Defend democracy and the rule of law

In the last two decades, the number of democracies that have turned authoritarian has dramatically increased. Most of these countries have not become full blown dictatorships. Political scientists have called them “competitive authoritarian” regimes. 

In these countries, the ruling elites do not allow totally free elections and government accountability. At the same time, however, there is no complete elimination of individual freedoms, civic pluralism, multiparty elections and have retained the possibility of political parties alternating in power. Some examples are Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania in Africa and Pakistan and Thailand in Asia. There are also examples in Europe and Latin America of countries that may not have total dictatorships but where a strong ruler has consistently remained in power, like in Hungary and Turkey. 

The strange phenomenon about “competitive authoritarian regimes” is that the ruling party is normally elected into power by popular vote. The Duterte regime was definitely in this category. There is still an ongoing debate whether the present administration will stay in this category or move the Philippines back to a true democracy.  

In 2006, the majority of countries in the world were considered as democratic systems in which people could choose and replace their leaders in free and fair elections. Since then, however, democracy and freedom have been in steady retreat all over the world. For 18 consecutive years, more countries have lost freedom than gained it. This decline has been global. This is a report from the nonprofit group Freedom House, which tracks changes in political rights, civil liberties and the rule of law on a global scale. 

There have been a few exceptions such as Armenia, Colombia, Malaysia, Moldova and Taiwan. These are countries where democracy actually gained ground. One of the saddest examples is the country of Myanmar, which was able to achieve a semi-democratic form of government under Aung San Suu Kyi. However, after 2020, the military overturned the results of the election in that country, closed Parliament and arrested senior civilian officials, including Aung San Suu Kyi. The country is now undergoing a bloody conflict. 

What are the reasons why the world has turned toward autocracy and away from democracy? There are varied reasons from country to country. However, there are certain common factors that are emerging. There was a global financial crisis and a global pandemic that destabilized many governments, including democratic ones.  

One of the most serious factors is that China under Xi Jinping is using its growing wealth and technology to actively promote its authoritarian governance model and trying to erase the attractions of open societies.  

The use of social media at first enabled citizens to circumvent the control of information by dictators and allow people to organize for democratic change. However, with China in the lead, this use of digital People Power has now been diluted by the technological advance of authoritarian means of digital surveillance and repression. Again, China has been the leading example of this repressive technology.  

Autocratic governments have also been able to exploit the polarizing effects of social media algorithms in order to divide and demoralize democratic societies. 

This digital technology boom has now been widely used by autocratic regimes to undermine popular support for democracy and to create an increasing following of anti-democratic populist parties. 

The dramatic increase in income inequality in both advanced and emerging economies has also meant soaring wealth for a very tiny fraction of the population and increased economic stress for much of the middle and lower classes. This has resulted in increased pessimism about the future and cynicism about political parties and politicians that has led the overwhelming majority of people to become cynical about politics. 

In many countries where there are democratic institutions that still exist, these so-called Constitutions are rarely enforced, especially when the ruling regimes are able to control the judiciary. The moment a political elite can override the rule of law, this country is already on the road to autocracy. 

As I mentioned, today’s autocrats came to power through elections and they remain in power while maintaining a façade of competitive elections. Holding these elections gives these autocrats a claim to legitimacy.  

In an authoritarian populist regime, the ruling elite becomes intolerant, xenophobic and corrupt. This corruption, believe it or not, comes from a sense of entitlement to freely use public resources for personal purposes. This phenomenon has been widely revealed in the recent quad comm hearings in the Philippines by the congressional investigation into the misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President.  

These hearings have also revealed the critical importance of independent reporting to reveal corruption. Elements of civil society such as nongovernment organizations, student groups, professional and civic organizations and religious groups have proven to be important allies in this cause, aside from active media groups.  

An active and vibrant opposition force must also be nurtured and supported as a necessary element in the imposition of authoritarianism. The challenges confronting democracy here and around the globe are formidable. Authoritarianism and the ruling elite will keep trying to discredit and destabilize freedom and democracy. Democracy and People Power must once again regain the momentum and in the Philippines, there is the opportunity to defend and renew democracy in the coming elections.