On Monday, September 15, the world will observe the International Day of Democracy. For Catholics, democracy is more than a form of government. The basis for democracy is informed by the way in which we view the human person. Pope St John Paul II rightly said (2000): “Democracy itself is a means and not an end, and ‘the value of a democracy stands or falls with the values which it embodies and promotes’ (Evangelium Vitae, 70)…without the concerted and united action of all believers — indeed of all men and women of good will — little can be accomplished to make genuine democracy, value-based democracy, a reality for the men and women of the twenty-first century.”
Pope Francis’ words are noteworthy: “The future of humanity does not lie solely in the hands of great leaders, the great powers and the elites. It is fundamentally in the hands of peoples and in their ability to organise.”
I urge you all to revisit Dr Eric Williams’ Independence Day Address in 1962. Inter alia, he reminded us that: “The first responsibility that devolves upon you is the protection and promotion of your democracy...the strength of the nation depends on the strength of its citizens.”
If we are honest, we will acknowledge that T&T’s democracy is not working for everyone; it is not secure. Although every voice should matter, there are many who feel socially excluded and/or disaffected, because for them, equity, equality and justice remain a forlorn dream.
The UN reminds us that “Democracy draws its strength from people: their voices, their choices, and their participation in shaping their societies. It flourishes when rights are protected, particularly for those most often left behind... In a time of shrinking civic space and rising disinformation, building trust, dialogue, and shared decision-making is more urgent than ever.”
What mechanisms have we put in place to empower citizens so that they can participate in decision-making processes? Are the “powers that be” interested in genuine, inclusive citizen participation? Are our institutions strong/resilient and transparent enough to uphold human rights and the rule of law?
UN Secretary-General António Guterres states: “Democracy is powered by the will of the people - by their voices, their choices, and their participation.”
We must ALL actively work to fulfil the necessary conditions for T&T’s representative parliamentary democracy to work. Corruption, abuse of power, lack of accountability and transparency, and runaway crime are just some of the challenges we face in building a robust democracy. And are the three branches of government - the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary, as well as other institutions in T&T, working as they are meant to be?
Professor Kate Dommett’s research explores how digital technology has had a fundamental impact on democratic politics. She is the Special Advisor to the House of Lords Democracy and Digital Technology Committee.
Much has been written about the democratic deficiencies associated with the application of a Westminster model of democracy in our region. Kate Quinn’s collection of articles/papers dedicated to the memory of Professor Norman Girvan, entitled: Revisiting Westminster in the Caribbean, is informative.
As she says, the articles “grapple with the ‘duality’ of the Westminster model, weighing up both its anti-democratic tendencies and its capacity to facilitate progressive reforms. Together, they raise questions about inclusion and exclusion, participation and representation, reform and revolution. Who benefits from the maintenance of the system? How do race and gender figure within its institutions and political culture? And what alternatives to the Westminster system have been proposed?”
Quinn states that Professor Girvan was “among the earliest critics of the democratic deficiencies of the Westminster model.” He was “also among the first to identify new threats to Caribbean independence, sovereignty, and democracy posed by the pressures of neo-liberal globalisation, transnational organised crime, untrammelled out-migration, unsustainable levels of debt, and the depredations of climate change. For Girvan, these pressures constitute ‘existential threats’ to the very survival of Caribbean territories as ‘viable economies, functional polities, [and] cohesive societies’. Arguing that the region is now at a ‘historical turning point’, Girvan calls for a reconceptualisation of Caribbean sovereignty, not as ‘the possession of certain constitutional and juridical attributes by the nation state’ but as the emancipation of the mind: ‘[above] all, sovereignty means the capacity of a society and its citizens to think for themselves’.”
In today’s troubled world, democracy has many enemies. Each of us has a critical role to play in making a difference. Let’s discharge our responsibilities to avoid becoming a dysfunctional democracy.
