Law of gravity and democracy : Ramesh Shrestha

According to Newton’s universal law of gravity what goes up must come down with a speed depending on its mass/weight. Democracy too, although does not have a physical weight/mass, is also coming down as it appears to have peaked in its utility and popularity.

Democracy was promoted as the best political system. It helped us in promoting people’s civil and political rights; democracy protected and promoted social, cultural and economic rights of people; it provided a framework for governance with independent legislative, executive and judiciary branches with checks and balances which protected people’s freedom and rights. This principle of democracy is universally accepted despite differences in the way governance is practiced such as social democracy, countries with constitutional monarchy, federal system of governance, etc. The idea is to have people at the center of governance. Across all these systems, the common thread of governance is the election of people who represent the electorates in various branches of the government. With decolonisation of countries all newly independent countries also adopted a democratic system of governance. However, according to The Economist fully democratic countries have dwindled to just 24 countries by 2022.

In recent decades it seems like the principle of democracy was hit by a speeding train which appears to have disfigured the very foundation of democracy with certain components being weakened while some other components permanently disabled. The victims of this accident was not just democracy as a system of governance but the majority of people who believed in democracy. Some experts cite that erosion of democracy started in Hong Kong which was returned back to the People's Republic of China in 1997 with a formula of maintaining one country two system for 50 years. According to Freedom House, the decline of democracy has been speeding up since 2000, with 113 countries sliding towards autocracy while maintaining an appearance of democracy with periodic elections (Freedom House 2018).

Money talks

According to The Economist magazine, the financial crisis of 2007/8 and the rise of China are the two main reasons for the rise of illiberal democracy around the world. But the Economist did not explain why there was a financial crisis in the first place and how China is responsible for the rise in illiberal democracy. The spree of privatisation of public services and the private sector encroaching into the governance deserves a review in the erosion of democratic governance. In capitalist led democratic governance the interest of industries and businesses overrides the public needs and public interest. For example, according to The Economist, in the United States, supposedly the most democratic country, there are 20+ lobbyists from various private sector companies babysitting for every member of Congress influencing their work on legislation. The legislative system is influenced by the rich and powerful not by the citizens who elect them.

Stand up against whom?

When we look at the academic papers the focus is largely on the need for countries to stand up against dictators and stand up for the rights of the people everywhere. It surely sounds right and feels good too. But you may recall when children play, the loser never accepts the rule of the game. This is what is happening in our democratic world. The dominant simply does not accept the result when it is at the losing end of the game. There is never any discussion on the role of corruption and hypocrisy in the downfall of democracy (democratic governance). The influence of the dark shadows of powerful bi-lateral and international institutions such as WB, IMF, WTO, etc. looming over low- and middle-income countries cannot be ignored. By simply focusing on 'feel good' talk on rights and freedom we will not be able to save democracy from turning into anarchy.

The corruption through illegal deals or through lobbying undermines the rule of law which treats some more equal than others. It breeds contempt and erodes accountability with direct impact on democratic governance. Private sector creates jobs, expands infrastructure and generates taxes but over indulgence of the private sector in shaping government policies diminishes transparency and accountability with the focus on profit rather than people.

Media in democracy

The mainstream media and ever more popular social media considerably influence public opinion on all issues. The mainstream media globally are owned by a limited number of oligarchs and they have their own way of promoting a set of agenda irrespective of who is in power. There is no secret about who are manipulating governments. They are well known. Social media on the other hand provides a platform for the voiceless in an open forum. Time and again social media platforms have even challenged state-controlled media and private media equally. Social media helps in promoting public engagement in fostering democracy

Social media has its own drawbacks. In the social media landscape there are no checks and balances; there is no editorial board; there are no guidelines for contributors to follow. Social media is a blank whiteboard. It is up to you to fill. Many social media have become a forum to promote fake news, views, and sharing messages with multiplier effect. Social media has become an anarchist which has brought to light everything wicked among people without any modesty and accountability. Social media has become a disruptive actor against democracy. Some actions have been taken by two social media platforms to filter hateful messages but they have been very selective, which is as bad or may be worse than taking no action.

Has democracy reached its peak? 

There have been demonstrations against various governments practicing all shades of democracy including in European countries with well-established democratic governance. Since 2017 there have been mass protests against their governments in 135 countries. In 2023 there were demonstrations against the governments in 83 countries (Carnegie protest tracker, 2023). The reasons for people’s dissatisfaction ranges from abuse of authority to corruption to mismanagement to issues of immigration. There are also divided opinions on the very concept of democracy. People in power have managed to get away with anything and everything in the name of democracy alienating the general public. Where does the boundary of democracy, especially for the people in power begin and where does it end? In some countries people are alienated with forced democracy.

The idea of freedom has a special status in democracy but people often forget that an individual's freedom is not absolute; it is linked with freedom of others and interest of the nation. Exercising individual freedom in contemporary democracy has distorted the very idea of democracy almost everywhere. The way freedom is exercised by the private sector and the media in general appear to have become the nemesis of democratic governance everywhere. Democracy, although is the most talked about form of governance globally, is becoming illusive as many governments are turning into authoritarian while committing to democracy with routine farcical electoral practices.

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