Giving no chance to chaos
WHAT hit the headlines around the globe this week was how violent rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday.
In Fiji, this comes at a time when news seem to focus largely around the ravages of Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa and the struggles many families are going through as the start of the 2021 school year slowly approaches.
As a democracy that many of us regard as a cauldron of hope, the political quagmire in the US teaches us one thing — that democracy is more fragile and vulnerable than many think. It is not perfect too.
It demonstrates that while the holding of general elections occupy an important place in a democracy, equally important or perhaps more vital, is the need for people, politicians and parties to accept election results and honour the processes that give rise to those results.
World leaders were fast to condemn those who instigated and participated in Wednesday's lawless disturbances at the seat of the world's greatest democracy.
Australian PM Scott Morrison described the riots as "terribly distressing" and "very concerning".
Jacinta Ardern of New Zealand said what happened on Wednesday was "wrong".
"Democracy — the right of people to exercise a vote, have their voice heard and then have that decision upheld peacefully should never be undone by a mob," Ardern noted on social media.
Fijian PM Voreqe Bainimarama compared democracy with a "prestigious treasure".
He tweeted that the violent scenes seen in Washington were an "affront" to democracies around the globe.
While PM Bainimarama has made that call, for us, as citizens of a country that has been through four illegal overthrows of democratically elected governments, it is high time we started examining our roles in supporting democratic ideals and institutions.
Our tumultuous political history tells us that all the coups we've experienced, including the 2006 overthrow that catapulted the FijiFirst party to power, happened within one year from the general elections.
This surmises that our coups seem to be perplexingly associated with elections. They are the manifestation of individuals and groups' inability to respect the results of elections as an expressed consent of the people.
They also represent people's insatiable hunger for power, their blatant refusal to be held accountable and their utter disrespect for the Constitution as the supreme law.
With the elections year now quick approaching, it is my hope and prayer that, for the sake of Fiji and all those who call it home, key political stakeholders will work in unison to stage a free, fair and periodical elections in 2022.
I would like to see institutions that are supposed to be independent, free from political interference not only on paper but in practice too.
I also expect public officer holders who work for these democratic institutions to display maturity, integrity and professionalism. It would be good to have officers who understand their roles and place in creating a strong and vibrant democracy.
It would be great to find civil servants who can push for better public service delivery and find politicians who see elections as a competition to serve and not to lead.
It would also be nice to see losers in the elections, like President Donald Trump in the US elections, accept the results and move on to allow a smooth and peaceful transition of power.
Using ideals and working with institutions to build and sustain a democracy need hard work and public participation is required.
It needs strong virtues and lots of patience too. For without patience, over expectation becomes too prevalent and accepting flaws will appear difficult.
Hence, when things don't happen the way we want them, which happens in any democracy because we do not live in a perfect world, it is easy to institute our own brand of democracy that often goes against universally accepted principles that have worked for centuries.
Rather than working within the confines of what is legal and becoming more accepting of imperfect democratic processes than can be fine-tuned, leaders may sometimes force the acceptance of radical changes through undemocratic means.
In Fiji, this has happened four times and every time this happens, people lose interest in democracy and distrust the very institutions set up to consolidate it. It crushes people's hopes and dreams and the aspirations of the nation.
Whatever has unfolded since the US Presidential elections of November 3 2020 shows us in Fiji how greed for power by those in positions of authority and straying from the genuine path of democracy can potentially do to bring about discord and dissent.
I was a class seven kid at Bucalevu Secondary School on the island of Taveuni when the first coup happened.
In fact, when Mr Hirdesh Prasad mentioned the word "coup d'etat" during Basic Science class on May 14, 1987, I knew nothing about the phrase. It was foreign and meaningless.
Today, through work and learning, and passion too, I know what it is and that it has no place in a modern democracy.
What I know is that the democratic process is seldom smooth and easy.
It is rather very messy at times, just like what is happening in Washington.
But it works and it works best over the long term and with patience. It has worked since its early days in the city of Athens.
Communism, absolute monarchies, theocracies and other autocratic forms of government have slowly given way to political systems that are more peoplecentred and human rights-oriented.
Now democracy is the most common form of government in the world today.
Democracy has proven itself time and time again that is the ideal tool for selfgovernance and economic growth.
It is also the ideal platform for nurturing human diversity and ensuring human rights and the best way to ensure that we live together peacefully and that all our voices are heard.
There are no short cuts and you cannot watch from the sideline. It works best when we actively, responsibly and freely participate in it.
Before I end, I would like to take this opportunity to thank a few people who live in Vakamasisuasua in Labasa.
My gratitude goes to Jackie, Millie and Eta, Rozella, Alifereti and Finau.
Thank you for looking after me well and for being great hosts during my short stay in Labasa while covering post-STC Yasa stories in the provinces of Bua and Macuata. Hope to see you again soon!
Until we meet again on this same page same time next week, stay blessed, stay healthy and stay safe!