Dear Editor - Democracy

How lucky we are in Southland, able to vote for the people we want in our Local Body elections. The people of Canterbury can't. They've had their right to vote taken away from them when it comes to choosing their own Regional Council. The Government has decided to choose for them. Cantabrians are unhappy, as shown by the angry protest that met Prime Minister John Key when he arrived in Christchurch yesterday. New Zealanders don't like to have their rights taken away. Southlanders should take advantage of the right they still hold, for now at least, to vote for the representatives they want and have their say in the approaching elections. If we don't exercise our rights, we could easily lose them.