by Ruwantissa Abeyratne
“People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” – Alan Moore
( February 17, 2015, Montreal, Sri Lanka Guardian) Freedom and Democracy have been in global decline over the past 9 years. Freedom House, in its Freedom in the World 2015 Report which looked at 195 countries and 15 territories states that 60 per cent of the world’s population was less free than they used to be. Translated into population this amounts to approximately 2.6 billion people. The Report attributes this trend to an escalation of terrorist activity with enhanced brutality and more aggressive tactics by authoritarian regimes. According to the Report, during this period 61 countries suffered a decline in freedom of the individual and democracy while only 31 countries showed some gains. The Report elaborates: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a rollback of democratic gains by Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Turkish president Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan’s intensified campaign against press freedom and civil society, and further centralization of authority in China were evidence of a growing disdain for democratic standards that was found in nearly all regions of the world”.
More disturbingly, the Report has developed a taxonomy of freedoms dividing States into three categories: totally free; somewhat free; and not free – based on a marks system The aspects looked into are freedom rating; political rights; and civil liberties in that order. The marks given are from 1 to 7 where one is the most free and 7 is the most repressed and inhibited. Sri Lanka scored a pathetic 5; 5; 5 for freedom rating; political rights; and civil liberties. We are in the distinguished company of Mali (4.5; 5; and 4) Algeria (5.5; 6; 5) Thailand (5.5; 6; 5), Morocco (4.5; 5; 4), Cambodia (6; 5; 5) to name a few. Sri Lanka came way behind its neighbors India (2.5; 2; 3), Nepal (3.5; 4; 4) and Bangladesh (4; 4; 4), nearly tying with Pakistan which scored better (4.5; 4; 5).
Thank fully, we did better than China (6.5; 7; and 6) and Saudi Arabia (7; 7; 7); Afghanistan (6; 6; 6), Myanmar (6; 6; 6), Tajikistan (6; 6; 6) Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (7: 7: 7), Sudan (7; 7; 7) and Russia (6; 6; 6).
Sri Lanka was way below Brazil, Argentina and Peru (2; 2; 2) and South Africa (2; 2; 2), Indonesia (3; 2; 4), Philippines (3; 3; 3) Ukraine (3; 3; 3) and Turkey (3.5; 3; 4).
United States, Canada, most of developed Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan scored 1: 1: 1.
The Report lamented the marked disdain for democratic standards as a general trend. One of the links one could draw to this trend is the rise of nationalism. The Economist in its Report The World in 2015 states: ” In 2015…it will become increasingly clear that nationalism is back. From Europe to Asia to America, politicians who base their appeal on the idea that they are standing up for their own countries will grow in power and influence. The result will be an increase in international tensions and an unpromising background for efforts at multilateral cooperation…” This view is borne out by the fact that in India, Narendra Modi, often perceived as a Hindu nationalist won a landslide election, adding to a growing trend in Europe where the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) gained significant grounds in elections in Europe; France’s National Front surged ahead and the Scottish Nationals came very close to winning their 2014 referendum to secede from the United Kingdom. Also cited is the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his massive popularity in Russia and the surge of popularity he received from his people in the annexation of Crimea.
In 2010 The Economist analyzed the decline in democracy in the following manner: “For freedom-watchers in the West, the worrying thing is that the cause of liberal democracy is not merely suffering political reverses, it is also in intellectual retreat. Semi-free countries, uncertain which direction to take, seem less convinced that the liberal path is the way of the future. And in the West, opinion-makers are quicker to acknowledge democracy’s drawbacks—and the apparent fact that contested elections do more harm than good when other preconditions for a well-functioning system are absent”. Paul Collier, an Oxford University Professor, added to this comment (in 2010) that democracy in the absence of other desirables, like the rule of law, can hobble a country’s progress.
Mere lip service to democracy and the presence of seemingly democratic structures within the country may be ineffective in the presence of threats to democracy such as the absence of the rule of law, a preponderance of a military presence in the country, nepotism, corruption and excessive nationalism. Winston Churchill once said : “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” I believe that the new regime in Sri Lanka has followed Churchill’s advice and also followed Alan Moore’s quote – that governments should be afraid of their people. In the final analysis this would be the way to go as decline in freedom and democracy lies in the fundamental fact that the politician, on average, thinks only of the next election where the statesman thinks of the next generation. Avarice and personal greed are anathema to true democracy. Autocracy and self service compliment corruption.
No discussion of government and governance should be complete without respect for and consideration of what Charlie Chaplin said: ” I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible;… We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness, not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone, and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. …We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.”.
We are all hopeful that this philosophy, uttered by a person better known as a comedian, which has been reiterated by the “Chief Public Servant of Sri Lanka” as his mission, would bring us hope for freedom and democracy. At the end of the day, it is not nomenclature or ideology that counts but true service to the people that ensures their safety and happiness. As Mahatma Gandhi said: “What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?”
For Justice
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