DailyPost 815
DEMOCRACY SANS COMPLEXITY
Democracy has matured as the best form governance & government over the last few centuries. As we had started celebrating its complete takeover something seems to go awry. Democratic leaderships and systems have been able to take harsh decisions of war and peace and on economic depression and have come out successfully, might be at times a little bruised. The strength of the system at it’s core has never been doubted for it’s basic delivery; capability of it govern on the will of the people and that the will of the people is always right. People elected the representatives and they decided through well established methods decided on their behalf. If people decided directly on any issue, does the democracy has the capability to pull it through in a multinational environment.
Notwithstanding, the complexity of political thought and it’s refinement, it’s improvement over centuries of practice, best discussion and creation of constitutions, the democracies were meant for pious souls for straightforward decisions and it’s execution. Complexities of a different world are putting it on the verge of derail. Did the Americans have all the information required to elect or not to elect Trump? Does validated information reaching the electorate is extremely essential for making a decision? Information plays of different kinds are plaguing democratic systems globally with no end sight.
Democratic countries know how to get into a multinational protocol and numerable multinational arrangements are functioning. Do we know how to get out of it? What is the role of a referendum in a democracy? Is it’s legal sanctity irrevocable even in face of national disaster? First the decision for referendum, then the nature of campaign; allegation of manipulated information, govts changing, efforts on the face of it and with 100 days to go, the chances of no-deal Brexit looms large. UK has allocated 2bn Pounds in funding to govt. departments. Govt. has sent letters to 140,000 firms urging them to plan ahead. 3500 troops will be put on standby to maintain essential services.
Delineating economic complexity in a political solution framework internally and externally, ie, European Union, did not happen post Brexit referendum. It had to happen in a time bound manner. Leadership, democratic systems, political fraternity, lack of competence at an extremely complicated trade / commerce / multilateral agreements planning or might be a combination of all, has brought UK to the present economic imbroglio. A no-deal Brexit. Can democracies not handle extreme complexities?
DEMOCRACY 2.0 MIGHT BE THE ANSWER.
Sanjay Sahay