A Healthy Democracy?

A democracy is not just one thing ñ it is like a fabric, made up of many threads ñ threads of ideas and practices, of institutions and individuals, all woven into each nationís own complex mix of cultural, historical, and geographical heritage. Each democracy is unique. But there are also common threads found in democracies all around the world. As Winston Churchill points out above, democracies are never perfect. "The government of the people, by the people, for the people" sounds good, but Oscar Wildeís version "The bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people" can be true too. George Bernard Shaw wrote of democracy: "It substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few." After reading through this section you might like to think about how the common threads help make a healthy democracy, and how they can be used (or abused) to work against the principles of democracy. In a democracy, power is spread amongst the people in various ways. It is not concentrated in the hands of one person (autocracy or monarchy) or small group of people (oligarchy or aristocracy). It may not produce results that satisfy everybody, but it is less likely to produce results that satisfy only the small ruling group. Any dissatisfaction amongst a small percentage of the population must be weighed against the dissatisfaction of the majority, as portrayed by the democrat Aung San Suu Kyi in the quote below. Democracy is meant to ensure that citizens enjoy the rights (and responsibilities) which are part and parcel of that democracy. "If you asked an ordinary Burmese why they want democracy the answer will probably be: 'I want to have the basic right to try to make a decent living for myself without being frightened all the time'." Aung San Suu Kyi in an interview by John Pilger for The New Internationalist (June 1996) 1 The vote The most common thread of democracy is the vote. In democracies citizens have the power to vote. Citizens vote to elect a government (general election) or have a direct vote on an issue of national importance (referendum or plebiscite). General elections It is the citizen's vote which decides who will sit in the assemblies. It is in the assemblies that the citizens' representatives debate and make the laws. It is the citizens' vote (directly or indirectly) that decides who makes up the executive which actually governs. Referendum or plebiscite A referendum or plebiscite is a system by which a specific question is decided upon by a direct vote of all eligible citizens. But just having a vote does not guarantee democratic government. The voting system also has to be fair and free and the vote has to be meaningful. For example, in Australia when you go to a polling booth your name is crossed off a list, so that nobody can vote more than once, and you fill in the ballot paper in a private booth. When the ballot papers are counted, people called scrutineers oversee the counting to ensure it is done correctly. Apart from voting, there are other threads that need to be woven into a democracy. Basic freedoms freedom of speech freedom of assembly These freedoms allow different views to be expressed and allow individuals to combine together to be represented or a "common" voice heard. Freedom of speech has led to many important pieces of legislation being passed or repealed in all democracies. This is because people have been able to speak about their ideas in many forums to many people, e.g. the anti-nuclear activist Dr Helen Caldicott, anti-land mine campaigner, HRH Diana, Princess of Wales, and Clean up Australia chair, Ian Kiernan. Freedom of assembly has allowed the ideas of different individuals and groups to be heard, because people have been able to hear speakers debating ideas at assemblies. When large groups of people have assembled for a specific purpose they have often influenced the course of events, e.g. the anti-Vietnam moratorium marches of the 1960s and 1970s and the people power marches in the Philippines against the Marcos regime in the 1980s. Restrictions on freedoms But freedoms have their limits, too. The rights of all people in a democracy need to be respected, and so speech or assembly are never completely free of restrictions. Every person holds these rights so one cannot impinge on another person's rights while exercising one's own. Without restrictions, the rights of the many are sometimes ignored for the wants of the few or of one. This is seen in many 20th century dictatorships, such as Nazi Germany or Uganda under Idi Amin. Laws and a country's constitution usually provide some protection from these extremes. Often it is only in the Congress or Parliament or the Legislature itself where speech might be truly free, where members may make almost any statement without fear of being taken to court for libel or a damages action. But even here there will be rules about what is acceptable and what is not. More than one political view Democracies allow more than one political view to be expressed in an open discussion. In fact, criticism and open discussion are essential in a democratic system. They help prevent abuse of power by individuals or groups. If the opinions of certain groups are suppressed or do not get heard, then it is more likely that the needs and wants of those groups will be ignored. As such, the fewer voices that are heard, the greater the propensity toward an unhealthy democracy. Gandhi said, "Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress". Government Not all countries have a written constitution and not all written constitutions are a complete "rule book" for a country. However, there exists, in all democracies, a series of checks and balances within the civic structures to ensure a democracy flourishes. Some sort of guarantee must be provided within the law itself that everyone, including the government, is equal before the law and must follow the rules. Usually a democracy has separated its power to govern into three sections. Separation of powers The three arms of government are called the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Each branch has its own specified powers and roles and some independence from each other, whilst maintaining some ability to monitor each other. This is to prevent power being concentrated in the hands of one of the groups. Further, an independent system of courts and judges must exist to arbitrate disputes or apparent law breaking. Stability Another essential thread in a strong democratic system is its ability to adapt to change. No democracy will be safe if, whenever it has a crisis or does something a group or individual doesn't like, the government breaks up in disarray, or is sacked, or a revolution breaks out, or the military take control. A strong democratic system will always encounter crises; but eventually the system should be stable enough to find compromises or solutions in a democratic way. Even if governments do fail or fall, the question can be put to the people again at the ballot box for their decision. What are the features of a healthy democracy? For a society to be democratic it needs first to believe that it is democratic. In order for a democracy to be healthy, it needs to have its citizens practice democracy at a grassroots level, as well as at a government level. Democratic practices need to be embedded throughout the society with citizens being active in many ways. The active citizen is able to: understand how the institutions of government function (parliament or congress and courts of law) criticise government policy without fear (debate) feel political decisions are relevant to their lives and that these decisions are fair and reasonable (open and accountable government) bring about change through actions (joining in) and be responsible to society for these actions. Further, the citizens of a society must know and feel that they are equal to each other through the mechanisms of their constitutions. Otherwise democracy will exist only in name and governments will have opportunities to develop authoritarian strains. It can be hard work being an active citizen and making decisions about the direction of a community or society, but this is a fundamental aspect of democracy. The role of the media is very important in a democracy. It can provide an independent assessment of events and government actions, and alert citizens to problems ensuring government accountability. However if the media is not independent, whether it be government or privately owned, it will not be able to investigate issues and inform the public. Private ownership of media can mean that information is a product to be sold and as such the selling can become a higher priority than the information. Media wholly controlled by the government can deliberately slant reporting in an attempt to create public opinion and influence the democratic process in favour of the government. The advent of the Internet has increased the potential for a wide range of interpretations of information to be accessible. Healthy democracies are often those that are wealthy and economically stable. Economic instability and high levels of unemployment created some of the conditions that led to the destruction of democracy in Weimar Germany. The visible features of a healthy democracy then, are: the vote, basic freedoms, separation of powers, more than one political view and stability. But there are more factors than these involved in a healthy democracy, some of which are listed below. An active and informed citizenry being: informed, that is have knowledge of moral, social and political issues as well as an understanding of how the three branches of government function actively involved in the collective decision making process, with equal access to that process. The nation needs a tradition of democracy. Historically, nations that adopted liberal values and a liberal constitution and then extended this to a democratic political system have tended to become more stable democracies. On the other hand countries that have created a democratic constitution without the experience of liberal traditions, such as the Weimar Republic, have tended to face problems of instability and have become prey to authoritarian forces. The government has to be open and transparent. That is, government has open doors and open records, combined with open, honest and frequent elections. These constitute the best protection against corruption, mismanagement and lack of responsiveness in government. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves. Its administration favors the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy. If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences; if to social standing, advancement in public life falls to reputation for capacity, class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit; nor again does poverty bar the way, if a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition. The freedom which we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life. Pericles Funeral Oration quoted in Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 2.37.1 2

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