Defending democracy
Democracy has been hailed as the highest form of political organisation, as it seeks to safeguard the rights of each individual, allow these to choose and replace the government through free and fair elections and, importantly, the active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life. Those persons elected to lead are expected to safeguard the interests of those who voted them into office without trampling on the rights of others who may not have displayed a similar level of support.
The expectation is that all persons will be treated fairly, irrespective of their economic or other backgrounds.
Recent events in America, like President Donald Trump’s executive order barring nationals from seven Muslim majority countries from entering the US, are a sobering reminder that the Executive office and the institutions and practices needed to sustain democracy in any country may be eroded at a rapid rate. The intervention of the judicial arm of government to stop enforcement of the order does demonstrate democracy’s system of checks and balances. Generally, however, the ongoing immigration imbroglio demonstrates that democracy is much like a delicate plant which develops slowly and requires great care.
Alexis de Tocqueville in his Democracy in America makes the point that said system of government does not spring up suddenly. He also provides reasons to explain why it may be sustained and spread.
Persons seeking to defend and promote the rights of people in Barbados and elsewhere should note de Tocqueville’s attention to non-governmental organisations and the role they play in developing core virtues and values that enable individuals to contribute to public life and maintain the political institutions of a free society. Writing in the early 1800s, de Tocqueville observed that democracy in America had been especially strengthened by the broad participation of citizens in a wide range of civic associations, including clubs, churches, non-profit organisations and community groups of all types. It is noted that Barbados is not devoid of such institutions today.
Like de Tocqueville, this writer is of the view that involvement in such organisations should develop the qualities of mind and character that are an essential part of the infrastructure of a prosperous, peaceful society. Our associations are a critical source of social capital – the qualities that promote trust and facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit.
Some associations, such as churches, mosques, synagogues, fraternal organisations, and the like, hold the spiritual, moral and ethical development of their members as a primary mission.
In other cases, sectors of civil society have come together to promote a particular set of moral principles or goods within government and the wider community, for example, in the areas of human or civil rights, and act as champion for the cause of their constituents.
A Trade Union is a special brand of civic organisation as it is a representative body for workers, intended to protect and advance the interests of its members. While a trade union is often involved in negotiations with employers to make arrangements for pay and other conditions of employment it is called upon to do much more. One should, therefore, be wary of those who seek to reduce the role of a Union to that one function. Seen through the lens of de Tocqueville, a Union’s purpose extends much further as it is a means through which sectoral objectives can be achieved by impacting policies in areas such as health care, housing, education, the environment, among others.
Altogether, civic associations can provide us with an opportunity to give freely and generously, beyond both the obligations of law and the market’s narrower interest in profit. Active, purposeful participation in these institutions serve to defend democracy and safeguard society from some of the now highly visible excesses.