Farcical Democracy At Work
What's next on the world stage, coming to a theatre called the United Nations? Why, societally repressive dictatorships posing as supporters of democratic action, that's what. What's more, although to any rational observer it would seem to be so preposterous as to elevate the act into the theatre of the absurd, in the United Nations it seems to be a respected ploy garnering interest and compliance.More's the pity for the future of that once-promising institution of world-wide peace, stability, fairness and justice.
Here are authoritarian governments such as Belarus, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Sudan whose people live under totalitarian rule, and where opposition to the kindly disposition of the rulers elicit imprisonment, torture and death claiming, while in the hallowed precincts of the UN, to be upholders of the democratic ideal. Not for the administration of their countries, mind, but rather in agitation for egalitarianism and fairness within the UN.
They may represent some of the world's worst human-rights abusers, but they are adamant that they deserve to be represented in the ruling corridors of UN power. In the interests of fairness. Their nasty regimes aside, they aspire to be counted among the movers-and-shakers of world events; to be given the opportunity to sit in judgement on UN member countries and bring down balanced solutions to untoward events.
They wish to be elevated, elected to the UN Security Council, that elite group of deserving countries whose collective determination authorizes the manner in which the United Nations responds to situations of emergency nature. There are the five permanent members (P5) and the ten non-permanent members, elected on a rotational basis for a specific term.
The council, in their esteemed opinion, is not fairly representative of the makeup of the 192 member countries of the United Nations. It should be more efficient and transparent in its rulings. And they, the human-rights pariahs of the world, are the very representatives who remain capable of lending greater authority and perspective to this august body.
Sudan - that great sink-hole of grim repression, mass murder and mayhem - claims through its ambassador to the UN that they have called "time and again" for reform to "respond to the legitimate aspirations of the world's people." The mind boggles. Belarus's ambassador claims to be disaffected by the lack of fairness - a message its people have repeated themselves against their government.
While Saudi Arabia's representative stated unequivocally that the council required "further democratic representation and diversity". This, from a country that will brook no visible presence of any religion other than Islam within the precincts of its borders. Where women are an invisible and understated presence, victim to cultural oppression, and where imported workers employed in menial labour have no rights and protections.
While it's true that the UN might achieve better balance with the inclusion of some additional member-states into the Security Council, it is countries like Japan, Germany, Canada, Brazil or India which should be considered for inclusion into the P-5. There is a need for wider global representation, but that need does not encompass the elevation of human-rights-spurning states.
Labels: Justice, Political Realities, Viewpoint
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, November 15, 2007
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