WInTEY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEEBER 12, 19M, PAGE 9 GO tato ostsWitbytransi rdership By Trudie Zavado vies Ridersbip is up, but support of WhtyIansit is still an issue for Whtby councillors.. CounciIlorJeDrmm called it a Cadillac system that the Town simply can't siford, while coun- cillor Marcel Brunelle' said. the system lias come a long way and deserves a chance.' A Sept. 4, report of Whitby Transit showed ridership in July was 6,700 more than the projc 1ted figure of 28,460, andshw efi es continuing te rise as desuse the service te access GO Transit. The report goos' on te say that the nuinhor of transit inquiries remains steady. The majorit of calîs are from neworsoon-tobe-new residents te theTown who will ho relying on the transit service, an idic- tion of a steady increase.* Public tenderi g of a contract te operate the Whty rnit s9ystem id underway. The new contrât documents have oignificant changes ini the areas of site requirement,- the new contract stipulates a site in or close te Whitb. The contract hLas been exten- ded tea maximum of five years from the current three-year con- tract. The tendorer can bid on either inside or outsidé sterage of buses, with the Town taking on the responsibility, of heating which would ho 75 per cent funded by the province. Thore ls te ho a further route by route report of Whitby transit next month. I TUCK MNTALSI I Monday - Frlday I I1230 Dundee St .E, Whltby I 666-3361 A MANDATE- TO CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE RELATE- TO GOVERNMENT Last Thursday the people of Ontario took the short"a route te deliver a strong message. Bob Rae would bo the first te admit that the New -Democratie Party just happened te ho in the n ght place at the right time. As Fve stated in numerous previous columns about ovents around the world, whether Eastern Europe, or China yor S. Africa, there is a world-wide populist movement undorway - people are demanding te ho heard and if normal channels don'twork, thon thoy turn* up the hoat until the message gets through. Even in this country, voter volatility is nothing now. It lihas, as in other parts of the world, been growig over the past decade. It was perhaps most evident in the 1984 election 'n which John Turner managed te turn a 50% poplarity -rating into the worst defeat the federal Liberals, had ever experienced. We saw it again in the wild swings of tho opinion polis during the 1988 election. ý Al o whch laces Rao--in a bit ofa quandary as tojust what.his mandate is. It is quite clear that Ontario did not vote for a radical shift te ocialism, although our democratie system lias given him four te five years te do just that if ho 00608e. That's how Brian'Mulroney is interpreting*bis mandate ('We're going te, give the-,GeT whother you like it. or not because it's good for ytm.") and rm sure that- Rae realizes that bis margin of victory was directly proportional te the public's disgust with that attitude. Modern democracies, and I sppose dictatorships oven *more so,. have jadopted a. stylo of leadership that is best 'de,Àfined as,, "Decide, Announce,- Defend." -Decisions are made withminmalor only selective public inpât. They are thon ,announced alongwith reams of selective information te support the position. Aimoot by definition, anyone who reacts negatively is 'wrong'. Changes in policy are made not te correct deficiencies but te placate the opposition. The difference in what governments have been giving us versus wbat we want is the difference botween being governed and being represented. Democracy is baued on the idea that we eleet people te, represent us - but we give them the power te govern us. lI theory, if we don't like it we can turf themn out at the end of their term, but w've also given thom the power te selectively withhold information and te bedazzlo us with our own monoy. Wo also give them up'te fivo easte really screw thinga Up. TeNDP lias always regarded itself as a grass roots party and as sucli may ho ideally placed te change all that. Their biggest problem will be a massive bureaucracy wbich is used te, doing it the ' old way'. Dealing with that bureaucracy and the yawning pitfalls it contains will ho the truest. test of Bob Rae's political leadership. Ho will have te decide whether bis loyalties lie with the' millions of people who elected bim or with the troops that have fought from the tronches at bis side for so many years. Clearly thq electors want a change in how governments work and especially how they make decisions. On the other hand a lot of public- secter unions helped finance Rae's campaign and they want.even more input thon they have at present. Teachers, social workers, and health caro providers al would like a greater say in their respective departmnents becauso they think they know best what needs o te h done, but somehow they have te accominodate the desires of ordinary people te control their own lives. Pliticians and public sector workers have a mutual obligation te informn, explain, and consult at whatever lengths are required te build the necessary> consensus. Democracy without consensus is no longer democracy. If a government cannot build a consensus, it lias no mandate te proceed. The success of Ontario's new NDP government will depend on how well it listons and whether it con persuade the bureaucracy te, listen as well. Ini the month since I last wrote this column I have had numorous colls regretting my departure. Mucli as I have appreciated, the support, I have hoon cisappointed at the callors' general unwillingnoss te write something, even a short letter, themselves - te publicly express their opinions. One of the conundrums that faces modern politicians is the dimfculty of trig te, fi gure out what the people want. Results like last Thursday's electionsend strong messages but not clear ones. If people are unwilling te consider issues and te discuse them openly, thon confrontations will continue. "Losing 42 Ibs. with NutrV/System.. improved my Ilooks. And my heafth!' nulI4 ri/syste{LL Weiht os 1 qwHome Sow CALL TODAY FOR A FREE NO OBLIGATION CONSULTATION 72345211 432.7755 6664770 428.000 420U300 62346 345 SInoeoSt. S. 1251 SimosSt N. 1101 BrmckSt. S. lOW eslny R. 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