The United States And Pontification Of Democracy For Self-Gains

BY Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim

T

he concept of democracy ubiquitously connotes majority rule and minority rights, where choice of the majority prevails in determining the structures of governance by the power of their votes considering the societal structuration and the bid to improve their lives and the society. The rights of the minority are to be fully guaranteed and respected as members of the society. Protection of these rights is what sustains democracy and manifest the beauty of the system. It is also notable that ancient European scholars such as Plato have condemned the practice of democracy as not the best form process of governance when he advocated for platocracy. The imagery of the trend is that illiterates and lunatics can win elections through democratic processes and people without competence can become leaders without the knowledge of how to politically satisfy the electorates.

Recently, President Joe Biden hosted a summit for democracy on December 9 and 10. “The summit will focus on challenges and opportunities facing democracies and will provide a platform for leaders to announce both individual and collective commitments, reforms, and initiatives to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad,”  a statement posted on U.S department of State reads: The United States so far, has extended invitation to countries perceived as its allies, and did not invite others branded as ‘undemocratic, authoritarian, dictatorship, etc. It is clear that there are countries in the world that are happier today than the so called allies of the United States and do not go by the American style of democracy. Countries like Qatar, UAE, Oman and China among others have their styles of governance and their citizens are doing well than the American citizens in many perspectives. It also seems that Biden is inviting allies not democracies with whom the U.S. shares similar interest from the constructivist analogy. If you exclude China, that suggests failure of the American trade war against China and the U.S. is taking a different strategy to contain the rising nature of China which former American President Jimmy Carter warned that, the “rise of China is inevitable.”

The American democratic system is such one of the worst democracies in the world as the negation of the peoples’ right to live has been recorded such as the black lives matter in the United States, the American-Spanish war in 1898, the Korean war in 1950, Vietnam war 1954–1975, the Gulf War 1991, Somalia war 1992-93,  Iraq war 2003, invasion of Libya in 2011 and the Afghan war 2001–2021, among others, are all interventionist gestures against independent entities around the world that killed innocents, deprived people the right to existence and made these countries a sheer theatres of war that these countries have continued to suffer from American invasion and brutalities. The above records disqualify the United States to serve as a leading figure of democracy; the United States should not have the guts and temerity to form a democracy league to defend its tenets either at home or abroad due to the above mentioned atrocities committed.

The United States imposes democracy on other people without allowing them to live according to their own way of living. China practices socialist democracy and it brings about political utility to the Chinese people better than what is obtainable in the United States and Europe. The reality is that the American Empire is on the decline, loosing influence gradually on the world stage, withdrawing from significant international engagements and trying to reposition itself, but it is too late as the expiration of an empire when it is due cannot be reversed as fixated by the natural laws. The major challenge the U.S. faces today is not even Russia despite the hours of phone call made between Putin and Biden and the caveat issued to Russia on Ukraine, but the major idea is how to gang up against China and decimate its rising global influence. It is also attributable to U.S. decision not to send American officials to Beijing for 2022 Olympics and calling on other countries to boycott it and Australia having dicey relations with China has already joined the league. The democracy summit organized by Biden is such a league that will rejuvenate policy of containment just as we saw under Harry Truman Doctrine starting in 1947 to contain the spread of communism as practiced by Soviet Russia. The American ignorance is hinged on the fact that other Empires had fallen through historical records and the American Empire cannot last forever.

From the pedigree the American foreign policy as formulated by the hitherto founding fathers was not reflective of democratic principles. The founding fathers considered Americans first, that is, the United States would not go to war except American interest was at stake or its security being threatened. It was President Woodrow Wilson who changed this position to ethical idealism which considered humanity as a scope of American foreign policy. The American foreign policy is driven by national interests rather than democracy. It is well known that the US administration has cooperated with tyrants and terrorists like Alqa’eda and ISIS, and has for decades plotted regime change of legitimate governments across the world. The true history of America shows that the biggest genocide in human history did not happen in Nazi Germany but on American soil where an estimated 100 million Native Americans were slaughtered in order to take away their homeland. The U.S economy was built on slavery, which represented the greatest human rights abuse. Until today, racial discrimination in the U.S is still alive.

It is in line with the above that it becomes imperative to disentangle the truth from the falsehood, especially as it relates to true democracy in contemporary international system. “Democracy that works” showcases a white paper issued by the PRC which depicts systematic introduction to China’s democratic values, their course of development, institutional arrangements and systems, actions, as well as relevant achievements and contributions. The document notes that a whole-process people’s democracy integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy, and people’s democracy with the will of the state. It is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is true democracy that works. The white paper contains a text on China’s democracy which puts the people as the country’s masters. The people’s status as masters of the country is the essence of people’s democracy in China. The white paper reviewed the process in which the Party led the people in developing democracy during the New Democratic Revolution period (1919-1949), socialist revolution and reconstruction period (1949-1978), and the years of reforms, opening-up and socialist modernization after 1978.

China has adopted the governing system of the people’s democratic dictatorship, upholding the unity of democracy and dictatorship to ensure the people’s status as masters of the country. The system of people’s congresses has been adopted as the governing structure, through which the people exercise state power effectively. China has upheld and improved the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under CPC leadership. The system is able to avoid situations where there is discussion without decision and there is decision without action. It also effectively mitigates the risks of inadequate oversight in one-party rule, and the problems of destructive competition in multiparty political systems. China has consolidated and developed the broad patriotic united front, systematically promoting harmonious relations between political parties, between ethnic groups, between religions, between social groups, and between Chinese people at home and overseas. China has upheld and improved the system of regional ethnic autonomy, making the people of all ethnic groups the masters of the country on the principle of ensuring the solidarity and unity of the country. China has also upheld and improved the system of community-level self-governance. Democracy at the primary level has been expanded so that local residents can manage their own affairs by serving the community, undertaking self-education, and exercising public scrutiny.

The whole-process people’s democracy in China is a complete system with supporting mechanisms and procedures, and has been fully tested through a wide participation. China’s whole-process people’s democracy is a combination of electoral democracy and consultative democracy, and is applied through a combination of elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight. It covers the economic, political, cultural, social, eco-environmental, and other fields, with a focus on national development, social governance, and people’s lives. Whole-process people’s democracy ensures that the people’s voices are heard and their wishes are represented in every aspect of China’s political and social life. It prevents individuals from manipulating the political process to win elections, and leaves no room for politicians to shower promises while campaigning and break them all once elected. Chinese democratic system is an extensive and true democracy that works. Democracy is not a decorative ornament, but an instrument for addressing the issues that concern the people. In China, all power belongs to the people, and the people enjoy extensive rights. In China, the people have gained a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, security, and human rights are fully respected and protected. In China, democratic participation has kept expanding, and the people’s demands can be freely expressed and effectively fulfilled.

It should be noted that “One essential feature of a good model of democracy is that it will promote sound governance and boost national development,” and “It is hard to see how a country can serve as a good example for the rest of the world if its own model of democracy is unsuccessful or inefficient in national governance.” In addition, “a good model of democracy should build consensus rather than creating social rifts and conflicts, safeguard social equity and justice rather than widening social disparities in favor of vested interests, maintain social order and stability rather than causing chaos and turmoil, and inspire positivity and appreciation of the good and the beautiful rather than instigating negativity and promoting the false and the evil.”  China’s democracy has boosted national development and social progress, and ensured the wellbeing of the people.

China’s democracy has contributed a new model to the international political spectrum. Representing nearly one-fifth of the world’s population, the more-than-1.4 billion Chinese people enjoy the status as masters of the country and extensive rights and freedoms. China has explored a new path to democracy and contributed its experience to global political progress.” China has created and developed whole-process people’s democracy in line with its national conditions. This is a form of democracy with distinctive Chinese features which at the same time reflects humanity’s universal desire for democracy.” The white paper states that, “there is no single road to democracy…China has achieved considerable progress in developing democracy; … China still needs to make further improvements.” This sounds democratic as accepting the fact that there is the need for improvement unlike the American values seeing America being perfect all the time.

The American Republican Party does not represent democratic leadership from its domestic and international engagements. Internally the Republican Party supports division among the divergent groups of the United States, and this is evident in how Donald Trump divided America and ruled based on the founding fathers principle of “America First.” The difference between the United States and China is that “the Chinese people are willing to work together with all other peoples around the world to carry forward the common values of humanity, peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom. In a spirit of mutual respect and following the principle of seeking common ground while setting aside differences. China adds new elements to the world’s political structure and advance towards a global community of shared future together.” This can be seen in the Belt and Road Initiative and other multilateral and bilateral relations, especially the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, whose summit just ended on the 30th of December, 2021 in Dakar Senegal.

The factual negation and reduction of Chinese democratic setting by the United States only justify rivalry which the U.S. pursues due to the enviable position of China in the world’s political-economy. Chinese democracy deals with elective positions in democratic representation in law-making as obtainable in the National People’s Congress, with members elected from rural, township, provincial and central levels. The system of people’s congresses is China’s fundamental political system, whose original aspiration and essence is to ensure Chinese people’s status as masters of the country. The Constitution stipulates that all power in China belongs to the people. The election of deputies to people’s congresses, which is the basis of the system of people’s congresses, has two notable features: (1) the rights to vote for Chinese citizens are the most extensive. According to the Constitution, all citizens of the PRC who have reached the age of 18 shall have the right to vote and stand for election (2) persons deprived of political rights in accordance with law shall be an exception. Currently, more than 1 billion voters are participating in the elections to people’s congresses at the township and county levels. Elections at the grassroots level are the most dynamic form of China’s whole-process people’s democracy, and also the world’s largest elections.

Considering the above trend of Chinese democratic settings, it can be argued that China is the largest democracy in the world and the most responsive political system on earth due to the number of people who participate in the democratic process and how the government responds to the wishes and aspirations of the people. In Chinese democracy, the deputies to people’s congresses are fully representative of the people. China has five-level deputies: national, provincial, city, county, and township. At the end of 2020, 2.623 million people were serving as deputies to people’s congresses at all levels nationwide. Among them, 2.478 million are at the township and county levels, accounting for 94.5% of the total. Deputies at the township and county levels are directly elected by the public; one person has one vote. Deputies to people’s congresses at the city, provincial, and national levels are elected by people’s congresses at the next level below. China’s Electoral Law stipulates that there shall be an appropriate number of deputies from all regions, ethnic groups, and sectors, and makes clear requirements for the proportion of deputies elected from the grassroots level, especially workers, farmers, professionals and technicians, women, and ethnic minorities. It can be said that in China, deputies to people’s congresses come from every region, every industry, every field, and every ethnic group, which makes China the largest democracy in the world.

Chinese democracy is the most inclusive one in the world, dealing with cooption of different groups of the society into political participation. China respects the rights of women to political participation and shares political positions with them. Among the nearly 3,000 deputies to the 13th NPC, 742 are women deputies, accounting for 24.9% of the total; and 468 workers and farmers, accounting for 15.7% of the total, including 45 migrant workers. Moreover, 613 deputies are professionals, accounting for 20.6% of the total, and 438 deputies are from ethnic minority groups, accounting for 14.7% of the total. All 55 ethnic minorities in China have NPC deputy representation. Even those with a very small population would have at least one NPC deputy. For example, the Monba ethnic group in Tibet, which has a population of around 10,000, also has one NPC deputy, who is female. She is a teacher at a local elementary school.

On the issue of suffrage, the U.S. turned to consider women only in 18th century, while the United Kingdom in the 17th Century. In what defines China’s electoral system, China’s first Electoral Law in 1953 granted the universality of the right to vote. It took Western countries several hundred years to realize universal suffrage in the legal sense while China achieved true universal suffrage without all those twists and turns. On the increasing number of people participating in elections -which is also the voter turnout-since the initiation of reform and opening up, China has conducted 12 direct elections to people’s congresses at the township level and 11 direct elections at the county level, with a current participation rate of around 90%. On election funding in China, finances for deputy elections come from the treasury, which provides an institutional guarantee that election integrity will not be compromised by financial interests.

People’s democracy is manifest in the China’s CPPCC, which is the all-encompassing political collectivism as it integrates all sectors of the society and gives them sense of belonging and emotional ties. The CPPCC originates from the political system created by the leading CPC and all non-communist parties, public figures without party affiliation, people’s organizations, and public figures of all China’s ethnic groups and sectors of society. It is deeply rooted in China’s history and culture, and is an important means to achieve people’s democracy in China. In September 1949, the first plenary session of the CPPCC was held, marking the formal establishment of the system of the CPPCC. For more than 70 years, under the leadership of the CPC, the CPPCC has adhered to the two themes of solidarity and democracy, served the central tasks of the CPC and the country, and played an important role in the great practice of establishing and developing the PRC, exploring paths of reforms, and realizing the Chinese Dream.

Ibrahim is of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja.

The line of divergence between China and the West is what the western world fails to understand clearly that they practice capitalist/liberal democracy while China upholds socialist democracy. Why the failure to allow each nation to uphold its own system and develop with it without unnecessary intervention and relegation? China proves the west wrong when it rises economically and made the Chinese people happier than the western population. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. The CPPCC is an important channel and a specialized body for socialist consultative democracy. It integrates consultation, supervision, participation, and cooperation. It promotes broad unity, promotes multi-party cooperation, and practices people’s democracy in consultations. It is an important part of China’s national governance system and a political institution with Chinese characteristics. It has many characteristics and advantages in China’s model of democracy and the whole-process people’s democracy:

When the level of resentment has continued to rise against the American system both at national and international level, the Chinese support to the leadership of the CPC has continued to wax. According to surveys conducted by Harvard Kennedy School in China for 13 consecutive years, the Chinese people satisfaction with the Chinese government under the leadership of the CPC runs as high as 93%. This trend portends that American Empire is waning and declining while China rises. The question is how and why the CPC garners such momentum, influence and support from the Chinese people? The CPC upholds democracy within the Party and practices democratic elections, decision-making, management and oversight, to better serve the development of people’s democracy. The CPC has improved its mechanism for selecting and appointing officials, enabling outstanding individuals in all sectors to enter the Party leadership teams and the government, and ensuring that the leadership of the Party and the state rests in the hands of those loyal to Marxism, the Party, and the people. The CPC upholds law-based governance of the country. It exercises leadership over legislation, guarantees law enforcement, supports judicial justice, and plays an exemplary role in abiding by the law. Through advancing the rule of law, the Party ensures that its policies are effectively implemented and that the people run the country as its masters.

Political competition among political units results in good governance as practiced by the provinces in China, but not political rivalry. Political organizations and associations are partners in the democratic journeys. There exists political party rivalry in the United States between the Republicans and the Democrats, but there exists political party cooperation in China. This is a clear distinction between the two. The System of Multiparty Cooperation and The system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC is a basic element of China’s political framework. The Constitution stipulates, “The system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China will continue and develop long into the future.” A new model grown out of the soil of China, it also learns from other countries and absorbs the fruits of their political achievements. In China, there are no opposition parties. But China’s political party system is not a system of one-party rule. Nor is it one in which multiple parties vie for power and govern in turn. It is a multiparty cooperation system in which the CPC exercises state power. In addition to the CPC, there are eight other political parties (the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, the China Democratic League, the China National Democratic Construction Association, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, the China Zhi Gong Party, the Jiusan Society, and the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League). The other parties participate fully in the administration of state affairs under the leadership of the CPC.

The CPC is the governing party, and the other parties accept its leadership. They cooperate closely with the CPC and function as its advisors and assistants. Through forums, talks, and written and other forms of consultation, the CPC consults with the other parties and prominent individuals without affiliation to any political party (non-affiliates) on major national and local policies and matters.

The democracy summit organized by the United States is to form a coalition force against democracy, against liberalism and against rule of law. It is a summit organized to target China and the developing world in an era with uncertain future especially for the Third World. States may not join such undemocratic coalition as same had annihilated lives in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Vietnam, North Korea, Libya and still eliminating lives in Yemen. Democratic pontification by the United States provides an eagle view into the authoritarian nature of the U.S. and a complete paradox of democracy that envisages the collapse of American Empire.

Ibrahim is of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja.