Democracy: people must choose well and wisely

In the aftermath of the COVID pandemic and the unprecedented public uprising against the former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa or the socio-economic and political crisis, some party leaders and experts are calling for a new executive council system where the people will lose their sovereignty. United States’ former President Franklin De. Roosevelt has said democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. India’s former President Abdul Kalam has said that in a democracy, the well-being, individuality and happiness of every citizen is important for the overall prosperity, peace and happiness of the nation. One of the world’s greatest statespersons Nelson Mandela has said that whether you change the linen or stitch up wounds, cook the food or dispense the medicines, it is in your hands to help build a public service worthy of all those who gave their lives for the dream of democracy. He adds that this must be a world of democracy and respect for human rights, a world freed from the horrors of poverty, hunger, deprivation and ignorance, relieved of the threat and the scourge of civil wars and external aggression and unburdened of the great tragedy of millions forced to become refugees.   

These reflections come to mind when we mark the United Nations International Day of Democracy next month. Highlighting the need to strengthen democratic resilience in the face of future crises the UN says, the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has resulted in major social, political and legal challenges globally. As states around the world adopt emergency measures to address the crisis, it is critical that they continue to uphold the rule of law, protect and respect international standards and basic principles of legality, and the right to access justice, remedies and due process.   

UN Secretary General António Guterres has urged governments to be transparent, responsive and accountable in their COVID-19 response and ensure that any emergency measures are legal, proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory. “The best response is one that responds proportionately to immediate threats while protecting human rights and the rule of law,” he said.   

The Secretary-General’s policy brief says states must respect and protect, among other rights, freedom of expression and of the media, freedom of information, freedom of association and of assembly. Concerns in many countries in the context of COVID-19 include: Measures to control the flow of information and crackdown on freedom of expression and media freedom against an existing background of shrinking civic space; arrest, detention, prosecution or persecution of political opponents, journalists, doctors and healthcare workers, activists and others for allegedly spreading “fake news”; aggressive cyber-policing and increased online surveillance; postponement of elections is raising serious constitutional issues in some cases and may lead to rising tensions.   
The crisis raises the question how best to counter harmful speech while protecting freedom of expression. Sweeping efforts to eliminate misinformation or disinformation can result in purposeful or unintentional censorship, which undermines trust. The most effective response is accurate, clear and evidence-based information from sources people trust.   

Around the world civil society organizations have answered the UN’s call to action to address and counteract the wide range of ways the Covid-19 crisis may impair democracy and increase authoritarianism, by: developing media literacy and digital safety, more critical than ever as activism is forced online, so as to address the risk of suppression, interference and closing of civic space; fighting misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, which have mushroomed in the crisis; training journalists remotely to report on the impact of the pandemic with in-depth, fact-checked coverage, while staying safe on the front line; empowering women against gender-based violence, which has surged amid COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantines, and social and economic pressures; helping to highlight the challenges of inequality and weak service delivery made worse by the crisis, with specific focus on the needs and rights of women, youth, minorities and other marginalized populations, so as to help hold governments to account.   

In Sri Lanka also the people made a major mistake in giving 6.9 million votes to fomer President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled the country amid the unprecedented public uprising at the Galle Face Green opposite the Presidential Secretariat. But people were also given false promises especially to crackdown on bribery and corruption by top leaders but it continued with the family government leaders allegedly plundering hundreds of millions of dollars from the people’s money. Democracy may have its drawbacks but it is certainly better than autocracy like in Russia and China where an elite minority are making millions of dollars while the people are suffering.