Election is the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting. Photo: Internet Source

In the last general election, voters made clear choices. They selected parties. They selected candidates. They assigned roles. Government. Opposition. Oversight.

That structure matters. It is how accountability works.

Today, that structure is blurred.

Several people now sit in government who were not elected as part of the governing party. Three opposition members have crossed the floor in the past 18 months. One now serves as Deputy Premier. Another as Junior Minister. The third sits in government with no defined portfolio. Some were chosen by voters specifically to sit in opposition. Others were not elected under the government banner at all.

This raises a basic question voters are entitled to ask. When citizens cast a ballot, who exactly are they voting for.

Supporters say this is politics. That deals get made. That alliances shift. That governing requires flexibility.

Crossing the floor is legal. That does not make it healthy.

Legality is the lowest bar in a democracy. Trust is the real currency. When voters choose a slate and later see a different lineup governing, trust erodes.

Opposition exists for a reason. It tests decisions. It challenges spending. It forces explanations. When opposition weakens through absorption rather than debate, scrutiny fades.

Some argue this shows political skill. Others call it strategy. But skill without accountability is not leadership. It is manoeuvring.

Ask the practical questions. Who is holding government to account right now. Who is asking hard questions on behalf of citizens. Who is left to challenge decisions when power concentrates.

Voters did not elect a government of convenience. They elected a system with balance.

When that balance shifts after the fact, citizens notice. They disengage. They stop believing their vote matters.

Democracy does not collapse overnight. It thins out. One compromise at a time. One justification at a time. One shrug at a time.

People are not confused. They are paying attention.

They want to know whether the people governing them today are the same people they chose on election day.

That question deserves a straight answer. So far, none has been given.