| | |  Editorials | Opinions | October 2009 
The Crisis and Democracy
 Guillermo Ramón Adames y Suari - PVNN
October 03, 2009
| | (Slate.com) | |
What is the impact of the economic crisis on democracy? First and foremost, the need for survival is beyond anything else; we cannot ask anybody for democracy or rights of any sort if basic survival is simply not met. Altruistic unity amongst people (which is supposedly true democracy), cannot operate if the economic framework is inexistent or about to collapse. Unfortunately this has hit all over the world: all latitudes included. People become vulnerable and more sensitive to the possibility of losing their jobs.
Under this context, people are more critical to the way they are governed. This "unease" cannot go unnoticed and unrest erupts unless there is a potential offer of security and prosperity in a relatively short future. This is what Mrs. G. Bush and B. Obama have been trying to offer to the American people as a response to the main problem which started in the US. This economic situation generated some problems and unrest in other democracies also. Furthermore, younger democracies which are dependent on the Northern ones, like Latin America and Africa, are about to suffer serious blows. Other regimes which are known not to be open democracies or considered as authoritarian regimes, will become more strict and difficult on their fellow citizens.
We have witnessed deep faith in democracy throughout the world but ratings of democracy proper, are short in supply nowadays. Even more, when lack of true democracy gets mixed with catastrophes such as the recent earthquakes in Asia and other major disasters throughout the world, governments are put to test. Add an economic mismanagement to this situation and the result is as follows: The response is low in democracy and shows the fragility of governments. Government's margin of response between a minor and a major problem shows the inability of administering a country. People react and sometimes in a very strong manner.
As analysts predict, we just hope that the crisis curve has reached the bottom. World leaders seek to coordinate international responses and to build some safeguards in the international financial and banking architectures: The strongest stands have been stressed by France's President and to a lesser extent, others in the EU and the G-20. The IMF's stand seems to be a bit too soft, compared to the size and impact and consequences of the problem.
We can only hope that these efforts will be effective in making the overall world economy more sustainable, predictable and effective. The very fact that such decisions are taken at levels and instances so distant from the everyday citizen, is an additional challenge to the overall credibility of a representative democracy. People want jobs, they want ease of life. They want security. The overall chain of democracy is put to test in this complex international machinery that people seem to have lost sight of.
I have tried to explore in this article where global democracy stands in the current economic turmoil. There seem to be more questions than answers. Possible solutions seem to depend on what major economic decisions will be made within and between western economies. In the meanwhile, fragile (economically emerging) democracies seem to depend solely on somebody else's economies. Hard to swallow: "Our democracy and internal peace depends on somebody else's decision."
Guillermo Ramón Adames y Suari is a former electoral officer of the United Nations Organization. Contact him at gui.voting(at)gmail.com |
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