Is our democracy working?

These days few of us would argue that democracy is not a fundamentally better political system than any known alternatives. It has not always been so. Plato was against democracy for he feared that it would lead to "mob rule", as rule by the least able of the community.

It was the French Revolution which firmly established the principles of liberty and equality and heralded the beginning of modern history. President George W. Bush is now crusading to export democracy to the Arab world as if it were another hamburger or plastic card franchise.

The critical question for me remains: how is democracy working in our country? In searching for answers we should not be over-emotional. Democracy should be much more than the holding of elections, and the right to vote, every few years. It has more to do with the participation of people in shaping the society they want. Democracy should not be seen as a state of being but as a process; its keystone being the education of the people.

Malta has been practising democracy as a sovereign state for just over 40 years. Probably as never before, what matters today is which political party possesses the winning platform. Much of the ideology is gone. So are a lot of values, principles and ideas.

Democracy is too often being rendered into the politics of manipulation; the glorification of image, style and cordiality. Public policymaking has become the pursuit of the line of least resistance rather than the search for effective solutions. Our politicians are day-in, day-out in an election mode. The situation deteriorated ever since we started getting regular "ancillary" ballots for local councils and the European Parliament.

The Americans legislated a limit that prevents their Presidents from serving more than two terms. They have come to take it for granted that their President will use the undoubted advantages of incumbency to secure re-election. The Americans hope that, during the second term, the President is brave enough to make some harsh decisions. To my mind, this is the type of constitutional amendment which our country really needs.

The mass media in Malta, as in many other countries, is increasingly under the control of a few interest groups. This is a far cry from the pluralism which the liberalisation of the media was meant to promote. Many people are tired of the politics of professional spin, shallow characters and mass culture. Of preaching one thing and doing another. Of trying to convince the people that it is their duty to go and vote, and then making a mockery of the system by withdrawing the party and fail to contest some local election.

No wonder people are becoming more distrustful of both politicians and the mass media. Surely, I am nor referring to all politicians and all media, but you get my drift. What worries me is that the bond of trust, and respect, between us people and our leaders is fast evaporating. And each one of us, in our own big or little way, at some time or other, has sought to take advantage of the system.

One local political slogan ran Drittijiet mhux pjaciri (Rights not favours). Every individual came to believe that he, or she, has a right to seek his, or her, self interest. And this, by hook or by crook. For those of us unlucky enough to get caught, there can always be some big brother, or perhaps an amnesty.

As a result, we all became accomplices in the symptoms of the anarchy we have in our society. I do not know why I continue to be shocked by the lack of interest shown in politics by the younger generation. They live in a much bigger world, a charmed or pottered one perhaps, where good witches fight it out with the fiends in great style. Politicians should realise that by consistently demonising and discrediting their opponents they are eroding the very legitimisation of their own rule.

Indeed, this has become the Achilles' heel of our relatively young democratic system. Our ancestors had a lot of respect for authority - civil, albeit colonial, and ecclesiastical. Rules and laws were to be obeyed not circumvented; they provided the fibre for social cohesion.

Authority in a modern democratic society is founded on three key institutions each of which is meant to keep the other two in check. These institutions are the ruling political regime, the judiciary and the administrative arm of the government. Regretfully, the public's respect for all three institutions over the years has been dented by accusations of corruption - real or perceived.

This has created a culture that, in this land, everything goes. Our leaders have too often ignored the fact that they act as role models whose behaviour sends powerful messages throughout society, about what is permissible and what is not. Leaders set the standard by which other people calibrate their own choices and behaviour.

It is no longer sufficient for our leaders to talk about values and visions. More importantly, they have to lead by example. People believe in actions and not words. Every action taken, or not taken, is a reflection of the seriousness of one's values and principles. No amount of political spin can change this.

fms18@maltanet.net