“Building the Pillars of Democracy”

Democracy has made great strides around the world during the last few decades. Yet in many parts of the world the triumph of democracy has been less than absolute. Even in countries where elections take place, the liberal element of democracy is often missing and governments struggle with accountability and good governance. Why does democracy seem so fragile? What elements are required for a country to reach the threshold necessary to sustain democracy?

Hon. Anand Panyarachun, Former Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, addresses these key questions in his Feature Service article, focusing on the pillars needed to support the infrastructure of democracy and to build citizenship that extends beyond elections. He says, “In addition to responsible citizenship through participation in voting, democracy requires that citizens be well-informed of issues that their communities and societies face in an increasingly globalizing and interconnected world. (…) For democracy to live, citizens must resist the temptation of being complacent. Each community, workplace, and school needs programs for promoting grassroots democracy.”

Mr. Panyarachun also notes the importance of pursuing political reforms along with economic reforms in order to bring about democratic development: “One of the key reasons that democracies around the world remain fragile is unequal emphasis on their political processes and economic development. The political process must be viewed along with the level of development. As development occurs unevenly, so too does the state of democracy. Democracy and development are two sides of the same coin.”

Article at a glance

• History shows that democracy, in its full-fledged, inclusive, and participatory form, is relatively new and fragile.

• Democracy must be cultivated from the bottom up, with a clear core set of values as a foundation on which to build an adaptive, responsible government.

• Despite the great strides made in the recent decades, democratic gains around the world are not irreversible and the commitment of entire societies to the democratic principles is necessary for democracy to be strong and lasting.