Beyond democracy deficit

It is not an exaggeration to say that people are burdened with an unbearable cost of living. Prices of essentials have sky-rocketed. Moreover, they are unable to see any light even at the end of the tunnel.

They are suffering not only from economic woes. Political developments too affect them adversely. The number of street protests is increasing in number and frequency. Police more frequently use tear gas and water canon to quell them. Among the disillusioned are many that voted this government into power and still its sympathizers. Unless checked soon this disillusion would develop into despair.

The President seems to acknowledge this situation. That is why he once called for closer cooperation between the Government and those who voted for it. However, such cooperation is not a one-way street. It is a two way process. Not only should the faithful support the Government but the latter also should amend its unpopular conduct to solicit such support.

Obviously there is an estrangement between the Government and the people at large. How could it be dispelled? Is there a way out? Or is it irreversible?

King-makers at village level

Principal reason for the above disillusion is that the Government has failed to take the people into confidence. Not only has it failed to consult the people in taking vital decisions but also taking decisions contrary to what it pledged at the elections. There is a streak of authoritarianism in certain actions taken by it.

The master-servant relation between the politician and the voter has turned topsy-turvy now with the elected representative in the Government becoming the master. Those who are expected to represent people’s sovereignty have a tendency to usurp it.

It is a fact that while the Opposition has carried its message at frequent public allies and grassroots level discussions the Government (not its constituent political parties) has hardly held any meetings of its own. Instead its leaders used to frequently pontificate at temples and official functions where the people are just spectators only. Actually some politicians want them to be just that –spectators only!

Over the years a class of middlemen have emerged that act as go-betweens between the voters and the elected MPs. It is this class that has accumulated wealth and power through corruption and has virtually become king-makers at village level.

Public apathy and indifference concerning vital problems affecting them unless and until it affects them personally or their acceptance of reality as their fait accompli is another cause of the disillusionment. Unfortunately Sri Lanka does not have vibrant civil society organisations. Even those that sprang up spontaneously at the elections have not developed into well-structured and organised mass organisations. Instead they continue to cry on few capable individuals who also shun organisation and discipline. There is hardly any internal democracy in them.

Unfortunately the trade union movement is so much divided on party and communal lines that it is unable to take up political issues as a united force. Nor has the majority of its membership developed political consciousness to go beyond the struggle for economic demands.

Flaws in election procedures

There exists a democracy deficit here. Politicians often refer to Universal suffrage as the acme of democracy and point to periodic elections as the criterion of democracy and even give it a star-rating of their own. Though universal suffrage is a significant democratic achievement it is rather a point of departure and not the pinnacle of its success.

Flaws in election procedures and rigging of elections have been perfected over the years by vested interest. For example, nomination procedures for elections seem to depend heavily on party bigwigs and money-bags. It has failed to attract more talented and unselfish individuals for representative bodies. Gender-wise discrimination too continues unabated despite the allocation of quotas for women in the nomination lists. The latter is ineffective as quotas do not relate to representation in the elected bodies. Besides some minority communities are also unrepresented in Parliament and Provincial Councils so that they have become voiceless.

It is necessary to move forward from representative democracy to participatory democracy. For this purpose one has to think out of the box and be innovative. Imitating or adapting to western concepts without consideration for national socio-economic and cultural background could bring about only limited success.

There is much disillusion against the Government for its apathy in dealing with corruption and fraud in public office. There are instances when whistle-blowers are unprotected and witnesses find it unsafe to come out with what they know due to the climate of impunity enjoyed by wrong-doers and the power they hold.

During the 1970’s the United Front Government experimented with Workers’ Councils in an attempt to involve the workers in the decision making process. Though it failed then, experimenting with it is worth since the failure was more due to its overtly political bias instead of being representative. Similar bodies even at the village/town level could involve the people at grassroots level in administration. For example citizens’ Committees at Ward level in local government bodies could be watchdogs countering corruption in public works. These committees should be broad based and not be comprised of political party representatives for it would defeatist very purpose and fall prey to the dictates of political hierarchy.

Fraudulent deals

Devolution of power as different from decentralization will be an extension of democracy and a step towards participatory democracy. It should not be looked solely as an attempt to pacify minority communities. The essence of devolution is economic devolution.

Our leaders now often appeal to children to rectify the mistakes of the elders. Temperance campaigners for example tell children to advise their parents on the evils of drinking. The same appeal is made to children to foster national reconciliation. All these are done while the elders are engaged in acrimonious squabbles and spreading hate and revenge seeing. It is like the crab asking the baby crabs to move straight.

It is time the leaders to give an example. Rectification should be top-down to be effective. If they greedily grab more power and material wealth necessary for an ostentatious living and stoop to engage in fraudulent deals how could they reform society?

If the law enforcing authorities are prevented from investigating and proceeding with corruption and fraud in public office and an apparent discrimination in the application of law is observed by the people how could such vice be eliminated? Here the young generation is helpless. For democracy to function rule of law should be respected and followed. However, instances in which it is infringed occur daily. For example everyone talks about road indiscipline and violation of traffic laws. But it is not only on the road that law is infringed. It is ubiquitous ranging from flouting the sequential order at ordinary queues for provisions or hand-outs to violation of tender procedures of mega projects or disregard for environmental protection when alienating land for development.