Dear Editor,
Today (September 15) is International Day of Democracy. We could take a moment to congratulate ourselves. In May we had free and fair elections. Governing responsibility was transferred peacefully. Voter turnout was high ‒ over 86% of our voting age population actually voted compared to 32.98% in the USA in 2012 and 60.45% in the UK in 2015. ‘People power’ was evident, including photographing results at the polling stations to counter possible attempts at electoral fraud. The new government is preparing to hold local government elections which will bring back local democracy after 20 years of unelected, unaccountable officials running our communities. But we still have much to do and two things are urgent. First, democracy means respecting the wishes of the people. Amerindian villages elect their Village Councils through free and fair elections under the Amerindian Act 2006. In spite of this, Amerindian Village Councils are sidelined or ignored by government and by funding agencies. When government appoints Amerindian NGO representatives to public positions and when funding is given to Amerindian NGOs, an illegitimate power structure is created which undermines democracy and governance in Amerindian communities and violates collective Amerindian rights. If the government is serious about democracy, they have to update their thinking to understand and respect Amerindian collective rights, listen directly to the Amerindian councils and communities (not NGOs), and settle outstanding Amerindian land claims without delay.
Second, democratic elections require citizens who are informed and can make delay.
Second, democratic elections require citizens who are informed and can make intelligent choices. On September 5, Bishwa Panday, the new chair of the NCN board, was reported as saying, “NCN is owned by the state and as such should reflect the views of the government, while at the same time ensuring a wide spectrum of news and views is covered.” If he said this, he is wrong. The state and the government are two different things. It is dictatorships, not democracies, which seek to control the population by influencing the media. In a democracy, state media means an entity funded by the taxpayer to serve the public purpose. Its job is to provide objective and informed coverage of the important events of the day and to express valid criticism of the government when such criticism serves the public interest. Around the world few things frighten governments more than independent, critical media who tell the truth. Public funding is necessary because the private sector cannot be relied on. Compare news reports from the independent and publicly funded BBC with the drivel put out by Fox News and CNN. Until NCN is clearly independent, properly resourced, managed by professional journalists and providing facts with informed and critical analysis, citizens should turn off their televisions and radios.
We have a new government pledged to respect democracy and the rule of law. We have a corresponding responsibility to help them to get it right because, ultimately, democracy depends on a vibrant, engaged citizenry which is passionate about building a peaceful and just society for everyone.
Yours faithfully,
Melinda Janki
