Democracy in Dilemma

I am sharing the summary of my keynote speech delivered at the Kantipur Conclave 2024 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The topic was "Democracy in Dilemma," a very pertinent global issue in today's times.?

Democracy is not just a system of governance; it is also an embodiment of certain values that hold society together to keep it fair. Democracy consists of some fundamental principles: freedom of expression, respect for pluralism, space for dissenting views and opinions, and equality before the law regardless of color, caste, gender, or creed. When these principles are threatened, democracy weakens.?

I believe that there are four types of dilemmas. The first is the erosion of trust in governance. Corruption, lack of transparency and accountability, the advancement of majoritarianism, and polarization contribute to this erosion. There is another factor: when two of the most important pillars of democracy, the judiciary and the media, are compromised and begin serving political interests instead of protecting democracy and truth, public trust starts to erode.?

The second dilemma is the manipulation of truth. The media, particularly social media, plays a very important role in this. If media is controlled, manipulated, misused, and abused by some power groups, then people are confused and misled. Every minute there's a flood of false information that eventually results in division, hate, and vengeful attitudes.

The third dilemma is weakening of the values of democracy in our personal,?organizational, social, institutional and political lives. This is because unity in diversity and shared responsibility has lost its true essence.

The fourth dilemma is the increasing uncertainty about the future of society. If people are not confident that they will receive a fair share of what they contribute to society or are not certain of equal opportunities, they lose faith in democracy. This is due to the utter failure of the state in ensuring social justice to its citizens, especially economically and socially marginalized groups. Laws should be properly enforced, and investments should be made in social protection programs that enable people to build their own lives.?Education can play a vital role in empowering people in attaining social justice.

It is deeply concerning that 47 percent of the global workforce lacks social protection and the guarantee of social justice. One out of every ten children worldwide has been forced into child labour, child trafficking, etc. When discussing democracy, how can we ensure a better and more secure future where young people, especially children, can’t achieve their dreams??

The world is not impoverished. A few years ago, our group, the Laureates and Leaders for Children, conducted a study that revealed that an additional 53 billion dollars annually could provide protection, education, and healthcare for every child in all low-income countries. This amount is less than ten days of global military spending.

We know the problems and have an idea of the solutions. The tragedy is that the gap between the problem solvers and problem sufferers is widening with each passing day. When people in power do not take the moral accountability to find meaningful and sustainable solutions to everyday social issues, those at the receiving end are further pushed back in darkness.

How can we revive the values of democracy? Ordinary people who are not directly affected by the problems are becoming mere spectators. There are organizations, political leaders, youth and student organizations, farmers' and workers' organizations, media groups, and leaders in the corporate world who understand this and are working to narrow the gap. This is compassion. Issues like racial and caste discrimination and the?ongoing communal divide can be changed through the transformative power of compassion.

Even if democracy is in a dilemma, we have witnessed in the past that such dark times come and go because nothing is more transformative than the innate power of human beings. But we cannot be silent observers. We have to speak truth to power. We have to build a culture of problem-solving by fostering Compassion in Action.