Democracy's Death
Amal Chaaban
January 21, 2006
In just a few days, Canada will see its second election in less than 2 years. While some would call this a good strong part of democracy, I would tend to disagree. The last Canadian election was marked by voter apathy in record levels. It produced a Liberal Minority government that was brought down by the opposition parties within 18 months thus forcing Canadians to endure a campaign during the holidays. The campaign has thus far been very long on rhetoric from the Liberals and the NDP and short on real policy. Consequently, the Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper (Canada’s own version of George W. Bush) has been able to roll out a policy a day and has gained in the polls. All good for democracy again you say? No, not if the voters don’t come out and they have been staying away in droves.
In the west, democratic elections are taken for granted. People just assume that there will be an election, people will vote, governments will form. Even the 2000 U.S. election debacle did not disabuse voters of that notion. People still believe that democracy is alive and well in North America. When voter apathy is high, it gives the signal to candidates that as long as they can manage to get in, no one will care much about what they do and how they do it. This has been proven time and again here in Canada where the Liberal government has been operating with both a sense of entitlement and impunity. Scandal after scandal and they get voted back in. The last election 18 months ago saw them getting their hands slapped as they were handed a minority government. This election looks like a total lose situation for both the Liberal party and Canadians (especially if we get a Conservative majority). The reasons that the Liberal Party feel they can get away with anything are two: one because voter apathy is at an all time high in Canada. People are simply feeling that their vote doesn’t count and not voting. Two: most Canadians do not want a Conservative majority government with Stephen Harper at the helm.
Voter apathy is not confined to Canada. Other democracies such as the U.S. and Britain are facing the same problem. Not only are people not voting, they are almost pathologically ignoring the mistakes and dishonesty perpetrated by their governments in power. Dissent is written off to a bunch of kooks who are “unpatriotic” in all three countries. People in Canada who don’t want a Conservative majority (yours truly included) are written off as “bleeding hearts” or “supporting a culture of corruption” or even better “unaware”. In the U.S., people who dissent are written off as unpatriotic and “not supporting the troops” and in Britain, dissenters are accused of being soft on terrorism. The stifling of dissent is especially dangerous to democracy. Without dissent and debate, it becomes the party line all the time. People who care about democracy should talk to your candidates/elected officials about the issues that concern you. Make sure your voice is heard. Dissent and dialogue are crucial.
To not vote, dissent or discuss is possibly the worst damage you can do to democracy. People should be choosing who runs their country and how. We are very lucky to be able to do so and yet so few people do. Choosing your government is not just a right; it is an obligation incumbent on all citizens of democratic nations. Remember, if you choose not to vote, you are actively participating in the death of democracy.
In the west, democratic elections are taken for granted. People just assume that there will be an election, people will vote, governments will form. Even the 2000 U.S. election debacle did not disabuse voters of that notion. People still believe that democracy is alive and well in North America. When voter apathy is high, it gives the signal to candidates that as long as they can manage to get in, no one will care much about what they do and how they do it. This has been proven time and again here in Canada where the Liberal government has been operating with both a sense of entitlement and impunity. Scandal after scandal and they get voted back in. The last election 18 months ago saw them getting their hands slapped as they were handed a minority government. This election looks like a total lose situation for both the Liberal party and Canadians (especially if we get a Conservative majority). The reasons that the Liberal Party feel they can get away with anything are two: one because voter apathy is at an all time high in Canada. People are simply feeling that their vote doesn’t count and not voting. Two: most Canadians do not want a Conservative majority government with Stephen Harper at the helm.
Voter apathy is not confined to Canada. Other democracies such as the U.S. and Britain are facing the same problem. Not only are people not voting, they are almost pathologically ignoring the mistakes and dishonesty perpetrated by their governments in power. Dissent is written off to a bunch of kooks who are “unpatriotic” in all three countries. People in Canada who don’t want a Conservative majority (yours truly included) are written off as “bleeding hearts” or “supporting a culture of corruption” or even better “unaware”. In the U.S., people who dissent are written off as unpatriotic and “not supporting the troops” and in Britain, dissenters are accused of being soft on terrorism. The stifling of dissent is especially dangerous to democracy. Without dissent and debate, it becomes the party line all the time. People who care about democracy should talk to your candidates/elected officials about the issues that concern you. Make sure your voice is heard. Dissent and dialogue are crucial.
To not vote, dissent or discuss is possibly the worst damage you can do to democracy. People should be choosing who runs their country and how. We are very lucky to be able to do so and yet so few people do. Choosing your government is not just a right; it is an obligation incumbent on all citizens of democratic nations. Remember, if you choose not to vote, you are actively participating in the death of democracy.
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