Time ripe for reform of democracy

Trump presidency may not herald demise of the system, but shows need for changes

The chaotic scenes in Washington, where supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building on Jan 6, have been cited as further evidence of the demise of the Western democratic model in an increasingly complex world.

Aspects of the drama in the United States, in which Trump supporters sought to overturn the outcome of a legitimate election, were specific to that country.

However, it comes at a time when populist politicians in Europe and beyond are also challenging the prevailing democratic consensus by stirring up anger against targets as varied as immigrants, globalization and ruling elites.

Describing international shock waves from the events in Washington, the Los Angeles Times commented that they were “yet another troubling moment for democracies navigating the rising perils of a changing world order”.

The most pessimistic observers warn that such events could ultimately signal the death of democracy. But as Mark Twain, the most American of writers, was quoted as saying in 1897 of his prematurely published obituary, “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”

After all, the pro-Trump event failed. Joe Biden was installed as his elected successor on Jan 20. And elsewhere, politicians have been alerted to the fragility of their own democratic systems.

The crisis of democracy has nevertheless prompted some to argue that the democratic model needs a radical overhaul, with a move toward the greater direct involvement of those who feel increasingly alienated from a system that fails to serve their interests.

Democracy is a fundamentally messy system with no founding text to guide its practitioners.

Although the concept dates back to ancient Athens, modern parliamentary democracy evolved only around 400 years ago, in 17th century England.

The idea of universal suffrage is even more recent. For centuries, the right to vote depended on property ownership, and it was not until 1918 that women in Britain won the right to vote.

In the US, the voting rights of many black citizens were frequently infringed upon until the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Across different societies, there is no single definition of democracy. One academic survey has cataloged 2,234 adjectives used to describe it.

Some democracies are republics, with greater or lesser powers ascribed to parliament and the head of state, while others are constitutional monarchies. Many have adopted proportional representation, which gives greater power to minority parties and tends toward consensus, while others rely on first-past-the-post voting systems in which the winner takes all.

Some have a federal system that gives power to geographic regions, while others are centralized. The short-term interests of elected governments are often seen as a hindrance to long-term national planning.

The sobering experience of the Trump presidency could dent the enthusiasm of the US and its allies for exporting democracy elsewhere, a project that has frequently foundered in the post-World War II era.

Meanwhile, the fragility of democracy, as highlighted by events in the US, may force democratic societies to reassess the failings of a system that is now under stress.

Some have argued for a greater use of referendums to allow voters a more direct say in national policy, although that must be set against the divisions unleashed by the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote in 2016.

Other reformers believe online technology offers the opportunity for cyber-voting, in which the population could be consulted regularly on policy issues of the day.

Partisans of direct democracy say it would give citizens a greater role in devising and implementing the laws and policies that govern their lives than the representative, partybased democracy that has so far prevailed. For others, it is a formula for ill-informed decision-making and chaos.

Whatever options are adopted, democracy is evidently ripe for reform.

The lesson of the Trump presidency and the events in Washington may not be that democracy is headed toward its demise, but rather that it may have to reform, as it has so often over the centuries, to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.