by Eze Eluchie,
It is always
easier to talk about virtues in the abstract or when it relates to others in
distant climes. When, however, one is forced to confront issues surrounding
such virtues at close quarters, stoic silence where possible in expectation
that such issues will disappear of own accord and or subtle, but quite
effective, acts to scuttle the realization, at close quarters or within one’s
own domain, of previously extolled virtues, are set in motion under various
spurious premises.
The twin
virtues of Freedom and Democracy have in keeping with a new global order,
become pedestals upon which states are rated as either ‘developing’ or ‘developed’;
‘1st World’, ‘2nd World’ or ‘3rd World’;
‘Democratic’ or ‘Totalitarian’; ‘axis of evil’ or ‘champions of freedom’, and
so on. In some instances, the level of ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ a state is
deemed to accord its nationals have served as rationale for some states to
impose crippling economic, social and political sanctions on other states. A
state perceived as denying its peoples freedom and democratic practices is at
every given opportunity, lampooned and cajoled until it is falls in line –
until it is ‘certified’ as allowing its peoples freedom to choose their
leaders, the right to self determination and generally other fundamental rights
encapsulated in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and various other
international instruments and recognized norms.
Worldwide,
Western countries, particularly the United States and the European Union, have
over the course of time, positioned themselves as custodians of the twin
virtues of ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’, defining the twin terms in accord with
their own peculiarities and determining which state/territory observes freedoms
and democratic practices and following up with apportioning kudos and sanctions
as they have deemed deserving. The European Union, through a plethora of its
institutions and funding mechanisms amongst which includes its ‘election
observer missions’, has become a recurring and perennial decimal in democratic
processes across the globe.
From Zimbabwe,
to Russia, to Myanmar, to Nigeria, to Kenya, to China, the EU has become a loud
voice in the advancement of ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’, championing the need for respect of peoples quest for freedoms and democracy.
Recent
events, in Europe itself, have placed huge question marks on the sincerity of
the European Union’s passion to advance the universal rights of
self-determination, freedoms and democratic precepts. The first of such events
was the vocal and strident opposition by the European Union and its various
institutions towards efforts by the Scot to secede from the United Kingdom. EU
institutions threatened the Scots with catastrophic consequences in the event
that they opted to secede, threats which no doubt served to tilt the votes in a
direction preferred by the EU irrespective of the desire for freedom and democracy
by the Scots.
The preferences
exhibited by the EU establishment and their combative responses to the outcome
of democratic elections in the United States and the BREXIT votes further served
to expose the fact that ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ were concepts which had very
subjective definitions and if the outcomes of these virtues were not in
conformity with the developmental aspirations and expectations of those who
have positioned themselves as custodians of the EU establishment, then ‘freedom’
and ‘democracy’ were distractions and should be curtailed.
The evolving
situation in the Catalan region of Spain is providing a closer-to-home
opportunity to appraise the EU stance and perception of ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’.
The Catalans, a distinct nation within the Spanish state, has in furtherance
of their age-long desire for freedom and an independent state, conducted a
peaceful referendum which showed an overwhelming support for independence from
Spain. The EU establishment, fearful of the implications of freedom and
democracy, particularly if more ethnic nationalities across Europe begin to
exercise their rights to freedom and democracy and tow similar lines, fell back
to usual antics of threats of economic doom, sanctions and isolation of
whatsoever the Catalans might come up with as their own country. The issues being prioritized in arguments in EU
circles surrounding the Catalan vote for independence is strangely, neither the
wishes of the people of the Catalan region, nor their freedom to choose and
right to self determination or nor even the promotion of democratic practice
which the which the independence vote extolled; rather such technicalities as
what becomes of the EU Charter and technical balderdash and legalese
surrounding the quest for freedom and democracy by the Catalans. The haste
with which the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany expressed dissatisfaction
with the Catalan declaration of independence was to say the least appalling –
what had suddenly become wrong with a people striving to assert independence
and their freedoms, particularly when such is being conducted in a peaceful
noon-obstructive manner?
The reality
is that the people of the Catalan region have in a very peaceful and democratic
manner, exercised the universally recognized and acknowledged right to self
determination by voting for their independence from Spain. The world will be
watching over the next few days/weeks, taking in every step Spain and the EU
establishment will adopt as they seek to upturn the Catalans exercise of
freedoms and democracy. Will Spanish soldiers or security personnel be sent to arrest,
incarcerate or bludgeon those Catalans who dared to aspire for freedom and democracy?
Will economic and social strangulation be deployed to weaken the resolve of
those who dares for freedom and democracy? How will the EU react to quest for
freedom and democracy within the EU territories?
The answers
to the above questions will go a long way to determining how EU interventions
in issues of freedoms and democracy and good governance in other parts of the
world will be tolerated and perceived. Regarding freedoms and democracy, the Catalan
situation has put the European Union on trial. We are watching.....
.
Picture: Catalans celebrate independence
declaration in Barcelona on Friday 27th October 2017.
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