P. A. Chacko SJ
In 2007 the United Nations General Assembly decided to celebrate Democracy Day on Sept. 15.
The theme for 2020 is: Democracy under strain and solutions for a changing world.
Democracy rests on the principle of ‘We the People.’ It means people’s participation in governance. A rule by the people and for the people!
It supposes constant dialogue between civil society and political dispensation. A strong, discerning, active and vocal civil society strengthens democracy and negates fascist tendencies which want to hijack democracy.
A genuine democracy respects the rights of the citizens and invites and facilitates their substantive and meaningful participation.
When fundamentalist forces, based on religion, tribe or class, subvert the process of democratic participation of the citizens and capture power through the backdoor or by muzzle power, the nation gets dragged into the quagmire of a dark age. When a government is presided over by such forces, fascist tendencies are bound to be their bed mate.
Today, some such nations are calling the shots. Repression, muzzling of the free press, jailing of people with dissenting voices, invoking archaic and inhuman laws to silence honest critics, false promises and open lies to hoodwink people, encouraging terrorist forces to implement the government’s anti-people policies, promoting a pliable judiciary, and using police and investigating agencies to promote repression and terror are certain undemocratic characteristics of governments that care nothing for democracy.
Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin are classic examples of leaders who hijacked governance into their private chambers of fascism. Some political leaders today are toeing their line to dump democracy stock and barrel into oblivion. Will they succeed? Should they?