Democracy or Hypocrisy?

With the advent of the age of Bitcoins, Climate Change and new pandemics, revisiting our definition of democracy has become a crucial mission. So much so that the UN dedicates a whole day to remember, revise and promote the fundamentals of Democracy every year on September 15th. It is the day on which the Inter-Parliamentary Union adopted the Universal Declaration of Democracy that establishes the principals, elements and exercise of democratic governments all over the world.

To re-asses, the word democracy comes from the Greek word ‘Demos’ which means ‘citizen in a city-state’ and ‘Kratos’ which means ‘rule’, literally translating to ‘Rule of the People’. Thus, a democratic state is one where the will of the people dictates who will obtain Office, represent the people and make decisions on their behalf. Article 21(3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights rightly says:

“The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”

However, by just re-reading the definition of Democracy in public forums and online articles, are we doing justice to democracy or just being hypocrites?

The goal of World Democracy Day is to evaluate the state of global Democracy each year. To do that, we have to evaluate the democratic machinery of our own countries. Is organizing awareness events and publicity campaigns enough or do we need to face the issues that threaten global democracy in today’s time?

Here are some hard-hitting issues faced by Democracy that needs to be addressed ASAP:

Threat to Freedom of Speech:
Under democracy, Media should be free, not corrupt. Addressing the risks of suppression, internet blackouts and interference strikes out to be the first step towards strengthening our Fundamental Rights. Instead of being a vessel of equality and freedom, the Free Speech movement has become a tool to normalize hate speech. This can be misused by politicians to do more harm than good and create havoc in the country. In such a scenario, minorities and marginalized groups are vulnerable to hate crimes and abuse.

Threat to Digital Safety:
With Activism forced to be online due to the current pandemic, developing freedom of media and digital safety is one of the biggest challenge faced by democratic nations. Amidst unchecked digital journalism, the problems of hate speech and misinformation have unfortunately become frequent. Democratic nations need to come up with fool proof plans to fight misinformation, disinformation and hate crimes.

Threat to Livelihood:
Economic growth has been slowing down over the past forty years and Covid pandemic was the last straw in dismantling the global economic order. Such a disgruntled economic order creates inequality, unemployment and loss of livelihood. Poverty existed since before the pandemic, but incompetent public policies and executive machinery further damages the livelihoods of
marginalized groups, as was clear during the first few months of the Covid pandemic in 2020.

This system of corruption and inadequacy needs to be held accountable to ensure economic development.

Threat to Women:
Gender-based violence, motivated by factor such as caste, class, religion and even boredom, saw a record-breaking surge amidst Covid-lockdown. The inefficient yet burdened judicial machinery is unavailable to keep track of the overflowing cases of sexual harassment and violence. This creates a society where women are not met with justice and are inevitably denied their basic
human rights and dignity. Such a threat to women can impair the moral fabric of democracy and pave the way for authoritarianism.

What can you do?
As a member of a democratic nation-state, it is our fundamental duty and obligation to strengthen the core of democracy. This is why the International Democracy Day is important on an international platform to identify and reflect on the elements that are putting a strain on the advancement of democracy. The success of democracy depends not only on our elected governments but also on individual citizens. One can adopt the following resolutions to help us focus our efforts towards the advancement of a healthy democracy —
1. Participation:
Try and develop an interest in politics. Try to be more aware of your local body institutions and their working. Register for election ID cards, research about candidates standing for election, go out and vote for your local municipality chairman. Change begins at home.
2. Practice civil discourse:
The days of listening to journalists scream their biased opinions on the TV screen should be behind us. We need to engage in healthy discussions. We need to support independent news outlets. The goal is to encourage authentic and respectful conversations around the political system.
3. Raise your voice:
We did not achieve our democratic rights by remaining silent, so how can we retain them by remaining ignorant? Raise your voice when it truly matters. Gather information, research on local issues, talk to the local authorities and don’t shy away from making your concerns known. Solutions are found when the problems are acknowledged.
4. Fix your political compass
Politics is not limited to supporting the Left, the Right or the Centre. Try and look at social issues through a cohesive lens. Don’t get caught up between opposing point of views, rather try to stay on the middle ground. Left or Right does not matter when real Human Rights are at stake.

Way Forward
This International Democracy Day, let’s try to fight the threats to global democracy in our own ways. Democracy gives power to people, promotes freedom and encourages change. Now is the time to make use of this freedom and hold democratic institutions accountable for a better tomorrow. Let us do our part and not be a hypocrite!

BY ZOYA KHAN

CREATIVE WRITER Art Culturati