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Tuesday 7 August 2012

Democracy In The Developing World

In modern world the name of democracy,it's virtues as adovocated and fought for by the iconic figure of Aung San Suu Kyi is an ideal we are led to beleive by the international media of the so called free world for the fight to freedom and democratic values. With much hype and all out support by the western democracies, the said lady is now in power at her home country, Myanmar. A dream come true it was for democracy advocates arond the world with the rise to power of Aung San Suu Kyi. Yet today, ironacally her government is allowing a mass genocide in their country based upon racism as witnessed by the entire world. Unfortunately, the international community cannot react appropriately to these massacres, due to obvious embarresments. The most galling of all is Aung San Suu Kyi, who received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, for her struggle against the junta rule, and has exhibited a hypocritical attitude toward this tyranny. She first tried to brush aside the matter, saying, “This is a very complicated and fuzzy matter.” But upon persistent questioning, she said, “Muslims may be given ‘permanent settler’ status, but they should not be accepted as citizens of Myanmar,” and the disgrace of her words are etched in history. This fact only proves the saying of "Edmund Burke" in most clear terms about democracy:

"In a democracy, the majority of the citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority"

The western model of democracy is commendable when it comes to it's implementation in country states with high literacy rates having a sence of this system and it's functioning. However in countries with low literacy rates and poor economies, the democratic form of government is at most a proven faliure. In countries such as the third world states the democratic system of governance where implemented is being exploited to justify mass corruption, genocides and promotion of specific vested interests. The masses are the direct victoms of naked corruption eating the very roots of their existence in the name of democracy in these republics supported by the developed world under the notion of democracy. The illeterate populations of these states under the illusion of a democracy continues to live on and as a result being exploited day in and day out by their elected leaders who are mostly shameless and possess morals only suiting their illicit desires. These leaders are not only expendable but also easily corruptible and hence best suits the corporate empires of the global powers lead by the US global empire in their "quest for spreading democracy". This mockery of a system was best described by the graet philospher " George Bernanrd Shaw" when he says that:

"Democracy subsitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few"

Democracy is continously failing the peaple in the third world countries. The illeterate poor masses of the developing world gives way to their corrupt leaders to form governments by cheaply selling their votes in a fundamentaly flawed electoral process. These corrupt politicians after investing their illgotten money in the elections gets bussy in serving their own personal intersets and that of their paymasters. The result is what we see in the shape of everyday suffering of the peaple in one way or the other of such like facade of democracies in countries like, Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bangladesh and their alikes. Infact in these countries the remotely foreign induced and backed democracies are an extension of the dictatorship which is worse if not better than the former form of governments there. It won't be to pessimistic an analysis to say that if these so called democracies continue to function, rather dysfunction in their current mode, the end result will be the retransformation of these states to absolute dictatorship once again. The signs are very much evident in the shape of the fascist attitudes of the third world leaders of the democracies where a time has to come when there will be nothing more left to plunder and the human tragedy that will follow will engulf the complete world in this era of globolization.

The solution to this fiasco is country specific and has to be tailor made for every regoin of the world where the dysfunctional democracies are operating. In this regard some of the essential suggestions are  enumerated as below :-
> Transperant and concious electoral processes. A tough ask in developing countries, but utmost important ingredient indeed. The UN has a role to play here in the conduct and educating the masses.
> Transperacy and accountability of the elected leaders at international standards must be ensured. Again easier said than done but most essential factor for any healthy democracy. Unfortunately the developing world countries lacks any such mechanism in true sence resulting in the fiasco their corrupt leaders have put their contries in to.
> Abolishing of safe heavens for the corrupt leaders of these countries in the western world where they hold huge bank accounts and properties with the looted money from their countries. An idealist thought in a scenario where such specific situations are used to exploit and earn concessions for their business houses and geopolitical goals from these corrupt leaders by the western governments. But if disastor has to be averted than the western governments must take this direly needed step for the sake of humanity.
> Democratic form of governments must be confirming to the cultural heritages and traditions of the specific country like those in Japan and Israel for instance.
> Literacy rate of these countries needs to be dramatically increased through formal and informal means

The debate over democracy as the basic form of government and it's virtues is going on for centuries now. But the critics against this form failed to provide any valid alternatives. Democracy itself is far from the perfect governance solution, however attached with it is a feeling of freedom and paticipation in ruling thy life for a commoner..................................



  







   

 

 









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