DEMOCRACY STORIES FROM THE LONG ROAD TO FREEDOM: FIVE LESSONS I LEARNED
As a child, Condoleezza Rice was an eyewitness to the awakening of racial freedom, when her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, became the bastion of the civil rights movement for black Americans. In this book, Rice explains what these epochal events teach us about democracy. At a time when people around the world are wondering whether democracy is in decline, Rice shares insights from her experiences as a policymaker, scholar, and citizen, in order to put democracy’s challenges into perspective.
The Myth of Democratic Culture
Quite often, critics of liberal democracy point to the genesis of the idea of representative government and its underpinning philosophy, casting it essentially as a western construct that has no universal appeal. The argument that democracy is alien to non-Western cultures isn’t only laughable but also absurd. This idea of a ‘civilizational difference’ has always confounded my mind. How can anyone say the respect of human rights and dignity isn’t a universal concept? What I will say parenthetically in response to this criticism is that the notion that torture or oppression is a necessary political tool to achieve any form of political stability for development is an illusion. There is no ‘cultural explanation’ for why any society can’t work towards these democratic aspirations. For a long time, we were told the people of Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia were comfortable with strongmen but the Arab spring, if even some of the gains have been rolled back, showed us the yearning of the people of these countries for freedom. A more recent example is Sudan. Condo sums up her rejection of the ‘theory of the myth of democratic culture’ in the following words; “…those racist views are refuted by stable democracies in places as diverse as Chile, Ghana, South Korea, and across Europe. And, of course, America has now had a black president, as well as two secretaries of state and two attorneys’ general.”
Institutional design matters in building a democracy
When I observe the defects of the democracy of my country Ghana and indeed most democracies in sub-Saharan Africa, I struggle to understand the thinking that went into the designing of the institutional landscape. Strong institutions are needed to constrain human power in a democracy. An analysis of various democratic experiment revealed why democracy worked at certain periods in time at certain places and failed at other places at other times. The book offers invaluable lessons for democratic activists fighting for democracy across various regions of the world to take stock of their country’s institutional landscape so as not to be caught unawares when the democratic opening finally sets in. “Early decisions can mark a country’s institutions permanently.” It is therefore important to be vigilant in the early years of a democratic experiment to make sure decisions taken consolidate the gains made. What do you think would have happened to press freedom in Ghana today if the Supreme Court of Ghana had ruled differently from the way it did in the Radio Eye case or indeed in the New Patriotic Party(NPP) v Ghana Broadcasting Corporation(GBC) case in the formative years of the fourth republican constitution?
Elections buy time but the population is impatient
Most critics of democracy that I have encountered in my travels speak with nostalgia about a certain sense of orderliness or discipline associated with military juntas in Africa. In recent times, in addition to pointing to the seemingly good economic record of the authoritarian regime of Kwame Nkrumah, most point to China and Rwanda as proof that democracy isn’t the optimal system for development everywhere. Of course, I reject entirely those assertions. But there is also a legitimate question to be asked on the effectiveness of democracy to provide essential goods and services and manage the myriad governance issues that have plagued too many third-world countries. Periodic elections are a vital component of any effective democratic system but for a democracy to survive in a country, it is important that it is able to meet the economic aspirations of its citizenry. Democracy should serve as a vehicle to connect people’s fears and aspirations with a national effort aimed at the holistic development of its citizens. If democracy is to work effectively in Ghana, then political parties must quickly adapt their programmes and manifestos to address the important questions on the minds of voters. “A more direct relationship between ideas to address people’s daily lives and their politicians’ policies needs to emerge”.
Voting matters in a democracy
It is quite incredible that I should add this to the list of percipient discoveries I got from reading Condo’s book. However, there are two reasons that attract me to this point. Just too many young people are disengaged in our political system. It seems to me, a greater number of our young people are so frustrated such that they don’t even bother to turn up to vote on election’s day because they don’t think their vote will make any difference. This is quite perplexing when you think about the fact that young people are the ones most affected by the decisions of political leaders. You would have thought that should have been enough impetus to get them out on election day. My second point is largely coming from observations I have made with elections in Ghana It is so common to hear people speak in glowing terms about certain candidates or parties during an election and end up voting for one of the two dominant forces. I can mention the name of Abu Sakara of CPP in 2008 and our very own Paa Kwasi Nduom. I can’t for the life of me understand that. If you’re convinced of the ideas of a person, why not vote for them? There is nothing like a wasted vote. The vote may not win the election for your candidate or party today but it would certainly matter in the future.
Delineating between religion, politics and the power of the state
I must concede that as much as I would prefer a society free of religion, it would forever remain my pipe dream never to see the light of day. The truth is people hold multiple loyalties to different causes and religion is the one arena where such loyalties are quite strong. It is inconceivable and indeed impossible to seek to untwine people from their fundamental religious beliefs. It is for this reason I fear for the long term prospects of the Communist party in China. The guarantee of religious freedoms should be fundamental. People should be free and protected by the state in the exercise of their religious freedom. However, despite the importance of guarantee of religious freedoms in law. It is also important that we do not seek to elevate one particular religion or a group of dominant religions to a level of subtle state endorsed forms of religion. This is absolutely crucial in order to protect religious minorities. It is important for a democratic nation to create a system of governance that prohibit the privileging of one set of beliefs over another and allow citizens the liberty to decide on and practice religion without the interference of the state.