Constitution making and strengthening horizontal democracy - I
‘The force of free people resides in the municipality’ - Alexis de Tocqueville
By Laksiri Fernando-February 8, 2016, 7:05 pm
The move for making a New Constitution has opened up considerable opportunities to deepen democracy in the country, and the indications so far reveal that vibrant discussions are taking place at present among civil society organisations and political activists sponsored by the Public Representation Committee (PRC), on a range of issues dealing particularly with (1) the local government system, (2) the creation of possible village/local level organizations, and (3) on how to encourage people’s participation in decision making processes, among other matters.
To the credit of the PRC and the promoters of a new Constitution it should be stated that such broader discussions were not held or could not be held, during the formulation of the first or the second republican Constitutions in 1972 and 1978, or the aborted draft constitution in 2000. Apart from the necessary constitutional requirement to have a national referendum to finally approve a New Constitution (Article 83), the nature of the political changes that took place last year (Jan. 08 and August 17), and the democratic political forces behind them, seem to be the catalysts for what is going on in the form of broad political discussions.
This article argues that to deepen democracy in Sri Lanka, or any country for that matter, measures need to be taken both horizontally and vertically. If provincial councils could be the main mechanisms through which democracy could be expanded horizontally, local governments constitute the potential of strengthening democracy both horizontally and vertically.
The Concept
Horizontal democracy is conceptualized by political scientists and others in different ways at different times. It is usually considered as opposite or different to vertical democracy. ‘Different’ may be the case, but ‘opposite’ is an overstatement. There is no system completely vertical or completely horizontal. The right combination of both might be the best for any country.
