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DEMOCRACY SEEN AS UNIVERSAL KEY TO



Subject: DEMOCRACY SEEN AS UNIVERSAL KEY TO ECONOMIC GROWTH, HUMAN RIGHTS 


16 February 1999 

DEMOCRACY SEEN AS UNIVERSAL KEY TO ECONOMIC GROWTH, HUMAN
RIGHTS 

(Global Democracy Conference Opens in New Delhi) (1190)
By Stuart Gorin
USIA Staff Correspondent

New Delhi -- Some 500 democracy activists from 85 countries are
meeting in New Delhi February 14-17 to find ways for "Building a
Worldwide Movement for Democracy." Their conference with this title is
co-sponsored by the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy
(NED) and the India-based Center for Policy Research (CPR) and
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Democracy, said Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, while originating in
ancient Greece, has risen as a universal value to be the "pre-eminent
development" of the 20th century. Sen, the master of Trinity College
who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1998, delivered the
conference keynote address.

"It was in the 20th century that the idea of democracy got established
as the 'normal' form of government to which any nation is entitled --
whether in Europe, or America, or Asia or Africa," Sen noted. He said
the idea of democracy as a universal commitment is "quite new"
however, since earlier champions saw it only as a "local" issue.

Sen expressed the view that democracy should not be identified with
majority rule. "Democracy has complex demands, which certainly
includes voting and respect for election results, but it also requires
the protection of liberties and freedoms, respect for legal
entitlements and the guaranteeing of free discussions and uncensored
distribution of news and fair comment," he said.

Arguing that democracy is a universal value, Sen disagreed with the
idea that it is incompatible with Asian cultural traditions. The
value, he stressed, "includes its intrinsic importantance in human
life, its instrumental role in generating political incentives and its
constructive formation of values." These merits are not regional in
character, he added.

Sen took exception to the notion that non-democratic systems can be
more effective in bringing about economic growth, saying that such an
assertion does not stand up to examination.

The current financial crisis in East Asia, for example stemmed from a
lack of public participation and scrutiny in credit and financial
arrangements, he said. In non-democratic societies, he added, there is
little that can be done about the resulting general recession.


During a discussion on Democracy and Development following the keynote
address, Ernesto Herrera, a member of the Philippine Congress, noted
that democracy and the market economy "sustain and support each
other." As such, the East Asian crisis may even have beneficial
effects in the long run, he suggested.

"Across differences in history and culture, it is compelling states to
establish their authority less and less on coercion and more and more
on social consensus," Herrera said. "It should in the end result in
more transparent financial systems and more participatory political
systems regionwide -- because government whose authority is founded on
coercion cannot manage an economy that is competitive in global
markets."

The democracy conference opened with video-taped messages from
President Clinton and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

"We have an unprecedented opportunity now to build a better and more
democratic world with the spread of information and technology that
challenges tyrants who seek to stifle the message of freedom," Clinton
said in his message. "We must seize this moment. Spreading and
deepening democracy will improve people's lives."

Free and fair elections are essential to democracy, but are not the
"only test" of a just society, the President said. "In every nation we
must work harder for free speech and human rights; for honest
government and fair justice; for equal opportunity and a stronger
civil society."

All are essential, he noted, "if we are to respect the dignity and
encourage the talents of every citizen."

The President also said that strenghening democracy will bring greater
prosperity for all peoples and improve prospects for peace.

Prime Minister Vajpayee said that for India, democracy is more than a
system of governance; it is a moral order. "The dream of a democratic
social order," he said, "which is free of want and exploitation, was
the inspiration for our fight for independence. After freedom came, we
have discovered that it is also the lifeline of our national unity,
integrity and socio-economic development."

Messages from several other world leaders, including the Dalai Lama,
also were read at the conference.

"Democracy is based on the principle that all human beings are
essentially equal, and that each of us has an equal rights to life,
liberty and happiness," the Dalai Lama said. "Whether we are rich or
poor, educated or uneducated, a follower of one religion or another,
each of us is a human being. We all desire happiness and do not want
suffering and each of us has an equal right to pursue these goals."

Noting that "no system of government is perfect," he added in his
message that "nevertheless, democracy is the closest to our essential
human nature and allows us the greatest opportunity to cultivate a
sense of community and universal responsibility."

Former Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral told the conference that in
his opinion, democracy should not be either imported or exported, and
its success depends upon the action of local authorities. But he added
that the concept of a democratic world community must be promoted at

the level of all inter-governmental agencies and bodies.

"We will be failing in our task in promoting democracy and human
rights at the national level if we overlook these aspects at the
global level," he said. "There is in this light great need to reform
global structures and agencies such as the United Nations Security
Council, the World Bank and the Interntional Monetary Fund to make
them truly representative and responsive of the wider world
community."

Mary Robinson, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and a
former president of Ireland, addressed the conference on what she
called the similarities between democracy and human rights, that they
both require responsibility and accountability.

"All democracies have problems, and all countries have human rights
problems," she said. "The point is to move everyone to an electoral
democracy and on to a liberal one."

Robinson called on the conference delegates to be advocates of
democracy and to take seriously the criticisms of democratic defects.
Democracy can help promote human rights and make it more accessible
for everyone, she added.

Discussing the role of political parties in the democratic process,
U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Celeste, a former governor of Ohio,
said they are important for two reasons: they reach out and involve
individuals who want to make a difference, and they hold individual
candidates accountable for what they do.

Celeste also said that political parties in the United States face two
challenges today: the growing power of the media in the election
process, and the growing influence of money on campaigns.

A number of conference participants expressed their views on what they
see as problems facing democracy in their countries. Despite the
concerns, however, Asma Jehangir of the Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan summed up the position of nearly everyone by stating: "If
democracy is not working, then what is needed is more democracy."