Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg address asserted that a new nation has been conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. It is based on this ideology conveyed in 1863 that tagging America a rainbow nation, that creates a home for all on the principles of equality, would be home. The varying races of people in the American nation breathed relieve, as their long anticipated freedom stared them in the face. The only necessary factor for survival in a Darwin's realistic descriptive world is freedom. This freedom apparently becomes the exercise of reflections in creating a democratic world that would have as its root the people and their choices first before the choices of the rulers. It becomes inarguable that Lincoln must have sustainably defined democracy in favour of his Gettysburg's assertion. Therefore, principles of democracy must historically source from its incipient definitions clearly expressed in the ideas and ideologies that gave birth to the democratic American society hitherto, dating back to the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Hence, it becomes of no doubt that the American society operates with the concept of democracy as its bedrock and as such, principles that negate such stand must inevitably face vehement opposition. In order for the Lincoln thoughts and cause to be sustained in modern politics, it needed to be conveyed through political party ideology and handed over from generation to generation, thus becoming a base upon which the policies of the state would reflect the party manifesto that would be voted for by the electorates. It is upon this exercise that the Democratic Party of the United States of America came to bear and was hitherto rooted in ideologies of individual liberty, social justice and the common good, with so much emphasis on the government reflecting the will and the welfare of the people. Therefore, the concept of liberalism against conservatism became the modus operandi and vivendi of the Democratic Party and its members. It is in light of the foregoing does this work seeks to unravel latent factors that inform recent state policies in the United States of America and how inherent positives should be observed sine-qua-non to stereotypic negatives largely voiced the world all over, which could be a lesson for Africa.
WORLD DEMOCRACY
In the words of Abraham Lincoln as part of his Gettysburg address, he conclusively asserted that '…the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the surface of the earth'. This was extremely assertive as Lincoln never had in mind that there could be any other form of government greater than this very one and in that regard, he gave his all in defense of it, not just as a worthy cause but as a necessary tool for man's survival in the face of any government. Furthermore, the fact that a substance has been posited never to perish implies that it is perishable and must have also had a time it came into being. Just as the axiom – 'every end has a beginning'. In this sense, let us take a causal look into the historical conception of democracy for the world and have a firm grasp of its connotation as a guide to justify the acts of the present times, considered a victory for democracy.
Etymologically, the term democracy emanated from two Greek words – 'demos' and 'kratia'. With the former standing for 'people' and the later, 'power'. When both items are joined, it implies power residing with the people. The etymological stand of democracy is consequent upon the fact that Greece is its cradle villa cum originator. Democracy is apparently at home in Greece. The state of Greece in the BCs had an organized form of government, structured into polies. These polies are similar to the states in a country. In the then Greece, leading polies were basically two (Athens and Sparta). These both states constantly fought for supremacy either coldly or in full blown war (Peloponnesian War). One of the attributes of their greatness featured in the organization of their governments which had democracy as a core feature.
In Sparta, there was this belief that jettisoned privately owned wealth as an instrument to define class or presence in government which brings to bear the principles of democracy. Four main bodies had the political power of the Sparta state in possession and among all was the Ephors (representatives) seen as the most powerful, elected by the people on tenure basis and served as the executives of the Spartan government. They were responsible for determining state policies which must reflect the welfare of the electorates they represent and as well criticize their kings and send them on exile where necessary. It is on this ground that Aristotle attributed to them the most important key institution of the state. The Ephors were elected on egalitarian grounds and never on the basis of owned wealth. Hence, the people of Sparta should be commended for inventing a true representative democracy.
On the other hand, Athens has been largely seen as the inventors and birth place of democracy and particularly the direct form of democracy that gives all eligible citizens the platform and opportunity to contribute to governance. Democracy in Athens was conceived as a remedy to lingering strife between the rich minority and the poor majority, buoyed by the philosophical expertise of Solon. Solon entrusted with the responsibility of rebuilding Athens, restructured its governmental institutions in a manner that would largely support and be fair to the poor majority and at same time not totally clamping on all privileges of the rich minority. One of his rationales to achieve this was the introduction of the Ecclesia which served as a general assembly for eligible citizens to vote, pass laws and degrees and also listen to appeals. Noble birth that recycles an oligarchy was jettisoned in favour of productive wealth and Athenian citizenship. This further had to put a stop to any Athenian serving as a slave to another Athenian and a classless political assembly not founded on privately owned wealth. In perfecting the works of Solon, Cleisthenes government made reforms that sustained democratic principles which were captured in the words of Thucydides in explaining Athenian democracy to be:
'Its administration favours the many instead of the few; this is why it is called democracy. If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences…The freedom which we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life'
It is therefore paramount to understand that whosoever that claims to be a democrat must go back to its origin and wholly identify with its conceptualizations that maintain freedom in both government and ordinary life and takes into large consideration private differences of all people. This apparently makes liberalism and democracy both sides of same coin, with one not surviving in the absence of the other.
WHY AM I DEMOCRAT?
Whoever claims kindred to the postulation and assertion of Lincoln regarding the non-perishing of a government fostered by the people themselves must ask the above question and devoid of any form of bias, truthfully give answers to it. In fact, to be of any government that believes in democracy implies that the above test must have been passed. Upon the question being asked, let's consider the underlying principles of democracy as cited by Aristotle in his work – 'Politics':
'Now a fundamental principle of the democratic form of constitution is liberty – that is what is usually asserted, implying that only under this constitution do men participate in liberty, for they assert this as the aim of democracy. But one factor of liberty is to govern and be governed in turn; for the popular principle of justice is to have equality according to number, not worth, and if this is the principle of justice prevailing, the multitude must of necessity be sovereign and the decision of the majority must be final and must constitute justice…This then is one mark of liberty which all democrats set down as a principle of the constitution…'
To this end, it becomes obvious that true democrats must uphold principles of liberty and subject themselves to be governed by the people they govern, taking at every point the decision of the majority into maximum consideration, even if it is not consistent with their own bias. Liberty of the people is the objective of democracy according to Aristotelian principle of politics. Coming to terms with this truth confers upon a man the status of being a democrat. It is upon this that certain political parties upholding principles of democracy as its fundamental ideology must ensure that members adequately understand the connotations and implications of the democrat nomenclature, as not to misrepresent the concept when it should be applied. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF THE USA
There are several political affiliations all over the world that operates with the concept of democracy and liberalism as a fundamental ideology. Paramount among them all is the Democratic Party of the United States of America, founded in 1828 and apparently the world's oldest political party still in existence. The party has reinvented itself at several times which at those times affected its ideologies. However, the Democratic Party of the United States that currently holds its presidency with a minority at its parliament fosters ideologies founded on the principles of liberalism, social progressivism, social justice and equality, economic justice and equality and a welfare state. Thus, these principle ideologies of the Democratic Party of the United States form its manifesto upon which government officials are being elected. In essence, the electorates would never vote you as a person but the ideologies of your party that were conveyed to them through your preached manifesto. Hence, it becomes impossible to be elected on the platform of your promised manifesto consistent with your party ideology and do otherwise or defect to another party whose manifesto was not what the people voted for.
In furtherance, the key principles of the Democratic party of the United States are all embedded in the assertions of liberalism and social liberalism. Liberalism refers to an ideology that seeks a balance between individual liberty, social justice and the common good while taking into cognizance the market economy and expansion of civil rights to citizens. Social liberalism opines that government should be involved in addressing issues such as poverty and access to education and health care. It is in this light that the current US government works round the clock to ensure that its ideologies voted for by the people are effectively defended through its policies and governmental interventions. The Obama health care bill; the customized education aided Apple laptops for American students; tax relief policy; unemployment insurance and among other social security policy for eligible American citizens and most recently the gay rights, all speak in favour of his government maintaining the ideologies of his political affinity, whose manifesto was voted for by the electorates. This apparently implies a civilized state whose leaders operate with cosmic conscience consequent upon their elections by enlightened electorates to justify their manifestos' promises through state policies, acts and other forms of governmental interventions.
JUSTIFYING MY POSITION AS A DEMOCRAT
The administration of Barack Obama came on board in 2008 and was reelected in 2012 for 4year tenure respectively. In 2008 he asserted yet again his position as a democrat having served on same platform as a senator of the American parliament. He said: '…our regard for them compels us all, Democrats and Republicans, to cooperate, and compromise, and act in the best interests of our nation – one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all'.
Having explained the concept of liberty through liberalism which is fundamental to every democrat, one would be tempted to confer on Obama the title of a true democrat as this was evident in his quoted speech above, which he lived to fulfill through liberty and people oriented policies initiated by his administration. The Obama's administration must have ensured a thorough study of Cleisthenes and Aristotle's politics consistent with the ideologies of the party he represents and pragmatically brought them to bear for the electorates to confirm the will and power of their votes. The central theme of this work centers on the recently approved gay rights in all of the 50 states of the USA. This has thus ensued controversies round the globe on the premises of both personal and collective beliefs. It is in the light of the foregoing does this work seeks to unravel the positives in the midst of trailing controversies regarding the approval of gay rights for citizens and people resident in the USA, as this should further be a lesson for African nations whose governments and citizens never cease to be reactionary.
IN DEFENCE OF THE TRUTH
I choose not to be religiously or traditionally indoctrinated in defense of the truth but to be fair and hearken to the conscience of the people I lead and hear their plight in favour of their long awaited justice prevaricated cause. This I do because I am a human surrounded by humans, who in majority, collectively feel a cause is justifiable enough to satisfy their common good. What do I then represent upon being voted by them for an ideology they know would satisfy their cause and cry justice alas, if I do not what I represent?
The above personal citation by me is a step in the defense of the truth that has refused to be heard and told. Truth is relative in most exceptional situations. What might be true to a particular subcultural group might be false for another. An average Christian of the Pentecostal or Catholic origin holds the truth that Jesus Christ died on the cross while the Jehovah Witness asserts its own truth that Jesus Christ died on the stake. Does it mean that the former or later holds a false belief in relation to the other? The fact is that the belief of both religious affinity forms the truth for their respective selves and claiming that any of them is false in the face of their believers becomes a slight on the integrity and dignity of their beliefs. Therefore, in defending the truth, the conscience of the people must be largely put into consideration while divinity is being allowed to exercise its jurisdictional authority in leading a final justification for truth, devoid of the meddling of mere men. What one represents and has sworn allegiance to in favour of a people forms a foundation and guide to a relative truth.
On the subject of this discourse, the Obama US led administration on 26th June, 2015 proclaimed the approval of same-sex marriage all over the 50 states of the United States of America. This move has brought about commendations and disapprovals from different communities of the world. He – Obama and the United States have received several labeling and praises regarding making the United States the 21st country all over the world to get gay marriages legalized. Most of the sanctions on the person of Obama and his newly initiated state policy come largely from Faith Based Organisations. Nonetheless, this article in defending the truth would take causal looks at this decision devoid of all forms of fallacies, especially against the person of the president of the United States.
GAYISM IN THE USA
The basic components that largely affect our world stem from information, technology and competition, with information taking the lead. The human mind is a special organ for a person and the society which he belongs. This is because it is the site that defines world view and perception. By virtue of the dynamism of the society and the humans that live in it, evolution and social change become inevitable. In essence, knowledge becomes largely affected, as what might be considered knowledge in the 20th century could become obsolete and no knowledge in the 21st century.
Marriage has been considered as a union of a man and a woman and with further need for procreation, as supported by the American Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) 1996. In this
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
No comments:
Post a Comment