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Importance Of Political Culture In Sustaining Democracy By Professor Dr. Thomas Meyer
PROFESSOR DR.THOMAS MEYER, University of Dortmund, Germany, was recently in town addressing a number of discussion programs. Organized by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the discussion programs were participated by a large number of participants from various strata. Prof. Meyer addressed various issues raised by Nepali scholars. He described Nepal's on going conflict and resolution through theoretical paradigm. Excerpts:
On Social Transformation
You cannot change the society overnight as the social transformation is a very long and tedious process. For instance, the present day German society is not like that of 100 years ago. Five decades ago, German society was different than the present one. Transformation process spanning centuries are taking place in families, value systems and society as a whole. Nepal has also been passing through similar process of transformation but you cannot have the society and system like ours now. It will take time.
Importance of Political Culture
I don't know how political culture has been evolving in Nepal. Changing political system and political culture are two distinct things. You can change the political system as many times as you can but you cannot change the political culture as required by democracy. One can change the political system within two hours but one cannot change the political culture overnight. It is a long evolutionary process. Democratic institutions actually bring forth democracy but to make them stable society needs a strong political culture of democracy. Political culture denotes the entire knowledge actually available in society, instinctive attitudes, moral and ethical values in relation to politics.
On Democratic Process of Government
Every one asks me question what democracy is all about. Democracy is a process of government. The history of all democracies has shown that good institutions which are accepted, function well and also adjust to the special conditions of a country are the most important factors for success. However, just as important for the success and failures of democracies are soft factors, the political culture, in which the institutions are embedded. This especially involves attitudes and customs, actions and values, and the convictions and expectations by which society and the political elite allow themselves to be guided. Whenever contradictions persistently become established between the spirit of institutions and the customs of the political elite as well as the majority of society, the best democratic institutions neither have a chance to fully develop their potential in the long run, nor to gain the necessary credibility to be recognized as legitimate and sensible for the interest of all respective parties.
On the Important Aspects of Democratic Institutions
The most important conditions for the continuous work and the proper performance of democratic institutions in the area of political culture are trust and the ability to reach a clever compromise. Both of these conditions, trust and the ability to reach a clever compromise, presuppose one another and grow with one another. Whenever these conditions are strong enough, a society can recognize that the interests of all individuals in a democracy should be taken into consideration with fairness – and this is actually the sense of democracy. And if nearly all citizens share this experience, democracy will rest on solid ground, its great intrinsic value can be experienced, and the willingness to make a contribution to its preservation will grow through one's own willingness to make a compromise. Democracy is not primarily machinery made of institutions. It lives especially from the spirit and custom of its elite and citizens.
On Monopolization of Majority
Whenever the majority principle is misused as a lever to inconsiderately establish the personal interests of the present majority against the rest of society, mistrust grows and the state is regarded only as prey by more and more participants so that they can establish advantages for their own at the cost of all others.
On New Terms of Compromises
Compromises are called the "advanced school of democracy". As the experiences of all democracies show, it rightly deserves this honorary title. In exercising compromise, participants learn how to allow trust and to make the correct use of democratic institutions, which need to demonstrate their usefulness for all of society. The culture of clever compromise has shown itself to be one of the prerequisites for a credible and successful democracy.
On Definition of Compromises
The definition of compromise in the dictionary stress that it is sensible and necessary if none of the participating sides has enough strength to pursue its own personal goals resolutely and completely. However, in the political context, another function of compromise is decisive. Compromises have the productive function of resolving conflicts whenever the complete establishment of the interests of the stronger party does not bring about a lasting solution. This means that the decision which was made unilaterally is consistently brought into question and is therefore not stable. In such cases, the forced solution is often only maintained by the dominant party at a very high cost, and, in most cases, this is only for a limited period of time until the balance of power changes.
On Conflict and Confrontation
Many questions are raised about the present conflict in Nepal. Conflicts involve many factors, internal and external. With a country of diverse social, ethnic, regional, linguistic, economic and other interests, Nepal needs to develop a way to deal with conflict and confrontation. Conflict, as the confrontation of different interests whether they are of a regional, social, economic, cultural, religious or ethnic nature, is the unavoidable starting point of any free society. Conflict is the commodity and basic of politics. So that conflicts can be settled democratically, there is need for a basic consensus and the willingness to reach a compromise in every democracy.
On the Importance of Consensus Building
There must be a consensus at least on the basic values of the constitution, e.g. basic rights, democratic decision-making processes, and important fundamental objectives for the entire nation as a political state. Conflicts, which in much culture are regarded as rather negative and can actually be avoided as accompanying features of politics, are in reality a direct expression of freedom and consequently a productive element of political understanding. Without a clear expression of the different political interests and goals, political opponents would have no opportunity to enter into the process of forming political opinions and political objectives. Surrounded by two big countries, Nepal needs to evolve the culture of compromise and consensus to deal with all the issues.
Devastative Effects of Conflict
Being a small country like Nepal, conflicts sometime may have devastating effects as there involves many factors. Conflicts without a basic consensus have a destructive effect. Consensus without room for conflict paralyses and inhibits democracy. It depolarizes the country. The core of democratic political culture is the productive interaction between consensus and conflict. There should be as much consensus as necessary in order to prevent conflicts from jeopardizing the fundamentals of living together and the common recognition of the process of peaceful and fair resolution.
On Incorporating Interests
Compromise as a give-and-take situation while incorporating the interests of the community, and as a fair exchange of advantages and disadvantages, in which none of the participants inconsiderably achieve their own goals with all the forces available against the interest and goals of the others and no one is loser, creates trust through fairness and dependence on the others and the value of mutual consideration. It conveys the idea that one's own goals and interests can hardly be realized entirely, but rather always have to be negotiated together with the interests, values and goals of many others because these also have their justification.
On Embracing Legitimate Interests
Considering as many interests and values as possible is an important goal of democracy.
The ability to embrace as much legitimate interests as possible which are represented in society and to integrate them into the deliberating and decision making process of politics is an imperative principle of a well-understood democracy. For these reasons, collaborative work and the realization of clever compromises develop the attitudes, habits, and skills which democracy needs in order to function and to find recognition for all its citizens. In this sense, the culture of compromise is the advanced school of democracy.
On Social and Political Reality
In social and political reality, there are always differences in perceiving one's own interests pursued values, and the desires and hope which are derived from political ideals if outside pressure does not work artificially against this. Pluralism exists in accepting these differences and structuring politics in a way that is equally productive for individual societal groups and the entire community. Human society is never homogenous in all its parts, nor united without differences on all important issues without the use of force. Social pluralism is therefore an expression of freedom as the manifestation of various interests, values and perspectives.
On Political Pluralism
Political pluralism, which is the organization of various interests and values for the purpose of participating in the political process, is a part of democracy. Democracy lives from pluralism. The basic feature which makes democracy possible and necessary at the same time is therefore different human interests and goals. Pluralism in practice is always group pluralism. Employees, employers, the rural population, merchants, people from the same region, people with the same religious beliefs or a similar cultural and political mentality join together in order to present their common interests all the more effectively in the political process of their country. Political pluralism is always the group pluralism of various clubs, associations and political parties.
On Process of Evolution
History shows that democracy has mixed results. Some democracies survive for centuries and some do not. This again depends on the values and culture of particular society. Those who have incorporated democratic culture survive and those who don't incorporate democratic culture collapse. I don't know much about Nepalese situation but democracy needs certain paraffin for its survival. Just establishing democracy cannot make your country democratic. It is the overall behavior of people and their values which counts much. Nepalese society is also evolving.
On the Process of Federalism
Federalism is a process of power sharing between the units of the state. In the case of Germany, federalism was imposed by allied powers in the World War II to weaken Germany. Allied forces fragmented Germany into several units. It is just an artificial creation of federalism. For a small country, federalism like in Canada, United Sates and other big countries is no good. One can make Nepal federal state but the center must be given all the powers in economy, social and welfare issues. The center must be single sovereign power and it must be stronger. Otherwise, it will create problems. Even if there are disputes between the center and units, the issue must be settled through compromise. Again this is a whole question of compromise.
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