Democracy in its purest form upholds freedom, but respects the rule of law

Human rights and the freedom to express ourselves come with great responsibility.

They demand that we respect the rule of law. In other words, we cannot take the law into our hands.

The civil unrest that is sweeping the United States and the rest of the world over the death of a black man teaches us how things can turn ugly when democratic rights are taken to extreme levels that lead to violence and death and the law enforcers overstep the mark. The street marches against racism were absolutely okay, but they were spoilt by the arson and looting from extremist elements. The street carnage reminded us of what happened here in 2000. The only difference was that the perpetrators had a different agenda. They had a racist platform.

It raises the perennial question: What sort of democracy do we want? Obviously, we do not want to see the violence that happened in America to occur here. But that can happen if we do not get the mix right between exercising democratic rights and respecting the rule of law.

Many of us condemn racism of any form. The reality is that it is present in many countries, including Fiji, if we go by what we read on social media.

It’s important that we don’t condone it and we must condemn it when we come across it. Those who remain silent are indirectly encouraging this evil to spread.

Whether it’s the skin colour or different culture and ethnicity, it is all our responsibility to ensure that racism does not spread.

Fijians have put behind them a dark past that was marked by racism at its worst when Indo-Fijians were targets of the 1987 and 2000 coups.

As we move into the future, it’s crucial that we recognise and treasure the core of the 2013 Constitution on equality and non-discrimination.

Irrespective of our diverse backgrounds, we are all equal before the law and God.

The implementation of public policies must be based on this principle. When the development dollars are spent on a group, it is on a need basis, not on race. Once we stop looking at issues through the racial lenses, we will begin to understand this concept. When this happens, it will eliminate racial tension and its associated problems.

Some of the exchanges we see on social media indicate that we need to use restraining in dealing with sensitive issues. Let’s learn from what’s happening in the US and around the world and ensure that it does not happen here. Let’s cultivate our brand of democracy that upholds basic human rights and freedom of choice and expression within the bounds of the law.

That will guarantee us peace and stability for our future.