Guest Blog: Institutions > Democracy

We've mentioned Egyptian author Tarek Heggy before, for his excellent articles on this site. He's also the author of the recently-published book "Culture, Civilization & Humanity." We're honoured to have him guest blogging right here this time, and addressing a topic of critical importance to anyone interested in the future of the Middle East. As we count our blessings here on Canada Day, it's also worth going back to first principles and reminding ourselves of the foundations upon which those blessings rest.

The Institutions of Democracy are More Important Than Democracy
ByTarek Heggy

A question that is the subject of intense speculation in Mideast study centres and think tanks throughout the world is whether the implementation of democracy in undemocratic environments could allow extremist political groups to gain a hold on power. Does a commitment to democracy entail submitting to such an eventuality?

Actually, the question betrays a poor understanding of what democracy really means. Democracy is a complex system that depends for its existence on 3 processes...

1. The first is the arrival of the ruler in power through democratic means.
2. The second is exercise of power within the parameters of constitutional and legal rules and his full accountability to the people.
3. The third is departure from power by democratic means.

These processes, which form the structural underpinnings of any democracy, are not a function only of the ballot box, but rely essentially on civil society organizations on the one hand, and on the availability of mechanisms for democratic practices on the other. The ballot box is only a small part of a much larger whole, just one of the constituent elements of a democratic environment, which cannot exist in the absence of the three processes mentioned above, nor in the absence of the mechanisms and organizations of civil society or the institutions of democracy. Those who are truly committed to democracy are aware of what it entails, and are working tirelessly to set in place the institutions and mechanisms for democratic political action and to establish and consolidate civil society institutions and organizations. The common denominator between them is institutional participation, and it is this that lays the groundwork for the three processes required for democracy: the ruler’s accession to power by democratic means, his exercise of power by democratic means and his departure from power by democratic means.

Then there are those who pay lip service to democracy but who see it merely as a tool they can use to reach power. Once they achieve their end, these false prophets will ride roughshod over the institutions, organizations and mechanisms of democracy and bring the curtain down on democratic life. Actually, the only aspect of democracy they are interested in is the ballot box, which can serve as their passport to power. They know that in the context of widespread frustration at the inefficient administration of society, seething resentment at the privileges enjoyed by those holding a monopoly on power and bitter anger at endemic corruption, the ballot box is likely to work in favour of those who rail against these aberrations, all too common in many Third World countries, and who promise to cleanse society of their effects when they come to power.

Of course, making promises is one thing, keeping them quite another. In the first place, these demagogues lack the ability to introduce the required reforms; more important, they lack the will, and are more likely to destroy the components of a democratic climate than enhance them. In a way, they can be compared to the member of an orchestra who may be adept at playing his own instrument but who, on being called to conduct the full orchestra, can only produce dissonant sounds. So too with democracy, which, like an orchestra, can only function as a synergic whole, that is, if all its elements are properly brought into play.

To claim that democracy can be reduced to ballot boxes in isolation from the other, more important elements necessary for its existence, is both naïve and dangerous.

Let us take the case of Third World countries. Most are suffering from severe political, economic, social, cultural, educational and media problems as a result of the absence of democracy, the sidelining of people with real skills and the spread of negative values like individualism, cronyism and sycophancy. It is not by focussing exclusively on ballot boxes and their results that these societies can hope to overcome their problems. They need to focus, rather, on laying down the policies and building up the organizations and mechanisms of democratic life, as well as on promoting the role of civil society. This should run in parallel with a resolute drive to introduce political, economic and educational reforms and to replace Goebbels-style media institutions with modern institutions commensurate with the requirements of the age. All these measures come under the heading of ‘engineered reform,’ the most effective political process which can prevent chaos from setting in or the reins of power from falling into the hands of extremist groups who will take society down a ruinous path of obscurantism, backwardness and regression. Engineered reform is guaranteed to succeed, perhaps in as little as one decade, if concerted efforts are directed at the areas mentioned above. These can be summed up as follows:

• Laying down the policies and creating the mechanisms and organizations required for the conduct of democratic political action in an institutionalized fashion.

• Creating the ideal framework for the growth of civil society institutions, which are the first line of defense against fascist forces that claim to be the holders of absolute truth.

• Proceeding on the path of economic reform while never wavering from the ultimate objective of reducing the role of the State in economic life from a patriarchal role to a less intrusive role, albeit one that is decisive when it comes to laying down economic policies and guaranteeing their observance.

• Reforming educational institutions, which have sunk to abysmal standards in most countries today, producing graduates who are totally unfit to cope with the challenges of contemporary life. Our educational institutions are among the worst, and the only voices raised in their defense belong to those who contributed to their decline.

• Reforming media institutions which, in much of the Third World, continue to apply Goebbels' understanding of their role as propaganda machines serving the government, and turning them into institutions which set themselves the contemporary goal of serving the consumer.

Creating an institutional framework is thus the essential prerequisite for genuine democracy. The ballot box is but one of many links in the chain of democratic life which, if used in isolation from the other links, can become the gateway to decades of obscurantism, backwardness and repression.

In conclusion, I would like to repeat what I have said on more than one occasion. The world today knows only two models of development, progress and enlightenment in the political, economic, social, cultural, educational and media fields. The first is the West European model, the product of what I call a "slow cooking" process which unfolded over more than three centuries. The other is the Asian model (Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore), the product of what I call a "rapid cooking" process which was compressed into only a few decades. Every single country in this latter model was subjected to a concentrated dose of engineered reform, the only alternative to which is anarchy and despotism.

For more of Tarek Heggy's writtings in English, please visit www.t-heggy-site-contents.org and for Tarek Heggy's writings in French please visit www.metransparent.com/authors/french/tarek_heggy.htm.