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May 4, 2017 Pick almost any protest in history that led to a democratic revolution Ukraine in 2014, for example, or Tunisia in 2011 or the Philippines in 1986 and youll find many of the unsung heroes were soldiers or police officers. When ordered to fire on peaceful demonstrators, they refused. And a dictator was then forced to flee.

Such a moment of conscience by security forces may be coming to Venezuela. As pro-democracy protests against President Nicols Maduro become larger and more frequent, more cracks have opened among his supporters. Polls show less than a quarter of Venezuelans support him. And as Maduros legitimacy fades and the economy enters its fourth year of recession, he has relied even more on forceful repression and the shaky allegiance of armed forces. In the past month, dozens of people have died during peaceful protests.

The latest top official to openly criticize the Maduro government is Attorney General Luisa Ortega Daz. In March she denounced yet another unconstitutional grab for more power and Maduros use of armed thugs against dissidents. Her criticism led the opposition speaker of the sidelined legislature, Julio Borges, to make this request of the military: Now is the time to obey the orders of your conscience.

Any soldier or police officer that refuses to shoot nonviolent protesters is on solid moral and legal ground. Under a 1990 United Nations agreement called Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, security personnel have a right to ignore commands to shoot if there is a possibility of killing innocents.

In Venezuela, soldiers may have also heard of a saying by Latin Americas famed 19th-century liberator, Simn Bolvar: Cursed is the soldier who turns the nations arms against its people. And they may feel emboldened by recent demands from a majority of Venezuelas neighbors in the Organization of American States for free and fair elections and the release of political prisoners.

New democracies have often been created or reborn after a mental revolution by soldiers who, rather than shoot, embraced their fellow citizens and their cause of liberty.

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When conscience, not guns, decides a democracy - Christian Science Monitor

It is sadly true that Pakistan is a country where the concept of democracy is not only practised but also brazenly defied at the same time. It has become a place where democrats of all hues are proudly insulted for defending democratic dispensations.

The overwhelming reason and logic behind criticising democracy is that the politicians are indescribably corrupt, dishonest and inefficient. This premise is itself quite erroneous because corruption and inefficiency should never be a reason for not believing in democracy. Those who are too ready to highlight the weaknesses of electoral democracy should be mindful of the fact that dictatorial regimes have always been more corrupt and least accountable.

It is ironic that even after seven odd decades we are still grappling with the structural issues of a functional democracy which is dispensed through a constitutionally-backed civilian supremacy. We have been wrong enough to assume that we have come of age and the shoddy past has faded away in the pages of history.

Even today, we are shying away from respecting and practising constitutional democracy. This is precisely what we witnessed a few days back when a tweet from ISPRs official Twitter handle subjected an elected prime minister to a public snub regarding the infamous Dawn leaks issue. This is not to suggest that either of the offices is infallible. But the mode, behaviour and language adopted was exceedingly distasteful.

It is not a secret that the military does not trust the civilian governments on the matters related to national security. Civilian leaders are generally considered to be dishonest and disloyal to the country who neither have the requisite knowledge nor the capability to take strategic decisions in the national interest. But most of the monumental strategic disasters in the history of Pakistan have been carried out by dictatorial regimes.

This includes sitting in the USs lap through Seato and Cento, renting ourselves in a foreign-funded jihad in Afghanistan to the radicalisation of the social behaviour in General Zias time and providing air bases to the Americans without any questions asked. These are some out of many historical examples that can be given. So the mere fact of viewing political leaders as security risks does not bode well all the time.

Be that as it may, the political elite are rightly criticised for being too conceited and self-serving. They are too busy protecting their petty interests and are far from being accountable to the electorate. It is about time that the political elite realise that they can only earn respect through good governance. However, even if they dont govern well they are elected for five years and should be overthrown by vote only.

An elected prime minister, whoever he or she is, has all the executive authority to take decisions in the national interest. An elected prime minister should not only be backed by the constitutionally-protected doctrine of civilian supremacy in theory but also implemented in practice. Any elected prime minister should not be considered less loyal to the country in comparison to those in uniform.

The state of democracy will remain beleaguered in Pakistan unless all the stakeholders which include the executive, the military and the media respect the notion of civilian supremacy. The unpleasant exchanges will continue to take place unless the historical thought, memory and mindset change on all sides. It is unfortunate that many dont see it happening in the years to come.

The writer works for Geo News.

Email: muneebfarooqraja@ gmail.com

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A beleaguered democracy - The News International

Published time: 4 May, 2017 16:54 Edited time: 4 May, 2017 16:56

Only around half of young Europeans think of democracy as the best form of government, a new survey has revealed, while three-quarters see the EU as more of an economic pact rather than a group of nations sharing core European values.

The YouGov survey, the results of which were published on Thursday, was commissioned by the German TUI Foundation, which promotes dialogue on European issues. Between February and March, it polled 6,000 people aged between 16 and 26 from France, Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Spain.

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Overall, only 52 percent of the respondents saw democracy as the best form of government. That figure was higher in Germany (62 percent) and Greece (66 percent), the birthplace of democracy, while France, Poland, and Italy were most skeptical (42, 45, and 42 percent, respectively). The latter three countries are home to strong populist, nationalist movements, some of which have been described as far-right.

Additionally, 76 percent saw the EU as more of an economic alliance than a group of countries with common cultural interests (30 percent). A mere seven percent described those values as religion and Christian culture.

The value-based European cohesive forces have for a long time been taken for granted, said Thomas Ellerbeck, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the TUI Foundation. The European Youth Study shows that this apparently self-evident condition no longer applies.

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A Europe whose value is seen, above all, in the advantages of the common market threatens to become interchangeable and arbitrary. It is therefore important to discuss the shared values of Europe.

Over a fifth (21 percent) of respondents supported leaving the EU, a figure that was highest in Greece (31 percent) but lowest in Spain and Germany (12 percent). Only 22 percent of Germans feel the EU should cede more power back to regional governments, way under the overall average of 38 percent. Support for greater national sovereignty was highest in Greece (60 percent) and the UK (44 percent), which last year voted for Brexit.

In principle, young adults support the European idea, but they are increasingly suspicious when it comes to concrete measures and short-term projects, said Markus Spittler of the WZB Berlin Science Research Center, commenting on the surveys results. They can be called critical Europeans. They are critical because they question specific policies and institutional arrangements.

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Half of young Europeans skeptical of democracy survey - RT

MANILA - Detained senator Leila de Lima on Friday urged the Commission on Human Rights to remain steadfast as the country faced a "crisis of democracy."

De Lima, a former CHR chairperson, lauded the commission for safeguarding democracy.

The CHR recently uncovered a secret detention facility for drug suspects at a police station in Tondo, Manila.

"Indeed, the CHR is facing its toughest challenge as our nation is plunged into a crisis--a crisis of democracy where citizens are silenced amid the prevalence of flagrant violations of our fundamental rights; where lies and rumors are fabricated to poison our minds by some factors in our State for the sake of their political and personal agendas," De Lima said.

De Lima served as CHR chair from 2008 to 2010. She investigated alleged vigilante killings in Davao City under then mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

The Senator was arrested last February over allegations she received kickbacks from detained drug lords.

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De Lima says 'crisis of democracy' is CHR's challenge - ABS-CBN News

2017-05-05 08:03

Thomas Paine, the great 18th century philosopher and journalist, wrote an excellent essay challenging the English parliamentarian Edmund Burkes attack on the French Revolution.

Burke had published a book and made speeches in support of the rule of monarchs. Paine, on the other hand, was a great supporter of democracy and universal human rights.

In his essay, The Rights of Man, which he shared with US President George Washington, Paine said of Burkes book: It is darkness attempting to illuminate light.

One couldnt help but recall this essay when three people who fancy themselves experts on things they have proved themselves utterly incapable of understanding, attempted to fool the public.

The three habitually mouth all things darkness in an attempt to illuminate light. But their recent conduct and remarks have reached another level of darkness.

First, Jacob Zuma who said if he was a journalist or columnist he would write a column to educate citizens about the workings of democracy. His statement was a poor attempt at PR after he was booed at the Cosatu May Day rally in Mangaung. He said it was part of democracy.

It is true booing is part of free expression in a democratic system. But the workers who booed him and the journalists covering the event for the benefit of the public didnt need his lecture on democracy.

And while it is also true that journalists play an important role educating the public, it was rich of Zuma to imply that he understood the democratic system better.

In their reporting and commentary, journalists have consistently attempted to lecture him about how to govern in a democratic system. They have tried in vain to illustrate to him the importance of following the rules of state from Nkandla to nuclear.

But after eight years in power, he still runs the government like a stranger who has just dropped from Mars.

Concerned citizens and state institutions such as the courts, the public protector and lately Parliament have also tried to knock sense into his head. All to no avail. And yet, like darkness attempting to illuminate light, he sees himself as an expert on democracy and governance.

In his Constitutional Court papers where he is arguing against the secret ballot in a mooted parliamentary vote of no confidence in him, he dismisses the opinions of people like former President Thabo Mbeki and others on the basis that they are not experts in governance.

Zuma insinuates that he understands governance better than anyone else including Mbeki - who participated in the drafting of the Constitution - while Zumas job, according to late Minister Kader Asmal, was to note the hands of those who wanted to speak. Asmal also wrote in his memoir that Zuma, unlike Mbeki, never read Cabinet memos prepared for him.

Zumas court submission, which contains lies about ANC leaders having apologised for criticising his recent Cabinet reshuffle, is another proof of darkness attempting to illuminate light. If he knew better about how government works, he would have known that its criminal to mislead a court of law.

Second, there was Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe who is as frail as his countrys economy. He told the World Economic Forum in Durban that Zimbabwe is not poor. He suggested Zimbabwe is the second most developed country after South Africa.

Mugabes remarks are an insult to Zimbabweans who are scattered all over the world trying to eke out a living. Some of them risk life and limb while crossing the Limpopo river to fight for the crumbs of menial jobs in a dog-eat-dog South African labour market.

Mugabe elevated his political interests above those of the citizens to the point where he led his country to ruin. Had he been a selfless leader, he would have long retired and handed over power smoothly. But, sadly, in the context of darkness attempting to illuminate light, his remarks make perfect sense.

Third, the ever-present and overbearing Hlaudi Motsoeneng had planned to continue on his publicity stunt road show that is a metaphor of what has gone wrong in our Republic. Academic lecture, born intellectual, aspirant president, expert on the undesirableness of the number of political parties in Parliament, the man with that thing and the self-proclaimed lifetime boss of the SABC - however else he describes himself.

Motsoeneng was at it again recently attempting to (allegedly) motivate pupils at Eqinisweni Secondary School in Ivory Park, Gauteng, to focus on their studies. How can someone who lied about having a matric certificate, almost destroyed our public broadcaster and is facing a string of charges, be of any assistance to our children? It would have been a classic case of darkness attempting to illuminate light.

Fortunately, Gauteng education officials stopped him before spewing his poison. Many thanks to those officials who made the right call. They understand that only light illuminates.

- Mpumelelo Mkhabela is a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn) at the University of Pretoria.

Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.

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No thanks for the lessons in democracy - News24