Qs & As
The state of our democracy
* ‘Democracy cannot be gauged or assessed only by the regular holding of elections every five years’
By LEX
The question of what pillars and threads constitute and protect our democracy and the civil rights or freedoms that go with it, should not generally be the cause of agitation if they are properly guarded by a functional set of institutions and processes. But recent years have witnessed such mediatised encroachments that many questions are being raised both locally and, in the internet age, internationally. How far should we be concerned and can we reverse the trend are topics we have asked Lex to shed light upon.
* We seem to give more credence to failings or perceived failings in our country or the systems in place when these are singled out by Western media or ratings agencies. What more has the ‘Financial Times’ report on Mauritius, probably sponsored by the local authorities, informed us about the state of our democracy than what we already know?
It is not a question of what we know more. The present regime shouts on the rooftops that we are a viable democracy. It may try to mislead the population and its ardent supporters, but you cannot fool independent observers, either local or those from outside, who not only keep watch on all countries to monitor their track record with regard to democracy but also seek the views of local observers. At the end of the day, in the internet age,international observers have broader inputs and information about our democracy than what we might be aware of ourselves. * Read More… Become a Subscriber
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 8 April 2022
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