Democracy and freedom
are popular topics of conversation around the globe. Consequently, in Azerbaijan, the Government
authorities and those in opposition like to reference both concepts frequently.
It pretty much goes
like this. The one side claims that
there is no democracy while the other side trumpets its existence. Both believe they are correct. Despite this ongoing tug-of-war, there is
another issue – that many people don’t actually understand what “democracy”
really is. For example, many who lived
through the Soviet era consider that if that time was a dictatorship, then
since the system clearly now is not Soviet dictatorship, then they are living
in a healthy democracy. That is of
course absolutely wrong. That is because
while we have transitioned from communism to capitalism, we have not been able
to be rid of dictatorship. It just goes
by a different name.
The mechanics of
democracy are complex and require all parts of it to function effectively for it
to work as it should. Crucially, if one
of those parts is missing, or defective, then the democratic apparatus breaks
down. For example, a democratic society
requires transparency, a free market untainted by oligarchy and corruption,
fully functioning laws, a police force one can trust, an independent, impartial
court system, an honest administrative structure and, ultimately, authorities
that are accountable to the democratic will of the people. All of these components are inter-dependent,
similar to how DNA in the human body interacts.
A break-down in any corrupts and corrodes the healthy body of democracy.
Also, society should
never be complacent about democracy – it should always yearn for it and
scrutinize its practice. Public censure
feeds into a healthy democratic process.
A poor civic understanding of democracy can be abused by nefarious
elements of authority. So modest
democratic progress can be portrayed to the public as being a major victory for
democracy. Put another way, you are
stripped of ten of your rights and then have just two returned - “Hey! You got two rights back! You really should be grateful!”
To those that say there is a fully functioning, healthy
democracy in Azerbaijan, ask yourself the following. Can I openly protest? Can I fully trust the police and the
courts? Can I run my own business freely
and fairly? Can I live in this country
without paying bribes? The reality is,
if you can respond to any of these in the affirmative, then you are living in
another country other than Azerbaijan.
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