By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel
On Wednesday, March 29, the Summit for Democracy’s five co-hosts — the United States, Costa Rica, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, and Zambia — officially kicked off the Summit, with each co-host leader hosting a live, fully virtual, thematic, leader-level plenary session. The second fully virtual summit for democracy jointly hosted by the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Zambia, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and the United States brought approximately 121 nations and leaders as well leaders from civil society and the private sector. They came together to address the common difficulties facing the world, showcase their progress on last year’s pledges and announcements and vow to commit again to take part in a global democratic renewal.
The event is more relevant than ever before as democracy across the globe is at high risk. Today we have leaders who have been transformed into an autocracy supported by a two-thirds power equation. The leaders disregard the will of the people and are focused on beating their own trumpets negating the norms, ethos and values of democracy. Many people across the globe lack the basic right to self-govern. They live under autocracies, authoritarianism and dictatorship — many under the façade of having freedom through a false election and leaders who corrupt the word democracy.
As thinking is, the people have the right to protest against flawed policies and plans. Likewise, they are expected to disagree and disapprove the imperfect agendas. Likewise, the citizenry also has the right to hold the authority accountable on issues that matter to them. Their demands for accountability and transparency make democracy stronger and more vibrant. But it is surprising and strange that the dissent voices are viewed as the greatest enemy and put behind the bars for speaking against the government of the day. This has been our hallmark ever since we restored our democracy in 1991.
Right now, the biggest threat to democracy comes from the elected leaders who have been transformed into an authoritarian backed by a two-thirds majority. Even the world’s largest democracies have been experiencing similar treacherous circumstances. In their internationally acclaimed book “How Democracies Die” Harvard University political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have rightly pointed out that we do not need an authoritarian to make democracy a thing of the past. The elected leaders who have turned into an autocrat negating democratic values and institutions are the biggest threat to democracy.
As things stand now, the people have lost faith in the democratically elected leaders. They hold the view that leaders have been engaged in maneuvering the democratic norms and values to remain in power infinitely. Their only intention is to cling to power — no matter how it comes. Given our strained democracy as a result of existing political turmoil, this perception cannot be overlooked altogether.
In the words of the US President, Joe Biden, “[A]s a global community for democracy, we have to stand up for the values that unite us.” Over the last few years, we have been seeing the threads of the fabric of the democracy fray. If we let it unravel, citizens throughout the world will be denied the opportunity to determine their own futures. The remarks of the US President are very relevant and appropriate given the present context.
The periodic election plays an instrumental role in making a vibrant democracy. It offers citizens to retain the leader they like and unseat the non-performers. To the utter dismay, the true essence of election is gradually declining in the recent past. There is a reason to believe so. In the run-up to an election, authoritarian governments spread disinformation, seeking to affect election outcomes or stoke tensions. Besides, a candidate with a strong economic background can mould the course of the election. In other words, the leader, despite his sound political credentials and popularity, will lose the election if he is not capable to blow money to influence the action and perception of people during the election. Our last local election result is the case in point if media reports are any guide.
We bid adieu to one dynasty rule with a hope to see prosper Nepal. We also ended the century-old monarchy with the hope to see the vested power lies in the people ensuring good governance. But, we have more mini monarchs who are no less than the former rulers in terms of governance. This would not be an exaggeration to say that now we have democratically elected autocrats of sorts in a democratic set-up. What a masterstroke from our leaders of successive government and what a fatal blow to Nepal
When we were ushered into a democratic republican set-up, we believed that better days will arrive soon. We set the example of how an autocratic country be transformed into a democratic government. Likewise, we also serve as an example of a country striving for change, realising its constitutional aspirations of an inclusive democracy, and building a better future for all its citizens. But it is really very disheartening to see that attempts are being made to reverse the political and social achievements.
Despite all that the democratic countries of the world have accomplished in the last year, there remain serious challenges to address: Disinformation, political and social instability, corruption, and the erosion of voting rights and human rights. These conditions can lead to distrust in government and result in apathy, low voter turnouts, and distaste for public service by people who could greatly contribute to their communities and their countries. Democracy is the hardest form of government, but the one overwhelmingly most capable of benefitting individual citizens and communities writ large. It is worth the hard work and must not be taken for granted. United with our democratic friends and partners like Nepal, whose renewed commitment to democracy has set an example, we’ve set a course to meet the challenges we face together and secure a better, more equitable, prosperous, and democratic world for us all.
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