Dictators and other rulers

by Rukshana Nanayakkara-Monday, 09 Sep 2013

There is a great rush to prove that we are not a dictatorship. Navi Pillays statement has hurt the governments farce values adhered to in our governance, even though we did not hear what we wanted to hear from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The President is denouncing Pillays authoritarianism assertions and is loudly counter asserting that we hold elections, regularly. Since 2005 we have had 11 elections in the country. A dictator is someone, who does not hold elections and works for his own interest. This claim of the President warrants a reflection as to what makes dictatorial governance as opposed to a functioning democracy. Lets analyze what makes a dictator. Most dictators have several characteristics in common. I have selected a few characteristics which are easier for us to relate to. Many dictators groom cults of personality, a form of hero-worship where the people are fed with information geared to hero-worshiping. They claim to be flawless and in account, act in the best interest of the country. They portray their so called character in public venues through statues, murals, posters and paintings bearing their images. Elections held in controlled circumstances Dictators command the control over the military of the state. Many dictators were in fact military commanders prior to gaining power. Under such regimes, governance hinges more upon the trust of the military over civil administration. The forces are indeed loyal to the dictators. The military is championed and over-compensated for their work than any other branch of government. Some dictators do allow elections. But often elections are held in controlled circumstances, obviously manipulating power to gain the advantage or to muzzle down the opposition. For example, under extreme pressure, Saudi Arabian King, Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud allowed municipal elections in 2005, the first election that country had since the 1960s. However, women were largely left out of the elections, even though they were not openly banned from voting. Many women did not have photo identification to vote, there were inadequacy of female poll workers to register women in a context where men could not register women for voting.

The power vested within a king was manipulated for his personal gain. Often elections held in authoritarian regimes control resources within the regimes control to manipulate the outcome of the election. Dictators stay in power for a very long time. In disguised dictatorships, this is done through the manipulation of law and order, which facilitates them to stay in power for a long period. They groom a group of henchmen to laud their conduct or a group of family members, who equally benefit from the dictatorial rule. They become the utmost confidants of the ruler. In the event of the demise of the dictators due to natural causes, such family confidants are groomed to replace them.

Garb of benevolence Certain dictators wear the garb of benevolence, so they are called benevolent dictators. They exercise and justify the absolute power held for the so-called greater common good of the people. Many dictators champion mega development projects and promote the sacrifice of any dissident for the benevolence of the common masses. Any opposition to the dictators development ideology is deemed traitorous. A good example of such a ruler is Fidel Castro, whose supporters believed him to be a benevolent dictator. All dictators however, have a common enemy: The space for civil society. In many authoritarian regimes, there are organized campaigns against non-governmental organizations. The local NGOs are branded as puppets of western conspiracies. International human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International becomes the targets of their vilification. According to dictators, western governments, who find their governance on democratic values (I am not referring to absolute democratic values) wanting, are accused of doing so in consultation with these NGOs to dismantle their power base and destabilize the country. Living in a dictatorship or authoritarianism for a prolonged period of time could easily delude the citizens about its so called benefits. Therefore, the values of democratic governance should find equal breath and space for discussion. Elections held in free and fair environment is a basic characteristic of a democracy. However, its values and significance lie in between elections. The power vested with the government for a period of time should be guarded for the interest of the people at all levels. In multi-ethnic, multi-religious environments, the prime function of a democracy is to protect the basic human rights of all ethnicities and religions and provide the opportunity to organize and participate fully in the political, economic and cultural life of society. Thus citizens in a democracy have the right to protect their rights and

freedoms and stand against the dictatorial decisions of a government. A brilliant opportunity At a time when election are being held, it is a brilliant opportunity of citizen of Sri Lanka to engage in a discussion of democracy and its parameters, and identify what makes us different from a dictatorship. Unfortunately, the President himself is on a prime campaign to discredit the demand for democratic values. Instead of a grounded and open discussion on what make our nation progress, we continue to live in denial of issues that should be of concern to us. In the Presidents words, external forces are attempting to create a situation similar to the Arab Spring in the Middle East to change the regime. The regime is clearly intolerant of opinions that are contrary to the mainstream government propaganda. In Mahatma Gandhi words, Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.