Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 08, 2008 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
“Give me Liberty or give me Death!” This was the volcanic clamour that, in 1775, erupted from the bottom of the soul of the great American freedom fighter, Patrick Henry.
In his book entitled “Myths and Men”, Bernard Mayo tells us that this was the spark that ignited the movement, which one year later brought into being the American Revolution and, thereby, gave birth to the great nation of the United States of America.
This was the thundering cry that enabled the creation of the most advanced participatory democracy and triggered the fastest development of material growth the world has ever seen.
The indispensable condition for the existence of a true democracy is the prevailing of freedom of expression.
This is why this vital right is guaranteed under international law through Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Nonetheless, the implementation of this fundamental law remains lacking in a large number of countries around the world.
Freedom of expression is the most common and basic demand of all human beings. It is claimed to be essential for the self-actualization process of speakers and listeners in the sense that it allows us to use our full potential in the development of ourselves and the structure of the kind of society we desire.
In fact, the benefits and creative capacity of freedom of speech know no boundaries.
Nonetheless, I will limit this dissertation to the description of the way in which this fundamental right promotes the free flow of ideas that are essential to the efficient functioning of a participatory democracy.
So, let’s begin this journey by defining what a participatory democracy is.
This term signifies a government by the people and for the people, where the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly and indirectly through a system of representation involving periodically held free and fair elections.
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, says that freedom of speech is crucial in any participatory democracy, because open discussions of candidates help voters make informed decisions during elections.
It is through speech that people can influence their government’s choice of policies. Also, public officials are held accountable through criticisms that can pave the way for their replacement.
When citizens refrain from voicing their discontent because they fear retribution, the government can no longer be responsive to them, so it becomes less accountable for its actions.
Defenders of free speech often allege that this is the main reason why dictatorships and false or pseudo democratic governments suppress free speech. In other words, this is how they avoid accountability.
The foregoing are some of the reasons why freedom of speech and democracy are interdependent and inextricably intertwined. This means that the loss of one leads inevitably to the demise of the other.
Nonetheless, some restrictions on freedom of speech are compatible with democracy and even necessary in order to protect it.
In practice, the right to freedom of speech should not be absolute in any country but always seek to balance freedom with order.
Throughout history millions have sacrificed their lives to preserve the right to freedom of speech because the common sentiment is that life without liberty is not worth living.
Among the multitudes of examples there are the dramas of those who sacrificed their lives to preserve this precious right during the American Revolution in 1776, the French Revolution in 1789, the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and so many more instances where people gladly laid down their lives in the defence of liberty.
After this recount of the intrinsic need human beings have for the freedom of speech, I feel obligated to suggest that we all devote mega time and effort to educate people in our midst about the benefits and desirability of this precious ideal.
In fact, my prayer today is that, in this manner, we may cause the application of real and true participatory democracy to flourish and expand around the world.
Alfonso De Armas-Mitchell
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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