A Challenging Democracy

As 2011 rolls on the world is again witness to the struggle and management of a Democratic society.  From Miramar to Egypt, Alberta to Zaire people must contemplate the role of the community and their place in it.

As I watch these events unfold I am challenged to think of how we strike the balance between “right” and “fair.”

I think most people living in a democratic society believe that the fairest way to conduct ourselves is through grassroots democratic community participation.  Since this is largely impractical we elect representatives to participate in that for us.  In fact this belief is so largely accepted that even government s widely recognized as brutal dictatorships put on at least the façade of democratic legitimacy.

World over in history men and women have sacrificed their lives to establish “fair” government – meaning one in which all had a voice.

The temptation always sneaks in though…like a thief in the night, on subverting democracy in the name of what is “right”

The ugly truth of democracy is it only really represents the will of the group.  There is no perfect moral compass that says majority rules means majority is correct, fair, just or good.

The very real fear in Egypt today …while hopeful that the people will be masters of their own fate …Is that the people of Egypt might not behave as we like.  Today’s ruthless dictator happens to be an ally of our people.  The average Egyptian may well support warring with Israel and the west….Time will tell.   This viewpoint that we cheer for democratic progress in Egypt, but fear the choices they may make puts the very values we hold dear to the test.

In our politics – world renowned for being open, democratic and fair – we too live this struggle.  (though peacefully)  Our Provincial Democracy holds that each region in the province elects representatives to bring our viewpoints to the government.  In practice though the ruling PC’s have taken a dangerous step away from this.  Late last year we saw the PC’s kill and eat one of their own for daring to speak out on concerns from his electorate.  Dr Raj Sherman, an ER Doctor and at the time, Tory MLA dared speak out against Alberta Health Services and the quality of patient care in our province.

Speaking out in this regard was, in my view, a completely reasonable part of provincial discussion.  For his efforts the ruling party gave him a “time out” and eventually booted him from the team.   Medicine Hat and Cypress region racked with flooding in 2009 had both our MLA’s stand silent while the government grossly underserved our neighbours who lost everything.  In an elected democracy our representatives should have been screaming from the hills for help – instead our MLS’s became the representative of Edmonton back to us.  They have it backwards.

So tempting is it to subvert democratic process that is “fair” in the name of doing what we think is “right” – The quagmire that always follows, is that “right” is of course too subjective.  So mankind will ebb and flow, struggle and dance to find this balance between fair and right, effective and democratic.  I think the only medicine for this problem is active democratic participation.  When you see what others risk to gain something so many of us ignore, it makes you stop and wonder.