SURVIVAL OF VULNERABLE DEMOCRACIES
The win of Joe Biden in the US presidential election has been as relieving for many as the emergence of the Covid Vaccine. This is not an analogy nor an attempt to draw any semblance. This is a relief though.
There has been a gradual and stealthy erosion of democratic values in many parts of the world. This is now becoming visible, posing a challenge and beginning to test the endurance of the people.
The year 2020 has been devastating. Some saw this as an opportunity for mankind to relook and reconcile its thoughts and priorities. Many anticipated a change in human behavior; kindness, humanity, and brotherhood would finally prevail. A more stable and peaceful world will emerge. However, what impedes this dream is the greed of a certain creed for power. And they aim to achieve this, which they have succeeded so far, through the process of the ballot, ‘in the democratic way’. Once they grab power, they fiddle with the constitution, misuse the statutory and constitutional bodies, influence and intimidate the press, and even temper the judiciary. These are not just abrasions or one odd isolated case. Cases are far too many.
Politically, the neighborhood of India itself is in a turbid state, though may seem to be in equilibrium. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are two nations that are rapidly moving away from the democratic make-up. Sri Lanka, for instance, is clearly heading to become a ‘one family state’. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is the brother of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, is the President of Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister has placed many of the younger elected Rajapksas in his cabinet. Many others including close intimates are understood to be sitting MPs. The signs of a state with strong democratic values and practices in the past are alarming.
The story of Bangladesh resembles closely the Sri Lankan episode. The country, no doubt, is doing well on the economic and developmental front. However, on the political front, the country is steadily turning into a ‘one-party state’. This was initially tried by late President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which is now being pursued vigorously by his daughter Sheikh Hasina, the current Prime Minister. The opposition leader, Khalida Zia, is in jail since 2015. Thousands of opposition activists were arrested before the 2018 election making it an effortless victory for Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, winning 288 out of 300 seats. Critics including journalists with differing views of the government policies are the most vulnerable lot, often landing up in jail for exercising their fundamental and constitutional right, ‘the freedom of speech and expression’.
These appear as precursors to virtual dictatorial regimes which are known to have existed in few African and Latin American nations. Surprisingly, Europe which is considered a better-developed part of the globe has many similar examples, existing and on the anvil.
The Belarus story is none different in approach and style. Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s arrogant dictator, rigged the presidential election to claim a sixth term. Despite incessant protests, Lukashenko who has been ruling Belarus for the last 26 years still wants to continue. The protests called by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the exiled opposition leader have been quelled with brute force. Pressure from the European Union or anybody for that matter makes no difference; Lukashenko is unyielding.
The Turkish President Erdogan has his own erratic dictatorial whims making his erstwhile foe Mr. Putin his friend in need now, baffling the European (NATO) allies and the USA. None less is the Syrian President Basar Assad killing and bombing his own citizens to retain power. From the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi for writing against the Saudi regime to the poisoning of the Russian activist, Alexi Navalny who is now in jail, the count is endless.
This degradation of democratic values and practices has a contagious influence and inducement in other power greedy regimes. It is visible now, seeing the identicality of the behaviors; intolerance towards dissent, indiscriminate use of force, propaganda warfare, curbs on freedom of speech and expression are few to cite.
And how is India placed in this environment is not a disregardable question. However, the ‘argumentative Indian’ attitude may be presumed to the needed antidote to thwart such misadventure, if any, to preserve the strong democratic values the country and its citizens are bestowed with.
Understanding the vulnerability of weaker democracies in such a contagious political environment spreading stealthily across the globe, there is certainly a need at this stage for a lead and a hegemon with strong democratic belief and set up to unify the fragmenting world. There is a need to restore the strength and values of the ailing democracies across the globe. The role of the United States of America will be undeniable in this context.
With President Biden at the helm, there will certainly be a catalyzing effect in the desired direction. His decisions to revive the partnership with NATO and the European Union, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement are a few of many important steps taken. Most importantly, President Biden’s decision to suspend military support to the Saudis for multiple reasons including the Crown Prince’s link behind Khashoggi’s brutal killing is a much-needed step towards correcting the faulty and undemocratic practices mushrooming rampantly across the globe.
