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Democracy

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What is the relevance of this story to Barbados some will ask? It should serve to expose how politicians with power if allowed are prepared to bend the rules. Unfortunately such blatant displays of naked power has become increasingly common place in our world. Another example why John Citizens must not renege on the critical role they must play to keep democracies alive.

The media, we continue to preach, must work with the PEOPLE to ensure we protect the rich legacy which our founding fathers have proudly laid the foundation, Grantley Adams, Errol Barrow and others too numerous to mention. 

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11 responses to “Democracy”

  1. The People's Democratic Congress Avatar
    The People’s Democratic Congress

    At this stage, Barbados is certainly on a path of moving towards political democracy, but is still far from evolving into a POLITICAL DEMOCRACY – which is rule by the vast majority of people of a country. What is however also very certain is that Barbados, at this stage, is very far removed from autocracy – rule by one person or one small homogenous group over all others in the country – even though it is still deeply mired in political oligarchy – rule by a certain small variegated minority of people over the vast majority of people of a country.

    While we accept that they are various other forms of governments and political systems across this world, this opinion that we hereby proffer is an ahistorical perpective that is definitely related to one of the many political experiences that define what Barbados is politically right now – as mentioned above, a political oligarchy. What must be said too about this opinion is that in making references to these governmental and political systems we acknowledge three main streams of thought: that, (1), some of these global systems will basically remain the same way for a very long time – for better or worse – Bermuda, Puerto Rico; (2), some will logically evolve into others over a reasonable period of time – for better or worse – Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica; and, (3), that some will be superimposed or planted in replacement of others for better or worse – Japan, Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan, – and in all three cases will do so once the political and other conditions and dynamics, internally or externally, are favourable for these constants or changes.

    Hence, in our dealing with political oligarchy in Barbados, we have to say that political oligarchy is qualified by reference to the fact that whereas some of the minority that rule us are elected by the people in national elections which are held almost every five years, they are some others who are political elites and oligarchs with great access to finance and who are top bureacrats, technocrats and intellectuals with supposedly great knowledge and organizational skills that altogether rule us by virtue of the tremendous power and authority they wield in the national political offices they are appointed to hold, e.g. the Governor General, the Cabinet, Judges, Magistrates, Permanent Secretaries, Public Service Commissions, Head of the Barbados Defence Force, Commissioner of Police – or by virtue of the substantial power and authority they wield in the major political corporate offices they are appointed/elected to, or that they have given to or arrogated unto themselves, e.g. Heads and Boards of Directors of major public and private companies like BS&T > Neal and Massy, Goddards Enterprises, CLICO, C O Williams Construction, Williams Industries, The Royal Bank of Canada, First Caribbean – or by virtue of the significant power and authority they exercize in relation to major social political organizational offices they are appointed/elected to, e.g. Heads and principals of major political parties, trade unions, credit unions, professional, civic, sporting and cultural associations.

    So, in many instances it will be found that many of the persons occupying some of these offices are also occupying many other different offices across various national governmental, corporate, and social strata of Barbados, thus making them even more elitist, powerful and authoritarian, e.g. the person now holding the office of Prime Minister, and the person who was not too long ago Chairman of BS&T, Head of the Barbados Private Sector Agency, Head of several Boards of Directors of major companies in Barbados, and a Senator. The downshot of this is that while these persons are accreting such great power and authority, the vast majority of people in Barbados are being further marginalized and disenfranchized in their own Barbadian society, to the extent that they have NO SAY, NO SAY whatsoever in many, many of the decisions and policies that are taken by the powerful and authoritative in this society, and that will be bound to affect them – the vast majority. What is even more undemocratic and unprincipled is that these major decision and policy makers too often make so many of these decisions and policies that are fundamentally in their own interests, their families, their businesses, and their friends interests, as opposed to these decisions and policies being made in the interests of the country, the nation, the public, or the vast majority of the people of the country, fundamentally. We in PDC are NOT arguing that the interests of these people as well as those of their families, their businesses, and their friends, must never be looked after within the context of the political governmental, corporate, and social processes of the country, but what we are arguing is that such interests must NEVER BE NEVER BE at any time given greater priority than the interests of those of the country, nation, public, or the vast majority of the people of the country, when we are dealing with the general or sectoral affairs of the country. We, of course, would NOT generally have any problems with these major decision and policy makers making major decisions and policies in their own and their families, businesses and their friends interests when it comes to their own private affairs, but once such in the end will not significantly affect the general or sectoral affairs of the country.

    Finally, we realize that for Barbados to become a political democracy there must be, and we must say herenow that many political conditions and dynamics that presently exist, internally and externally, are favourable to such coming about, a political system evolved whereby the vast majority of people in Barbados – elites and oligarchs included – must have A SAY in the process of the ruling of the country, and on top of that fact, that the vast majority of people, businesses and other entities when given the opportunity will make decisions and policies in their own interests and some others at times, must mean that a future PDC Government’s revolutionary proposal to make CONSTITUENTS DEBATE AND PASS LAWS OF THE COUNTRY, must be seen by many people in Barbados as a fundamental step in the social, political, constitutional, material and financial development of the country. SO LIBERATION FROM OLIGARCHY!!

    PDC

  2. Senile Old Bat Avatar
    Senile Old Bat

    Has any government in Barbados ever committed any war crimes you senile and insufferable idiot?

  3. only me Avatar
    only me

    Thank God for President Bush ,,he has stood up for what is right ,,im tired of these blogs advocating evil all the time but hey its the last days

  4. David Avatar
    David

    PDC we read your thesis. In a perfect world there is merit in your piece. In the real world can anyone identify one practicing democracy which we can use as the ideal model or perfect model?

    Thought so!

    The point we are making is that a democracy is an ideal which although amorphous in definition is always achievable in the minds of the believers. it explains the tension and ensuing discussion which will always tag the issue of democracy.

  5. Green Monkey Avatar
    Green Monkey

    In Pakistan the US pays informants $3,000 to turn in Al Quaida suspects. Not surprisingly, innocent people get fingered so the accuser can get the cash and then the victim is tortured in US custody when he doesn’t have any information to give anyway.

    It’s explained here:

    You’re doing a heck of a job, Bushie.

  6. Green Monkey Avatar
    Green Monkey

    Thank God for President Bush ,,he has stood up for what is right ,,im tired of these blogs advocating evil all the time but hey its the last days

    Who would Jesus torture?

  7. Straight talk Avatar
    Straight talk

    Thank which God for Bush?

    Which other leader of a democracy needs to ask his people, through their legislature, to condone his orders to torture foreigners, and the international community says nothing.

    Shame on America, shame on her silent supporters.

  8. The People's Democratic Congress Avatar
    The People’s Democratic Congress

    David,

    In studying comparative government and politics any where in this world, one of the key ideas that students of such must look for is whether or not there is a sound definitional, methodological, and scientific structure around which an argument can objectively be made or hypothesis sufficiently positively tested by these students that one form of governance, or one form of political system, is so much “better”, “more legitimate”, etc., than the others because of whatever factors at whatever points in time. There must therefore be an objective – not subjective – standard/test (the latter not an exam – but a distinctve kind of general social behaviour different from other types and normally associated with the conflicting of determined wills) that must be in existence and that must be correctly analysed for to assist students in any evaluation as to whether or not a particular governance or political system of this political world is realizing its own objectives based on what is a very carefully socially defined but on-going dialectical process.

    Thus, it cannot be doubted by many citizens of Barbados, today, that Barbados by achieving constitutional independence under the astute and visionary leadership of the late, Right Excellent Errol Barrow – National Hero of Barrow – is far politically better/off for the majority of citizens of Barbados and for Barbados itself than Barbados ever remaining up to now a colony under the British. A totally opposite conclusion to the above might have been formed by the vast majority of Barbadian subjects in, say, 1964, when looking ahead at the possibility of the achievement of constitutional independence. However, it certainly CANNOT BE TRUE that, proportionately speaking, as many Barbadian citizens now as were many of those Barbadian subjects that probably would have supported British colonialism during its time would want now to (sic) experience British colonialism at this stage.

    So, by reaching for and achieving an objective standard/test (in this case constitutional independence: proved by thousands upon thousands of later generations after 1966 to be the right step > for many valid reasons) clearly implies that there is no perfect model of governance or politics anywhere in this real world (some Barbadian citizens still make some valid criticisms of constitutional independence > a carry over from colonial days), but certainly implies that there is an ideal model of governance or politics that can be striven for and achieved – in the sense of what could best be possibly arrived at and kept for some time thereafter in a utilitarian sense (that Barbadian constitutional independence for the vast majority now was better than Barbados remaining up to now a colony or any of its versions plantation slave society/post emancipation society etc. – too, ask those who were born in the 60s and who still alive now about which is better to them and you would see for yourself, David).

    Hence, and in concluding, what must be stated is that the achievement of constitutional independence for Barbados – could NEVER be for thousands upon thousands of Barbadian citizens today an ideal – could NEVER be for them achievable in their minds – certainly those things for many of those of earlier colonial generations in Barbados – chief among them Mr. Barrow – but for these later post-colonial generations certainly a real way of life – and which have an objective existence outside of their own individual minds at this juncture. Certainly, the achievement of democracy for Barbados is idealistic for PDC and achievable in our minds and is therefore analogous to Mr. Barrow, in the 60s, yearning for and achieving constitutional independence for Barbados. So, what we are about in terms of making sure that constituents debate and pass the laws of this country is really mainly about the further development of our people, David. Good, that you read the earlier post!!

    PDC

  9. Green Monkey Avatar
    Green Monkey

    All Power to the Presidency

    By Robert Parry

    Though little discussed on the campaign trail, a crucial issue to be decided in November is whether the United States will return to its traditions as a constitutional Republic respecting “unalienable” human rights or whether it will finish a transformation into a frightened nation governed by an all-powerful President who can do whatever he wants during the open-ended “war on terror.”

    That reality was underscored on April 1 with the release of a five-year-old legal opinion from former Justice Department official John Yoo asserting that President George W. Bush possessed nearly unlimited authority as Commander in Chief, including the power to have military interrogators abuse terror suspects.

    While most news coverage of Yoo’s March 14, 2003, memo has focused on the legal gymnastics justifying harsh treatment of detainees – including possible use of mind-altering drugs – the centerpiece of Yoo’s argument is that at a time of war the President’s powers are essentially unfettered.

    Yoo’s memo fits with views expressed by Bush (“The Decider”) and many of his top legal advisers. Yoo’s opinion also appears to be shared by four conservative Republicans on the U.S. Supreme Court – John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito – just one vote shy of a majority.

    Yoo’s military interrogation memo – and a similar one he penned for the CIA on torture – were withdrawn by Assistant Attorney General Jack Goldsmith after he succeeded Yoo as the top official at the Justice Department’s powerful Office of Legal Counsel later in 2003. Goldsmith considered Yoo’s legal reasoning flawed.

    But Goldsmith subsequently was pushed out of the job, and Bush is seeking to fill the vacancy with Steven Bradbury, who signed off on Yoo’s “torture memos” while holding a lower position in the Office of Legal Counsel.

    In other words, Bush has not given up on his vision of grandiose presidential powers that let him act more like an English monarch before the Magna Carta, who could pick out anyone under his domain and throw the person into prison with no due process and no protection against torture or other abuse.

    Under the Bush-Yoo theories, all Bush has to do is pronounce a detainee “an unlawful enemy combatant” – whether a U.S. citizen or not (emphasis added), whether there is any credible evidence or not – and the person loses all human rights.

    As radical – and as shocking – as these theories may seem to many Americans, Bush is within one vote on the U.S. Supreme Court of having his vision enshrined as “constitutional.”

    http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/040208.html

  10. Green Monkey Avatar
    Green Monkey

    The U.S. establishment media in a nutshell

    By Glenn Greenwald

    In the past two weeks, the following events transpired. A Department of Justice memo, authored by John Yoo, was released which authorized torture and presidential lawbreaking. It was revealed that the Bush administration declared the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights to be inapplicable to “domestic military operations” within the U.S. The U.S. Attorney General appears to have fabricated a key event leading to the 9/11 attacks and made patently false statements about surveillance laws and related lawsuits. Barack Obama went bowling in Pennsylvania and had a low score.

    Here are the number of times, according to NEXIS, that various topics have been mentioned in the media over the past thirty days:

    “Yoo and torture” – 102

    “Mukasey and 9/11” — 73

    “Yoo and Fourth Amendment” — 16

    “Obama and bowling” — 1,043

    “Obama and Wright” — More than 3,000 (too many to be counted)

    “Obama and patriotism” – 1,607

    “Clinton and Lewinsky” — 1,079

    And as Eric Boehlert documents, even Iraq — that little five-year U.S. occupation with no end in sight — has been virtually written out of the media narrative in favor of mindless, stupid, vapid chatter of the type referenced above. “The Clintons are Rich!!!!” will undoubtedly soon be at the top of this heap within a matter of a day or two.

    “Media critic” Howie Kurtz in the Washington Post today devoted pages of his column to Obama’s bowling and eating habits and how that shows he’s not a regular guy but an Arrogant Elitist, compiling an endless string of similar chatter about this from Karl Rove, Maureen Dowd, Walter Shapiro and Ann Althouse. Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson devoted her whole column this week to arguing that, along with Wright, Obama’s bowling was his biggest mistake, a “real doozy.”

    Obama’s bowling has provided almost a full week of programming on MSNBC. Gail Collins, in The New York Times, today observed that Obama went bowling “with disastrous consequences.” And, as always, they take their personality-based fixations from the Right, who have been promoting the Obama is an Arrogant, Exotic, Elitist Freak narrative for some time. In a typically cliched and slimy article, Time’s Joe Klein this week explored what the headline called Obama’s “Patriotism Problem,” where we learn that “this is a chronic disease among Democrats, who tend to talk more about what’s wrong with America than what’s right.” He trotted it all out — the bowling, the lapel pin, Obama’s angry, America-hating wife, “his Islamic-sounding name.”

    Needless to say, these serious and accomplished political journalists are only focusing on these stupid and trivial matters because this is what the Regular Folk care about. They speak for the Regular People, and what the Regular People care about is not Iraq or the looming recession or health care or lobbyist control of our government or anything that would strain the brain of these reporters. What those nice little Regular Folk care about is whether Obama is Regular Folk just like them, whether he can bowl and wants to gorge himself with junk food.

    Our nation’s coddled, insulated journalist class reaches these conclusions about what Regular Folk think using the most self-referential, self-absorbed thought process imaginable. The proof that the Regular People are interested in these things is that . . . the journalists themselves chatter about it endlessly. In Great American Hypocrites, I described the process as follows in the context of examining the three-week-long media obsession with John Edwards’ haircut (to the exclusion of a whole array of revelations about what the government was doing or planning to do) and how they justified that coverage:

    Most certainly, the press will pretend to be above it all (“this is not something that we, the sophisticated political journalists, care about, of course”). But they yammer about Drudge-promoted gossip endlessly, and then insist that their own chattering is proof that it is an important story that people care about. And because they conclude that “people” (i.e., them) are concerned with the story, they keep chirping about it, which in turn fuels their belief that the story is important. It is an endless loop of self-referential narcissism — whatever they endlessly sputter is what “the people” care about, and therefore they must keep harping on it, because their chatter is proof of its importance.

    They don’t need Drudge to rule their world any longer because they are Matt Drudge now.

    Every day, it becomes more difficult to blame George Bush, Dick Cheney and comrades for their seven years (and counting) of crimes, corruption and destruction of our political values. Think about it this way: if you were a high government official and watched as — all in a couple of weeks time — it is revealed, right out in the open, that you suspended the Fourth Amendment, authorized torture, proclaimed yourself empowered to break the law, and sent the nation’s top law enforcement officer to lie blatantly about how and why the 9/11 attacks happened so that you could acquire still more unchecked spying power and get rid of lawsuits that would expose what you did, and the political press in this country basically ignored all of that and blathered on about Obama’s bowling score and how he eats chocolate, wouldn’t you also conclude that you could do anything you want, without limits, and know there will be no consequences? What would be the incentive to stop doing all of that?

    http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/05/media/

  11. David Avatar
    David

    As the first anniversary of 9/11 approached, and a prized Guantánamo detainee wouldn’t talk, the Bush administration’s highest-ranking lawyers argued for extreme interrogation techniques, circumventing international law, the Geneva Conventions, and the army’s own Field Manual. The attorneys would even fly to Guantánamo to ratchet up the pressure—then blame abuses on the military. Philippe Sands follows the torture trail, and holds out the possibility of war crimes charges.

    Source: Vanity Fair

    A long read but the article provides great insight into the wheeling and dealing behind one of our modern democracies. Thanks to that BU family member for forwarding.

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