Local assembly elections will be held soon, when we should express our determination of No! to the Kishida Government. Let’s change the society from our neighborhoods. The state’s administration has neither will or ability to convert people’s anxieties to safety and security on employment and livelihood. It is a good opportunity when we can lead every voter’s power and voice to big popular campaigns.
LET’S LEAD VOTERS’ POWER AND VOICE TO BIG POPULAR CAMPAIGNS!
The coming local elections will be a chance to review how a municipality is governed and how its politics goes on. In this year we have to take the state’s affairs into consideration, too. Our livelihood and job are to be secured in peace. Municipalities should be managed in accordance with pacifism, people’s sovereignty and guarantee of fundamental human rights.
Let’s stop erosion of Constitution!
Let’s look at the state’s level politics. The coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito procures weapons to wage a war on the side with the United States, raises tensions in the Asia-Pacific region and renounces diplomatic efforts, violating the three constitutional principles.
The current constitution has come out after learning from the enormous sacrifices inflicted inside and outside the country during the Asia-Pacific War. Its preamble says that ‘(we are) resolved never shall we be visited with the horrors of war through the action of government’. But the coalition government hates the resolve, which means it has lost the ‘sacred trust of the people’. Under these circumstances the coming elections constitute a rebellion through voting, in which the electorate should show their power to the state, ‘Don’t despise people!’.
Let’s take back public services!
The government will double the military budget, which detriments spending on public services, which will certainly impact on people’s life by way of local governments. We must tell this fact to voters, exerting our efforts. Let’s build up democracy from our neighborhood so that a municipality could advance public policies.
Here is a fact that we must think of; usually a voting rate in the local elections is lower than that of the state’s level ones. It is a result coming from lack of information on local politics and on assembly members, thus voters cannot clearly see contentious points. First of all, it is necessary to change local assemblies since these bodies are regarded as less important; people usually believe that the situation will remain the same whoever should become local assembly members.
Local politics goes along with residents
A municipality has tasks to protect livelihood of inhabitants and ensure their human rights. The basic rule is not to leave anyone in solitary. Local politics does not work only by following the state’s politics.
It is necessary to listen to voices of residents, and then to formulate local agenda together with them and to seek for today’s challenges in order to reflect them in the daily life through local policies which the respective municipalities contemplate.
In this sense the local assemblies and members are important as they play a vital role in the assignment. Local councils cannot work only by obeying policies of governors. The assemblies must perform in accordance with the voices of inhabitants.
A proposal must be concrete, rather than abstract, and then it is to be compiled into a policy package for implementation. These processes should be shared with residents. Local elections are the best opportunities when we can have the right local assembly and elect the right members. Let’s make our utmost efforts in the coming elections!
統一自治体選は、自治体のあり方や政策を問うものだ。しかし、今回は国政の是非も問わなければならない。暮らしや労働は平和であってこそ守られ、自治体の運営も、「平和主義・国民主権・基本的人権の保障」をいかに発揮させるかが問われている。
憲法破壊を撃つ
しかし、自公連立の政治が憲法三原則を足蹴にし続け、米軍と一緒に戦うための兵器をそろえ、外交努力を放棄してアジア・太平洋地域の緊張を高めている。
アジア・太平洋戦争で国内外の多大な犠牲を教訓に生まれた憲法で、「政府の行為によって再び戦争の惨禍が起ることのないようにすることを決意した」ことを嫌悪する自公政権は、「国民の厳粛な信託」を失っている。そのような政権を、地方から「一票一揆」で「国民をなめるな」と意思表示するのが、目前に迫った統一自治体選挙だ。
公共を取り戻す
軍事予算の２倍化で犠牲になる社会保障予算などは、自治体行政を通して確実に市民生活を圧迫する。そのことを具体的に暴露しよう。そのことを通して空洞化している民主主義を地域から築き、人権を保障する公共政策を実施させる。
そこで気になるのが、国政より地方選挙の方が低投票率であることが多いこと。地元の行政や議会の情報が少なく、争点が明確でない結果といえる。そもそも自治体議員が軽く見られ、誰がやっても同じと受け止められている議会を変えることこそ課題だ。
住民と共にある
自治体は何よりも住民の暮らしと人権を守り、一人も取り残さない行政を行うことが基本だ。それは、国に従っていれば済む話ではない。
住民の声を聞き、住民生活に必要な行政を、住民とともにどのように作り上げるのか、時代が何を求めているのか、自治体が自ら考え実行することが求められている。
その重要な役割の一翼を担う自治体議会と議員は大切だ。首長の方針を追認するだけの議会であってはならない。住民に寄り添って考え行動することだ。
抽象的な問題提起ではなく、具体的な課題として政策をまとめ、住民と共にその実現を図る。そのような議会、議員をつくる絶好の機会は選挙だ。統一自治体選の勝利に全力を。
英訳版↓
No. 1296 Municipality Elections Will Come Soon
Local assembly elections will be held soon, when we should express our determination of No! to the Kishida Government. Let’s change the society from our neighborhoods. The state’s administration has neither will or ability to convert people’s anxieties to safety and security on employment and livelihood. It is a good opportunity when we can lead every voter’s power and voice to big popular campaigns.
LET’S LEAD VOTERS’ POWER AND VOICE TO BIG POPULAR CAMPAIGNS!
The coming local elections will be a chance to review how a municipality is governed and how its politics goes on. In this year we have to take the state’s affairs into consideration, too. Our livelihood and job are to be secured in peace. Municipalities should be managed in accordance with pacifism, people’s sovereignty and guarantee of fundamental human rights.
Let’s stop erosion of Constitution!
Let’s look at the state’s level politics. The coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito procures weapons to wage a war on the side with the United States, raises tensions in the Asia-Pacific region and renounces diplomatic efforts, violating the three constitutional principles.
The current constitution has come out after learning from the enormous sacrifices inflicted inside and outside the country during the Asia-Pacific War. Its preamble says that ‘(we are) resolved never shall we be visited with the horrors of war through the action of government’. But the coalition government hates the resolve, which means it has lost the ‘sacred trust of the people’. Under these circumstances the coming elections constitute a rebellion through voting, in which the electorate should show their power to the state, ‘Don’t despise people!’.
Let’s take back public services!
The government will double the military budget, which detriments spending on public services, which will certainly impact on people’s life by way of local governments. We must tell this fact to voters, exerting our efforts. Let’s build up democracy from our neighborhood so that a municipality could advance public policies.
Here is a fact that we must think of; usually a voting rate in the local elections is lower than that of the state’s level ones. It is a result coming from lack of information on local politics and on assembly members, thus voters cannot clearly see contentious points. First of all, it is necessary to change local assemblies since these bodies are regarded as less important; people usually believe that the situation will remain the same whoever should become local assembly members.
Local politics goes along with residents
A municipality has tasks to protect livelihood of inhabitants and ensure their human rights. The basic rule is not to leave anyone in solitary. Local politics does not work only by following the state’s politics.
It is necessary to listen to voices of residents, and then to formulate local agenda together with them and to seek for today’s challenges in order to reflect them in the daily life through local policies which the respective municipalities contemplate.
In this sense the local assemblies and members are important as they play a vital role in the assignment. Local councils cannot work only by obeying policies of governors. The assemblies must perform in accordance with the voices of inhabitants.
A proposal must be concrete, rather than abstract, and then it is to be compiled into a policy package for implementation. These processes should be shared with residents. Local elections are the best opportunities when we can have the right local assembly and elect the right members. Let’s make our utmost efforts in the coming elections!
February 22, 2023