The expression of critical opinions a valued part of our society

Editor:

I am writing this before the May 29th Alberta election. Whatever the result, I predict the situation I am writing about will remain relevant.

Some people complain about an opposition party member criticizing the government.

“Can’t she say positive things about the government?” And I say: She must be doing a good job.

To criticize the government is the job of “His Majesty’s Royal Opposition.” Not criticizing means they are neglecting to perform the duty as the opposition. When the opposition party stops opposing, our democratic political system will not function as it should.

Not allowing criticism is a dictatorship. Nazis and the Soviet Union sent those who opposed to a gulag or to death. We got rid of such a draconian system in most of the industrialized countries last century. It took two bloody wars that took the lives of millions of people. They paid the ultimate price to win the right to oppose the party in power. Thank goodness those days are long gone where we live. So let’s stop reminiscing about those bad old days.

News media is another story. Many of them are quite clear about their positions like CNN and Fox. They don’t hide their biases.

But some of them try to present themselves as neutral. They have a tough time because party politics have become tribal warfare and quoting even one critical comment causes accusation of partisanship.

I have to admit, however, that it’s annoying to be criticized or questioned. But it is the way of democracy. Both conservative and progressive people must listen to the voice from the other side.

You don’t have to agree. It’s not war. It is a family affair. We must remind ourselves that the mark of being humans is that we are all different. It is like a thousand people have a thousand different faces. No two persons have exactly the same face: Likewise their opinions.

Where we have different opinions, disagreement between us is normal. There is something wrong if two persons have exactly the same opinion. Annoying and irritating as it may be, an important thing about democracy is to take criticism as normal. You don’t have to accept it. It is OK to be annoyed. You should be able to say we are different and agree to disagree without hating each other. It is an important skill to have when we accept that difference is normal. Stay away from people who tell you you’re arguing or even fighting every time you try to express yourself.

The mark of being a civilized human is to be able to find the way to live with difference without hating each other. Killing the difference is the law of the jungle, not of the civilized human society. It is important to remember that to be able to compromise is the mark of a mature human.

Furthermore, the most important thing to remember is: we are on the same boat. We belong to the same family - the human family. We argue in order to find the best for all without destroying the opponent. There are many examples in history where a party won overwhelmingly and the whole nation ended tragically. It was when the power of the winner was so overwhelming that there was no opposition. The overwhelming victory of one party can destroy a country. Fascism in Italy, Nazis in Germany, the military in Japan are good examples. It happened during the last century.

It is also important to admit that we can be wrong. I personally have always been on the side commonly known as progressives. I don’t mind being called “lefty.” However, I must admit we have a bad habit of thinking that we are always on “the right side of history.” We haven’t. It is dangerous to think we are always right. To believe that what you have is the only absolute truth and all others are false is arrogance and is idolatry. We must admit we can be wrong, therefore we must allow dissent and feel free to disagree with friends. If we live in the bipartisan system like many English-speaking countries, we will have to fight within the party and compromise for the sake of party unity. Personally, I much prefer the multiparty system prevalent in many European countries.

But I live in Canada and have to live with the system given. Compromise is the key to successful functional democracy. It is a frustrating system. But so far it is the best one we have. That’s why it is important to have critical opinions alive within the system. Let hundreds of flowers bloom among us, and celebrate diversity. Tadashi (Tad) Mitsui

Lethbridge