(Sandesh Shrestha)
Kathmandu,
Nov 17: Democracy
and freedom are veritably essential components of development and prosperity
which has been attested by the history of human civilization.
Adherence to democratic principles with
a system receptive to pluralistic existence and respect for freedom, rights and
justice is imperative for a sustained movement on a path of higher forms of
civilized society.
Democracy and freedom are two sides of
the same coin to say the least and tend to give the best result only if
The history of democracy can be traced
back to the classical Athens in the 6th century BC. The democratic
revolution in Athens took place when people gathered at the Acropolis refused
to leave until the ruling tyrant was stripped of power and sent into exile. The
people wanted a new system giving right to male citizens the freedom of speech
and right to vote in all matters of social interest. The people called it
‘Demokratia’ or democracy from the words ‘demos’ meaning people and ‘kratos’
meaning power. But democracy did not include the rights of women and slaves.
In modern history French Revolution and
the American Revolution are viewed as the progenitors of the modern democratic
system.
The American Revolution took place
between 1765 and 1783 when the rebels in Thirteen American Colonies overthrew
the authority of the British Crown and founded the United States of America.
The radical and political upheaval in France from 1789 to 1799 gave rise to
democracy and nationalism and marked the decline of powerful monarchies and
churches, and removed the concentration of power in the hands of the ruling
aristocracy.
The democratic system has always been
established to overthrow and subvert the existing autocratic government. It is
essentially driven and imbued with the spirit of freedom and justice. The rise
of democracy in any country does not entail the end of a long struggle for
justice, freedom and insurance against violation of the rights of citizens. It
merely unfolds a new journey stippled with obstacles that invariably accompany
a democratic rule of governance.
A democratic society without a fully
developed legal framework capable of providing justice on an equal footing and
uphold the spirit of a pluralistic society constantly poses a threat to
freedom. Democracy is only a point of departure to catapult the society on a
mission for realizing the ideal of freedom and a system of governance guided by
democratic principles.
In South Asia, development and
prosperity have been long overdue. The region has been able to absorb the
democratic form of governance but has failed to make use of it. It is
undeniable that the region, regardless of its potential, was incapable of
dealing with problems a pluralistic system engenders and the inevitable
implications of a free and semi-literate society.
On 8 December, 1985 the South Asian
Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with an objective
of tackling the issues of poverty, underdevelopment and illiteracy and to
search for new avenues for collective effort to achieve socio-economic
prosperity and to upgrade the living standard of the people of South Asia.
SAARC Charter of Democracy
The SAARC Charter of Democracy was
adopted in February 2011 in Thimphu, Bhutan.
The SAARC member countries signed the
Charter of Democracy to reinforce their commitment to improving the
socio-economic scenario in South Asia and to provide all individuals with the
opportunity to live in dignity, freedom and social justice and to realize their
full potential as enshrined in the SAARC Charter. The Charter is inspired by
the general objectives of South Asian states to promote peace, freedom and
social justice.
The countries have committed to
advancement of the rule of law, liberty and equal rights of all citizens. The
countries have affirmed their stance on pursuit of inclusion, good governance,
and poverty alleviation, especially the elimination of extreme poverty, seen as
essential to promotion and consolidation of democracy.
The
focus of the South Asian countries has been to strengthen democratic
institutions and processes in all national endeavors, and decentralization and
devolution. The Charter calls for ensuring gender mainstreaming in government
and society.
The Charter encourages all democratic
forces in South Asia, including the elected representatives of the people, to
unite against any unconstitutional change in government in any South Asian
country, and work towards the restoration of democracy in keeping with SAARC
Charter.
The
Charter of Democracy upholds participatory democracy characterized by free,
fair and credible elections, and elected legislatures and local bodies.
Its objective is also to inculcate
democratic values in the society through education and awareness building.
The 18th South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit is being held in Kathmandu
from 26-27 November with the theme ‘Deeper Integration for Peace, Progress and
Prosperity’.
The SAARC is under spotlight yet again
not without hopes that it would emerge as a vibrant regional organization with
groundbreaking decisions to implement the pledges made in the past and not be
constrained as a ‘talking shop’. There are many agendas on the table ranging
from poverty eradication, climate change, transportation, economic
collaboration and health.
We are obliged to retrace our history
and to find that SAARC has made more commitments and promises on papers and
fallen way short of delivery. Each of the SAARC member countries –Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – are
struggling to cope with internecine strife within and marred by corruption. The
countries are preoccupied in facing their own problems. The common issues which
are troubling the South Asian countries are magnified by false and pretentious
pledge of regional cooperation.
Promise of equality of treatment
In the Charter, South Asian countries
have committed to promoting equality of opportunity, equality of access and
equality of treatment at the national level, in keeping with the respective
constitutional provisions, as safeguards against social injustices and
discrimination. The countries are struggling at the very core of these issues.
Corruption and discrimination has been a nemesis in South Asia’s stride towards
development. There still remains widespread discrimination, corruption and
illiteracy. Democracy cannot function under mounting problems that incapacitate
it and even if it does function, freedom will only be restricted to word and
agreement.
The constricted view with which
democracy is handled by the rulers in SAARC member countries is one of the
major unseen problems.
It would not be amiss if we assert that
the ideal of democracy is far from realized and still further when we want to
use it for achieving a prosperous and a free country.
The real essence of problem manifested
in SAARC’s failure to capitalize on its potential is the failure of the SAARC
leaders and the member countries to make full use of democracy and give freedom
a more accommodating space. RSS
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