Direct Participatory Democracy And Tolerance in Mozambique

Direct Participatory Democracy and Tolerance in Mozambique

Manuel Mario Chingole SJ

Democracy has been one of the most preferred political systems around the world. Yet there are different kinds of democracies. This article makes a brief focus on direct participatory democracy and tolerance, using Mozambique as a case in point. Direct participatory democracy “is a state in which the people themselves play a more direct role in running the State, in making laws and taking decisions” (Munroe, Trevor., An Introduction to Politics: Lectures for First-year Students, 2002). This is a kind of democracy that emphasizes the participation of the individuals in building their society in its political, social, and economic aspects. Here, action is not only for the government. Rather, people are encouraged to be active, especially in accomplishing their duties such as paying taxes in order to sustain the economy of the state, active participation in promoting the common good of the state and obeying the laws and rules that the community has set. Also, this kind of democracy helps people to be more tolerant of each other. In this kind of system, people are not divided according to their colour, ethnic groups or social class. Everyone receives equal treatment. Following Emmanuel Levinas’ ideas we can say that tolerance is a deep understanding of the other person. It is not the external understanding where we come to understand and judge the other because of his or her background, culture, social status, ethnic group, appearance etc. Tolerance goes beyond the accidents that have been mentioned. It is about the essence of the person which is discovered by listening carefully and responsibly to that person. When people are sincerely listened to, a large percentage of the problems that our societies face can be diminished or eliminated as appropriate (Levinas, Emmanuel., Totality and Infinity, 1967). This can lead to responsibility and respect towards the other. In a society where tolerance is promoted, people would be able to tolerate the ideologies of others and engage one another in productive dialogue. This helps people to have a better understanding of others. The more people focus on the external, the more intolerant they become because of judgments based on the external features or factors only. That is problematic for societal cohesion and coexistence. Direct participatory democracy and tolerance have a way of dealing with poverty, inequality and corruption. Since it involves everyone in the state’s affairs there is a possibility of knowing the needs of the citizens in order to justly respond to them. It also leads to more transparency and accountability to the people. The citizens should know the economic status of their

countries (Razafindrakoto, Mireille and François Roubaud., “Governance, Democracy and Poverty Reduction: Lessons Drawn from the 1-2-3 Surveys in Francophone Africa.” (The African Statistical Journal, 2006). The citizens should also be called upon to participate in drawing out societal policies. This move to extend the responsibility for policy making from the government to also include the people constitutes participatory democracy. However, such an initiative would require the spirit of tolerance on every level of society, but especially from those in power. Direct participation and tolerance could begin from the municipality, district and province level before it then goes to the national level. The representative members of government do not work in isolation. They need the participation of the people and they should listen to them. So, direct participatory democracy and tolerance are two ideals that I would propose to be embraced by the Mozambican society. If the Mozambicans embrace these ideals, they will have a higher chance of flourishing as a society. In such a society, the democratic values of freedom, equality, human and fundamental rights, tolerance, liberty and justice, the rule of law, etc., would be respected. The society would no longer feel threatened by diversity but would aim to accommodate and treat every individual as equal. I am aware that this system of governance might be regarded as being too ambitious in this modern time but I hold that its implementation in the Mozambican society is not impossible. A major reason for such an opposition is the problems and failures of the Mozambican democratic experience. Article 1 of the Mozambican constitution states that “The Republic of Mozambique is an independent, sovereign, democratic State of social justice” (Constitution of the Republic of Mozambique, 1990). Mozambique as a democratic country has necessary structures, institutions and systems that would help direct participatory democracy and tolerance to flourish in this society. The legislative, and judicial powers are present in Mozambique and these are some of the fundamental structures of a democratic society. These institutions are also present to safeguard democratic values. The constitution is also an institution that makes a society to respect the law and makes the citizens to be aware that they are equal before the law. No one is above the law (Chingole, Manuel Mario., Mozambique on a Democratic Path, 2020). The question that rises then is why Mozambique as a state has failed in applying direct participatory democracy and tolerance. This failure is due to the creation of social classes by those who fought the liberation war. They believe that they possess privileges which others do not have. If you did not participate in the liberation struggle you do not have the right to speak out even when the country is in a deplorable situation. This is why those who fought the war say “we are in power! Let us give orders to the government to give us money” (Manning, Carrie L. The Politics of Peace in Mozambique: Post-conflict Democratization, 1992-2000, 2002). This is blatant greed. As a result, Mozambique today is sinking in a big debt caused by the powerful who act without the consent of the parliament which represents the people. This causes a lot of suffering to the citizens. Some suffer without knowing why they are undergoing such an experience. Furthermore, the structures, institutions and systems in the country are weak and biased. They do not do the work they are supposed to do and hence allow the constant violation of the constitution. As a way forward, I propose that the Church in Mozambique should be involved in political education. The involvement of the church should be through the African Catholic Social Teaching (AFCAST), which serves as an institution for discernment. AFCAST can identify the root causes of the problems and reflect upon them through the See, Judge and Act paradigm. This reflection would be accompanied by a critical analysis of the problems as well as engaging the people and teaching them how to solve their own problems.

[The tendency by politicians to think that the Church seeks to overthrow a given government is totally misplaced. The Church desires that governments do their job in the best possible way within the given circumstances. The election of governments into power or out of it is up to the electorate. Obviously, the Church cannot side with the evils of dictatorship or even unfettered capitalism or any other such social, economic or political evil.] In order to exert meaningful and transformative impact, AFCAST needs to work with the Catholic Episcopal Conference of Mozambique. AFCAST could use the letters of the bishops to propagate Christian values, which are similar to democratic values. This would help people to realize that direct participatory democracy and tolerance is one of the best systems to apply in a democratic country like Mozambique (Chingole, Manuel Mario., Mozambique on a Democratic Path, 2020). Direct participatory democracy and tolerance are important for a state, particularly Mozambique. These two dimensions do not discriminate on the basis of external differences among people. Everyone has the right and duty to participate in the state’s affairs. But Mozambique has been failing because of doing the complete opposite of what is expected of direct participatory democracy and tolerance, which if properly implemented with the aid of AFCAST, can lead to societal flourishing and should be embraced.