracy survive now that one party is not guaranteed to win national elections?

THERE is much about which to worry in today’s South Africa. But there is no need to fret about whether election results will reflect how people voted.