INFORM-ACTION
Issue
Number 41 - December
2001
Democracy - the Power of the People
-
Thoughts in the Post-Election Period -
In 1863
Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address included a description
of democratic government as “that government of the people,
by the people, for the people”. For Lincoln, the great
struggle of the civil war was to ensure that democratic government,
based on the recognition that all people are created equal,
would not perish from the earth.
Democracy comes from
the Greek words 'demos' - the people; and 'kratos' - power.
It is an ideal that many have struggled and died to uphold.
One recent vivid
democratic memory is that of the elderly black South Africans
who, in 1994, queued up for hours to cast their first vote
in the first free elections in the post-apartheid era. Archbishop
Desmond Tutu highlighted the injustice done to them in their
lifetimes when he commented that as a black Archbishop and
Nobel Peace Prize winner he could not vote in his own country
but, at the same time, a white teenager, fresh from school,
had the right to vote. Many South Africans died in the quest
for democracy.
Closer to home in
1999, the memories are fresh of the courageous East Timorese
people voting for independence from Indonesia despite the intimidation
of armed militia groups who, after the vote, murdered, tortured,
raped and destroyed.
It is also important
to remember the struggle of women and the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples to secure the right to vote in Australia.
Democracy is not
something that can be taken for granted. It calls for vigilance
and for active engagement in the political process. It is easy
for political powers to erode hard won democratic rights and
the structures that uphold them. The dilution of Freedom of
Information (FOI) legislation in Queensland is a good example
of that. FOI is a new entrant in the democratic process in
Queensland but its effectiveness has been ruthlessly curtailed
by successive governments since 1990. And, who cares? Very
few voices have been raised about this. Many other examples
exist. For example, in recent times governments have given
increased powers to police and security forces in the effort
to stamp out the drug trade and terrorism. This must be rigorously
scrutinised and monitored lest these powers be used for purposes
for which they were never intended.
Vigilance and participation
in the political process will keep democracy vigorous and assist
in ensuring its inherent integrity - to be of and for the people
as a whole and not co-opted for vested interests.
The Church's social
teaching encourages people of faith to be engaged in the political
process:
Conscious
of their specific and proper role in the political community
(Christians) should be a shining example by their sense of
responsibility
and their dedication to the common good.
The Church in the Modern World #75
It is clear that
assuming this responsibility requires more than simply casting
a vote on election day. While this is a precious political
right, it is the bare minimum of democratic participation.
The challenge for citizens is to be active and vigilant at
all times. This may mean moving outside of one's comfort zone
and taking risks. It requires courage and an awareness that
not everyone will be pleased and that criticism will be forthcoming.
In the end, the insight
of the graffiti artist in inner city Brisbane sums up the challenge
of participation in the political process:
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