Prime
Democratic recession is now a global pandemic
What you need to know:
- Neighbouring Mexico has found its very own Donald Trump in the leftist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador who is neutering the election agency to settle personal scores with it. A pliable election authority is inimical to health of any democracy and provides the catalyst for the growth of a demagogue.
The rise in electoral autocracies across the world is now a major cause for concern and democratic recession seems to be becoming a global pandemic. The US felt it with the ascent of Donald Trump in 2016. His questioning the election process and authorities after losing the election in 2020 and efforts to nullify the election result, culminating in the Capitol Hill attack by his supporters is a blot on US democracy.
Neighbouring Mexico has found its very own Donald Trump in the leftist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador who is neutering the election agency to settle personal scores with it. A pliable election authority is inimical to health of any democracy and provides the catalyst for the growth of a demagogue.
Benjamin Netanyahu is another “wannabe dictator”. The Israeli prime minister is attempting to subvert the judiciary by empowering the legislature to overrule the country’s Supreme Court. Continuous protests by public and army reservationists since January may have provided a temporary setback to his plans but Netanyahu and his ilk remain a clear and present danger to Israel’s democracy. Courts remain the last hope for the common man in every democracy. Judicial oversight keeps the executive and legislature from running amok; (but that’s another story for another day for Uganda’s case especially on “bail for the corrupt ministers” and others of that kind vis-à-vis “ordinary/opposition politicians who are arrested). It is prudent to note that Israel is partnering the assault on democracy by selling the spyware Pegasus to autocrats. The industrial revolution had led to the growth of market economies and consequent rise in economic wellbeing and living standards of the masses. Education and universal suffrage ensured the economic and political empowerment of the common man. In the last century, the communists may have purged the wealthy and ruling classes in the name of the proletariat but the ensuing dictatorships and economic ruin spelt their doom in most parts of the world. Market capitalism and democracy became strange bedfellows. But democracy is facing stress globally as the booming market economies have suddenly stalled thanks to the mismanagement by the politicians and technocrats. The victim (population) is enraged because while its disposable income is shrinking drastically, the culprits are protected from the ill-effects of mismanagement and prospering. Their trust in democracy is shaken and demagogues are exploiting this weakness. It is resulting in democratic recession, a term coined by a Stanford University scholar.
The failure of the market economy is resulting in the rise of plutocracy, experts have warned us. The wealthy are financing pliable political parties and helping them win elections and attain power by hook or by crook. Such governments, in return, formulate policies that make the rich richer and the poor poorer. This is leading to the people losing faith in the efficacy of democracy and the rise of demagogues who first promise the moon and then when they fail to deliver, blame their predecessors for all the ills afflicting the nation and the society. This symbiotic relationship between the rich and their political patrons is slow poison for democracy as well as the invisible hand of the free market economy. From the developed nations in the West to the wannabes in the East, the right wing is exploiting this angst to gain power. It is a double whammy for the common man as not only his ease of living is becoming worse but he is also losing various freedoms he enjoyed earlier. Hate and distrust for people of different races in Uganda and around the world is unravelling social fabric worldwide. The world has become more short-tempered, violent and volatile. The alliance of religious and rich bullies had enslaved the people for centuries and democratic freedom was won after huge sacrifices by many generations. Democratic recession is leading to resurrection of these forces. The need of the hour is strengthening of the market economies and the education system to improve the quality of life and strengthen the belief in fair play.
A disclaimer for those experiencing dé jàvu; any resemblance to presidents, politicians, CAOs, commissioners or policies your suffering is purely coincidental.
Phillip Kimumwe,
