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| Saturday, 20 March 2004 |
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by Ranga Jayasuriya Nepali journalist Kunda Dixit, speaking on enemies of open societies, yesterday warned that corrupt political and bureaucratic establishments posed a greater threat to democracy than terrorists. "The biggest threat to democratic societies comes not from terrorists or militants, but from the very people who fail to fulfil their own promises (to these societies)," Dixit told a seminar organised by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS). Delivering his speech titled 'South Asia: Open societies and their enemies-militancy and democracy' at the seminar on the Role of the United State in South Asia, warned mass frustration born out from the failure or the reluctance of the political and bureaucratic establishments could fuel insurgencies. Drawing similarities from the JVP insurgency in '88-'89 and the on-going Maoist insurgency in his mother country, he said both events were born from exclusion and deprivation. He warned how perfect may be the founding principles of a constitution, it may not work and could be abused, unless necessary mechanisms for checks and balances are in place coupled with political will. Sighting examples from Thailand, where Prime Minister Thaskin Shinawatra's dealing with media triggered criticism, he said as long as strongman tactics receives public acknowledgment, the liberal principles of constitutionalism would become inactive. |
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