Democracy in distress

TERRENCE HONORE

THE ONGOING saga in the United States regarding the Capitol Building riot on January 6, 2021, is of noteworthy consideration and relevance to us in TT. The episode directly threatens the preservation of democracy in that nation, the region and the world. The situation was heightened by the role of the former president, relating to the actions by people known and unknown.

The matter is under investigation, with a House of Representatives committee convening its seventh hearing on Tuesday. I have taken a glance or two at the proceedings, but what we need to carefully observe is how the US government, the mighty defender of democracy, is contending with a violation of its own trust.

Given all that has transpired, it is obvious that democracy is in distress. Is it fatal? It’s hard to tell. But the prognosis does not look good for those in the middle of the melee. It’s real bacchanal in the Washington capital, the centre of the democratic world.

It’s indeed a testing time for that proven form of government and its threatened demise by the unwise.

There is a direct relationship between what is happening in the big US and little TT. We are both custodians of democracy, committed to the preservation of the freedoms we hold so dear; the rights to free press and expression enshrined in our constitution. But these must not be violated or trampled upon by perpetrators of civil disorder that put our people and our polity in jeopardy.

The well-known quote reminds us, “If your neighbour’s house is on fire, wet yours.” There is therefore a legitimate cause for concern, given the volatile political situation in the US.

But really, who would have thought that a sitting president would have been embroiled in such an episode? Such acts are usually left for the dictators in backward “shi-----” countries as he, president Donald Trump, was quoted as saying in the media.

Consequentially, the attack on the US Capitol unfolded like a Hollywood movie script, with a leading star, supporting actors and hundreds of extras storming the set. The Capitol Building was full of drama and intrigue, for all the world to see, but the full story is yet to be told.

Shortly after the fiasco, many saw the inauguration of President Joe Biden on the American “throne” as palliative care for a democracy in distress. But the question is still in the air: how well is the US democracy coping? We must be patient and prudent in our consideration that the concept and philosophy of democracy is being tested and may be falling apart as it seems.

In our deliberations, we must admit that we have been “supporting” the US democracy in taste, in values and in dress, even as we strive to retain our own culture. We are branded forever. We are a nation born again to a Republican state, but our navel string is still tied to the foreign mother. The economic midwives still shape our lives.

The connection is deep. Over time, we have moved along, with many humming the melody to the familiar words of the US national anthem, “Oh say can you see...” And sending our children to be nurtured by the prudence of the North American political economy and culture. We are awash with American paraphernalia since the Chaguaramas base in the war days of the 1940s, spouting paranoia for things that totally belong to the American way.

No one can deny that the very air we breathe has the “fragrance” of the North American ideology. Our vision and habits have been patterned and “permatised.” We are plagued by the myopic perception that we are free. But while the eagle seems to shape our destiny, we must never neglect to look for the corbeaux around in protecting our democracy from decay.

And so, the US, the cradle of western civilisation, seems to have taken a turn for the worse. The stage is set for the demise of the great nation if there is no turning or reconciliation in the contentions of its many professed positions on life, and all that we also consider dear. America needs to hear.

The concept of democracy that the US shares with TT has been shaken by the recent incidents and with the presidential impeachments. We are in the midst of it. We can’t escape the irony of the dependency on the North American thinking. If that boat is sinking, so are we.

Even so, the same concept of theocracy that was the foundation of US democracy should remain central to any consideration for the resolution of issues. No state should drift away from its moorings, despite riots and other contentious issues. The teaching of the “God in whom we can trust” should continue to be the core concept for democratic freedom in any nation.

What then is the destiny of TT’s democracy? We have our own share of distress. But we must maintain integrity in our democracy. We must watch out for the crazy talk and nefarious actions that are creating cracks and crevices in our form of government. The issue of corruption is choking us and we don’t seem to have the constitution to withstand the onslaught. We are tripping over each other in our attempts at putting things right, but all too often in a wrong way.

We must strive to preserve our place in the sun. Our nationalism has been an infusive force in the pathway of our progress; we must preserve our democracy by any means necessary. What has been going on in the US must never happen to us. We must put laws in place to stop any creeping dictatorship or the scourge of race in party politics. We must ensure accountability in parliamentary representation, and demand honesty from those in high offices. That is the burden of our democracy.

So, while we sit in the pavilions of life and view the strife amidst the US leadership, we must see it all, not merely as a march to the Capitol, but a march in time to eternity. That is our true manifest destiny.

The US and TT share a common philosophy in democracy, but we must both continue to embrace theocracy. With that philosophy there is a clear destination. There is a God and we must change our alliance from a reliance on the North American ideal to a model of governance with its focus fully on the divine. And never forget that the one who truly rules the affairs of man is not of this land or any other.

So, what about the ongoing drama in the Capitol in Washington? The saga continues like a sequel from a movie thriller, but in real time. We watch and pray; we look and learn.

Our eyes are on North America, but our hearts must belong to God.