--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is an absence of democratic…" description: "\"There is an absence of democratic accountability and control in every sphere of government and the state. To address this debilitating legacy requires ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/nelson-mandela-248_absence_there-is-an-absence-of-democratic-accoun_2472542.jpg" --- # There is an absence of democratic accountability and… ![“There is an absence of democratic accountability and control in every sphere of government and the state. To address this debilitating legacy requires determined action and a deep commitment to transforming our society from a crisis ridden present into something all South Africans can be truly…” quote by Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/nelson-mandela-248_absence_there-is-an-absence-of-democratic-accoun_2472542.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/nelson-mandela-248_absence_there-is-an-absence-of-democratic-accoun_2472542.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/nelson-mandela-248_absence_there-is-an-absence-of-democratic-accoun_2472542.jpg) > “There is an absence of democratic accountability and control in every sphere of government and the state. To address this debilitating legacy requires determined action and a deep commitment to transforming our society from a crisis ridden present into something all South Africans can be truly proud of.” [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the lack of democratic oversight in government and urges decisive action to transform society for national pride. **In simple terms:** Government lacks accountability; change is needed. Key Takeaway Act decisively to rebuild trust. Themes democracy governance social change national identity Mood concerned determined Type political inspirational When to use this quote - policy reform - community organizing - public accountability - citizen participation Key Concepts accountability institutional reform civic engagement Questions to Reflect On - What steps can citizens take to demand accountability? - How can institutions be reformed sustainably? A Different Perspective Implementing change may face entrenched interests and resource constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Absence Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence-democratic-776767/) [Accountability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accountability/) [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Addresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addresses/) [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Democratic Accountability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-accountability-265181/) [Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determined/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Legacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacy/) [Our society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-society/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [South](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south/) [South africa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-africa/) [South African](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-african/) [Spheres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spheres/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Transforming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transforming/) [Transforming society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transforming-society-193744/) ## Related quotes > [Capitalism has been one of the most dynamic forces in human history, transforming one society after another, and today it has become established as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/capitalism-has-been-one-of-the-most-dynamic-forces-in-human-history/) [Peter L. 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Theatre can help us build our future,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-boal/theatre-is-a-form-of-knowledge-it-should-and-can-also-be-a-means-of/) [Augusto Boal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-boal/) > [We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-have-triumphed-in-the-effort-to-implant-hope-in-the-breasts-of-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [South Africans must recall the terrible past so that we can deal with it, forgiving where forgiveness is necessary but never forgetting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/south-africans-must-recall-the-terrible-past-so-that-we-can-deal-with/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [The majority of South Africans, black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future. It has to be ended by our own decisive mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/the-majority-of-south-africans-black-and-white-recognize-that/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [The histories of our two peoples, Palestinian and South African, correspond in such painful and poignant ways, that I intensely feel myself being at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/the-histories-of-our-two-peoples-palestinian-and-south-african/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [You cannot have democratic accountability in anything bigger than a nation state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-klaus/you-cannot-have-democratic-accountability-in-anything-bigger-than-a/) [Vaclav Klaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-klaus/) > [India is at the vanguard of figuring out how to exploit technology and innovation on behalf of democratic accountability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/india-is-at-the-vanguard-of-figuring-out-how-to-exploit-technology/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [The Federal Reserve, like other central banks, wields powerful tools; democratic accountability requires that the public be able to see how and for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/the-federal-reserve-like-other-central-banks-wields-powerful-tools/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [Democratic accountability means that governments must be popularly accepted, with citizens empowered to replace corrupt or incompetent rulers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghuram-rajan/democratic-accountability-means-that-governments-must-be-popularly/) [Raghuram Rajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghuram-rajan/) ## More by Nelson Mandela > [We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-must-work-together-to-ensure-the-equitable-distribution-of-wealth/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [If you don't allow people to contribute, to offer their point of view, or to criticize what has been put before them, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-don-t-allow-people-to-contribute-to-offer-their-point-of-view/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/courageous-people-do-not-fear-forgiving-for-the-sake-of-peace/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Some of the mission groups that have been responsible for our education have not been part of the government. In fact, they acted contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/some-of-the-mission-groups-that-have-been-responsible-for-our/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“I believed that I would become a counsellor to the Thembu king,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-believed-that-i-would-become-a-counsellor-to-the-thembu-king/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [What he means by this is that instead of saying you'll "try", you need to "do". And as we let our light shine, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/what-he-means-by-this-is-that-instead-of-saying-you-ll-try-you-need/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-learned-that-courage-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-the-triumph/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-need-to-exert-ourselves-that-much-more-and-break-out-of-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Prison is a still point in a turning world, and it is very easy to remain in the same place in jail while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/prison-is-a-still-point-in-a-turning-world-and-it-is-very-easy-to/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/a-fundamental-concern-for-others-in-our-individual-and-community/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I am aware of what the position is in the United States of America. If somebody gives to charity, then he gets a tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-am-aware-of-what-the-position-is-in-the-united-states-of-america-if/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It is our duty to give support to the brother leader ... especially in regards to the sanctions which are not hitting just him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-our-duty-to-give-support-to-the-brother-leader-especially-in/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of our own people became a hunger for the freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-was-during-those-long-and-lonely-years-that-my-hunger-for-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) [Explore all 809 Nelson Mandela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More Absence quotes > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [The work, the work, the work. 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Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is an absence of democratic accountability and control in every sphere of government and the state. 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