How democracy dies a slow death

Democracy should neither be assumed, nor taken for granted, else is decays swiftly and structurally.

 How democracy dies a slow death

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• The story: Various global surveys report the dipping confidence in democracy and marked jumps in citizens’ frustrations with government corruption and incompetence. Young people are quite dissatisfied with democracy, much more than previous generations at the same age.
• 2021 Democracy Report: Sweden’s V-Dem Institute in its report noted that India “has almost lost its status as a democracy”. It ranked India below Sierra Leone, Guatemala and Hungary.
• True meaning of democracy: When we talk of democracy, it is much more than pressing a button or marking a box on a ballot paper. It goes beyond the forming of a government via popular vote. Democracy is a whole way of life. It is freedom from hunger, humiliation and violence.

1. Democracy is saying no to every form of human and non-human indignity.
2. It is respect for women, tenderness with children, and access to jobs that bring satisfaction and sufficient reward to live comfortably.
3. In a democracy, citizens are not forced to travel in buses and trains like livestock, wade through dirty water from overrunning sewers, or breathe poisonous air. Democracy is equal access to decent medical care and sympathy for those who have fallen behind.
4. It’s the rejection of the dogma that things can’t be changed because they’re “naturally” fixed in stone.

• Causes for Democide: There are many factors at work that harm democracy and kill it eventually (democide).

1. Government failure - In countries where people lose faith, street protests and outbreaks of uncontrolled violence happen. Fears of civil unrest spread. The armed forces grow agitated. As the government starts sinking, the army moves from its barracks onto the streets to quell unrest and take control. Democracy is finally buried in a grave it slowly dug for itself. The military coup d’états against the elected governments of Egypt (2013), Thailand (2014), Myanmar and Tunisia (2021) are some examples.
2. Poor institutions - When judiciary itself becomes vulnerable to cynicism, political meddling and state capture, threat to democratic values and constitutional morals emerges. Many examples of compromised judges in India can be seen in media now.
3. Social emergencies - When the social fabric weakens, democracy suffers a slow-motion social death. When a constitution promises its citizens justice, liberty and equality, the division among them induces a sense of legal powerlessness among citizens.
4. Structural inequality - Massive imbalances of wealth, chronic violence, famine and unevenly distributed life chances make a mockery of the ethical principle that in a democracy people can live as citizen partners of equal social worth.
5. Basic amenities - Domestic violence, rotten health care, widespread feelings of social unhappiness, and daily shortages of food and housing destroy people’s dignity. It kills the spirit and substance of democracy.
6. Demagoguery - When democratically elected governments cease to be held accountable by a society weakened by poor health, low morale, and joblessness, demagogues are prone to blindness and ineptitude. They make incompetent decisions that reinforce social inequities. Public accountability begins to be treated as a nuisance, because parliamentary majority becomes the end of all!

• False arguments: The wrong leaders may engage in practices that seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument to resolve long-term problems. In the absence of redistributive public welfare policies that guarantee sufficient food, shelter, security, education, and health care to the downtrodden, the ideal of democracy weakens among citizens. Then, democracy resembles a fancy mask worn by wealthy political predators. Society becomes subordinated to the state, and people are expected to behave as loyal subjects, or else suffer the consequences.
• What can be done: The interpretation of the constitution by the judiciary in a way that glorifies its democratic spirit and reflects a ‘reverence’ towards the constitution is a good solution. The protection of “rights of all, which means that people are true sovereign and they should not be treated as just ‘subjects’ and all forms of public power should be placed at the service of constitutional ends.

1. Constitutional morality - It specifies norms for institutions to survive and an expectation of behaviour that will meet not just the text but the soul of the Constitution. It also makes the governing institutions and representatives accountable.
2. Checks on executive powers - The press and the judiciary, which are considered the pillars of India’s Democracy, require it to be independent of any executive interference to enable auditing of the powerful.
3. Strong opposition - A strong democracy requires strong opposition. Without an alternative choice, the very objective of election to provide a check on arbitrary power gets defeated.

• Summary: Constitutional democracy has helped the people of India - a society historically most unequal of all - realize the importance of democracy and inculcate some democratic sensibilities. But a lot of decay has set in, that requires urgent rectification.

 

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