Mereoni Chung is the Programme Officer at DAWN Secretariat in Fiji.
Together with Fiji partners, the School of Government, Development and International Affairs (SGDIA) at the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), DAWN hosted a panel discussion on The rise of illiberal democracy: implications for social mobilization, in Suva, Fiji on 28th February, 2017. This presented an opportunity to explore global challenges of illiberal democracies with a cross-section of people.
The Fiji discussion represented an ongoing review of democratization processes. Social mobilization is a key democracy mechanism that assists citizens in attaining and maintaining their liberties. Gita Sen, DAWN’s General Co-coordinator, highlighted in her keynote address that while many nations aspire to democratic values now more than ever before, recent political trends are witnessing a rise in illiberal democracies. Underlying these ‘illiberal’ trends in politics and society are often deeper struggles for economic power and political control of the levers of economic policies and decision-making. Politics is about struggles for power. The history of the evolution of democracy is a history replete with the selling out of the civil and other rights of the least powerful in society, even as social compacts are joined between elites and sections of the subordinate laboring classes.
The respondent panelists were Vijay Naidu, the current Professor and Director of Development Studies at USP; Maria Graciela Cuervo – newly appointed general co-coordinator of DAWN; and Maureen Penjueli – the Coordinator for PANG and a dedicated activist with over a decade of experience in environmental and social justice issues in Oceania. Each speaker shared their perspectives on the topic to include the Pacific Islands, Latin America and global vantage points.
The event was attended by various members of Fijian society, including university students and staff, CSO and INGOs members, youth groups, political party members, trade unionists, media and others. Comments from the audience highlighted the reality of closing spaces experienced by social movements, and the need for them to transform their strategies and practices towards greater solidarity and alliances between those who are socially excluded and marginalized and the traditional working classes.
Illiberal Democracy – perspectives and lessons
Gita Sen spoke about the concept of illiberal democracies introduced in 1997 by Fareed Zakaria’s paper on “The rise of illiberal democracy”. Gita drew parallels from recent examples of political struggles in many countries including the USA, Brazil, Hungary, Turkey, Philippines, Venezuela, who each have forms of closing and controlling spaces for civil society. The resulting backlash against social movements, especially against feminists and rights movements, are indicative of the threats and dangers of illiberal democracies. The call to resistance is an imperative response to challenge and transform the political struggles facing many countries and regions. Furthering this are serious considerations for how, when, with whom and for what is this resistance occurring.
Gita shared, “The threat of ‘illiberalism’ within overt electoral democracy has resurfaced again and again in the history of the last two centuries. This moment in time is one where it seems to be once more resurgent”.
Vijay Naidu shared experiences from the Pacific Islands States who established democracy in post-colonial contexts. Focusing on the political instability of Fiji since independence, Vijay highlighted the role of institutions and the challenges of maintaining a separation of powers in new democracies.
Maria Graciela Cuervo spoke on the challenge of illiberal democracy in Latin American contexts. She highlighted the closing spaces for civil society and social movements in recent times, under seemingly democratic and progressive governments beyond their ideological orientation. Maureen Penjueli linked discussions to economic liberalization and the deficiency in functioning democracies to ensure that the rights of citizens are protected, promoted and respected. Looking to the Pacific Islands, Maureen highlighted the efforts undertaken in Vanuatu to hold leaders to account and maintain a separation of powers within their state systems, as well as questioning the development and economic agendas of big countries entering the region.
The plenary discussion segment sought comments and questions from the floor. Some called for CSO’s to continuously relook at themselves in this environment of closing spaces. A member of the audience argued that civic organizations require certain capacities to keep spaces open and the types of mobilization that occur today are different from other times. Movements have always had closing spaces, yet there are alternative strategies that can be taken up, and new strategies to engage leaders. Social media and online news is one such growing space highlighted by a member of the audience. Responses from the panel raised the importance of education systems and innovative spaces for resistance and movement building. The discussions concluded with references to the trend in popular politics that are shaping value systems under the guise of democracy.