In its self-introduction the International Journal on Political Excellence (JPoX) asks and responds thus, “What is political excellence and how can it be realised? We don’t know it yet!” Given the widespread disenchantment in politics, the various levels of corruption, unilateralism and impunity, in different parts of the world, we may even be tempted to reject any effort to strengthen democracies or reflect on practices which lead to political excellence.
From a Christian perspective, however, we emphasise the quest for political excellence as a moral imperative, in addition to the importance of politics in our daily lives. Indeed, political excellence cannot be detached from the ethical foundations of politics.
Politics in the world today is understood in many different ways. Some identify politics as the work of the political leaders such as presidents, prime ministers, ministers, parliamentarians, etc. Others would see it as the power struggles with economic, social, ethnic, religious components forming the core of politics in the present times.
The identification of politics with the political actors dominating the political scene during a given moment in time, is not only erroneous but can also lead to a dangerous discrediting of political governance and of democracy as a political model of governance.
Many modern societies suffer a democratic deficit. Citizens are becoming increasingly disenchanted with politics and are losing faith in the system. This is because by failing to adhere to parliamentary principles, the democratically elected officials are failing to fulfil the expectations of the people. The very essence and integrity of parliamentary representation is being put into question. However, this devaluation and challenging of politics is not necessarily a negative development. Challenging current practice can generate a constructive dialogue aimed at establishing a broader discourse on reform, where current frameworks are questioned and re-evaluated. This can, in turn, lead to the reshaping and restructuring of existing systems and ultimately to an innovative transformation and functional improvement of established democracies, thereby contributing to political excellence.
More than ever the need for “engaged governance” encouraging and advancing greater participation of citizens and civil society institutions in public governance, is emerging as a meaningful way toward the establishment of a genuinely participatory democracy. Policy-making, as is already happening in many countries, should no longer be confined to representative governments, but should also engage a wide spectrum of civil society institutions. Civil society, including non-governmental organizations and churches dedicated to issues of human rights and good governance, are often seen as a leading force of democratization.
Elections serve as a way for people to choose their representatives and future government and are the means for conferring legitimacy on the political system. However electoral processes are not synonymous with democracy and a democratically elected government does not necessarily guarantee the fulfilment of peoples’ aspirations. Globalization strongly impacts on democratic freedom and people’s prosperity. Thus democratically elected representatives should be assisted and constructively monitored as they carry out their duties within the context of a democratic system. Politicians should constantly be reminded of their responsibility and obligations towards their constituency. It is in this context that an strengthened civil society fighting for social justice should always be on the alert and be ready to call for serious democratic reforms each time the political system strays from democratic principles. It is the task and obligation of all to work for a comprehensive and truly participatory democracy.
When politicians forget their responsibility to work and promote peace, justice and prosperity for their people, it is the right and duty of the people themselves, through organized movements, to remind them of these obligations. Democracy, as a political system, has the potential for people’s active participation. This is true not only in the formation of a government but also in the transformation of the society.
Within this context, democratic assessments of governments should be promoted, despite the challenges involved. These assessments can lead to the identification of the causes of democratic deficits. They provide valuable information which in turn can enable civil society to engage in public debate about the objectives of democratization and the key obstacles to their achievement. Such monitoring by the civil society of state reform is critical to the creation of accountable, effective and truly democratic governments.
The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, defined the human person as a political and social being. This definition reveals the innate inclination of the human being to be an integral part of a political society rather than living in solitude. Participation in the political life is not only reserved for democratically elected representatives. It is a shared privilege and responsibility of all members of society, who should work together in promoting the culture of democracy and for the establishment and advancement of truly participatory democratic societies.
Nevertheless, for the majority of the population, politics seems to be far from everyday life and is perceived as an activity performed by an elite class whose life is detached from that of common people. Some political actors contribute to this perception. However, in today’s globalised world people’s lives are affected by decisions made by political leaders they never take part in electing. Decisions made by the European Commission on the import of agricultural products to the European Union countries, for instance, affects the life of peasants in the global South.
Our conviction is that when politics is seen as part of our daily life, the quest for political excellence becomes a major task. But this understanding of politics is put at risk by the perspective provided by the media, which mostly highlight the negative aspects of political life. The media look for sensational news and thus tend to cover election fraud, coups d’état, corruption of political leaders, and politically motivated violence more than they do stories of good governance, strengthening democracy, and the participation of people in society building. Part of our struggle also needs to be against this denigration of politics which, instead of serving the people and the country, jeopardizes the strengthening of democracy and may exacerbate conflicts.
In many parts of the world we can observe serious shortcomings of electoral processes and social vehicles for delivering democracy. Disputes following parliamentary and presidential elections have become commonplace in most of the emerging democracies. In some cases such disputes have led to violence (e.g. Kenya, Zimbabwe, Pakistan). Equating elections with democracy runs the danger of reducing democracy to only one of its components, without recognizing others which should be also taken into consideration in order to have a holistic understanding of democracy and of politics.
Political excellence, from a Christian perspective, should be predicated upon the ethical foundations of politics.
In biblical terms, these are anchored in justice and peace. The book of the Proverbs presents it in a clear way:
From a Christian perspective, however, we emphasise the quest for political excellence as a moral imperative, in addition to the importance of politics in our daily lives. Indeed, political excellence cannot be detached from the ethical foundations of politics.
Politics in the world today is understood in many different ways. Some identify politics as the work of the political leaders such as presidents, prime ministers, ministers, parliamentarians, etc. Others would see it as the power struggles with economic, social, ethnic, religious components forming the core of politics in the present times.
The identification of politics with the political actors dominating the political scene during a given moment in time, is not only erroneous but can also lead to a dangerous discrediting of political governance and of democracy as a political model of governance.
Many modern societies suffer a democratic deficit. Citizens are becoming increasingly disenchanted with politics and are losing faith in the system. This is because by failing to adhere to parliamentary principles, the democratically elected officials are failing to fulfil the expectations of the people. The very essence and integrity of parliamentary representation is being put into question. However, this devaluation and challenging of politics is not necessarily a negative development. Challenging current practice can generate a constructive dialogue aimed at establishing a broader discourse on reform, where current frameworks are questioned and re-evaluated. This can, in turn, lead to the reshaping and restructuring of existing systems and ultimately to an innovative transformation and functional improvement of established democracies, thereby contributing to political excellence.
More than ever the need for “engaged governance” encouraging and advancing greater participation of citizens and civil society institutions in public governance, is emerging as a meaningful way toward the establishment of a genuinely participatory democracy. Policy-making, as is already happening in many countries, should no longer be confined to representative governments, but should also engage a wide spectrum of civil society institutions. Civil society, including non-governmental organizations and churches dedicated to issues of human rights and good governance, are often seen as a leading force of democratization.
Elections serve as a way for people to choose their representatives and future government and are the means for conferring legitimacy on the political system. However electoral processes are not synonymous with democracy and a democratically elected government does not necessarily guarantee the fulfilment of peoples’ aspirations. Globalization strongly impacts on democratic freedom and people’s prosperity. Thus democratically elected representatives should be assisted and constructively monitored as they carry out their duties within the context of a democratic system. Politicians should constantly be reminded of their responsibility and obligations towards their constituency. It is in this context that an strengthened civil society fighting for social justice should always be on the alert and be ready to call for serious democratic reforms each time the political system strays from democratic principles. It is the task and obligation of all to work for a comprehensive and truly participatory democracy.
When politicians forget their responsibility to work and promote peace, justice and prosperity for their people, it is the right and duty of the people themselves, through organized movements, to remind them of these obligations. Democracy, as a political system, has the potential for people’s active participation. This is true not only in the formation of a government but also in the transformation of the society.
Within this context, democratic assessments of governments should be promoted, despite the challenges involved. These assessments can lead to the identification of the causes of democratic deficits. They provide valuable information which in turn can enable civil society to engage in public debate about the objectives of democratization and the key obstacles to their achievement. Such monitoring by the civil society of state reform is critical to the creation of accountable, effective and truly democratic governments.
The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, defined the human person as a political and social being. This definition reveals the innate inclination of the human being to be an integral part of a political society rather than living in solitude. Participation in the political life is not only reserved for democratically elected representatives. It is a shared privilege and responsibility of all members of society, who should work together in promoting the culture of democracy and for the establishment and advancement of truly participatory democratic societies.
Nevertheless, for the majority of the population, politics seems to be far from everyday life and is perceived as an activity performed by an elite class whose life is detached from that of common people. Some political actors contribute to this perception. However, in today’s globalised world people’s lives are affected by decisions made by political leaders they never take part in electing. Decisions made by the European Commission on the import of agricultural products to the European Union countries, for instance, affects the life of peasants in the global South.
Our conviction is that when politics is seen as part of our daily life, the quest for political excellence becomes a major task. But this understanding of politics is put at risk by the perspective provided by the media, which mostly highlight the negative aspects of political life. The media look for sensational news and thus tend to cover election fraud, coups d’état, corruption of political leaders, and politically motivated violence more than they do stories of good governance, strengthening democracy, and the participation of people in society building. Part of our struggle also needs to be against this denigration of politics which, instead of serving the people and the country, jeopardizes the strengthening of democracy and may exacerbate conflicts.
In many parts of the world we can observe serious shortcomings of electoral processes and social vehicles for delivering democracy. Disputes following parliamentary and presidential elections have become commonplace in most of the emerging democracies. In some cases such disputes have led to violence (e.g. Kenya, Zimbabwe, Pakistan). Equating elections with democracy runs the danger of reducing democracy to only one of its components, without recognizing others which should be also taken into consideration in order to have a holistic understanding of democracy and of politics.
Political excellence, from a Christian perspective, should be predicated upon the ethical foundations of politics.
In biblical terms, these are anchored in justice and peace. The book of the Proverbs presents it in a clear way:
“A king who steadfastly deals out justice to the weak
will be secure for ever on his throne.” (Proverbs 29:14)
If a king, the symbol of political power in the biblical world, should act justly, this is because the biblical God is a God of justice. The first books of the Bible are called Torah. This is the law which, in practical and juridical terms, means to act justly. This does not mean just practising certain rituals or strictly following a set of norms but rather to protect the most vulnerable in the society. This is the core of the law.
“God secures justice for widows and orphans,
and loves the alien who lives among you, giving him food and clothing.
You too must love the alien,
for you once lived as aliens in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:18–19).
This passage shows a God who does justice by caring for and giving security to the most vulnerable of the society of that time: the widows, the orphans, the aliens. This is a God who wants the people to act justly as well. In the biblical texts, as a response to the God of justice, the people, and in particular political leaders like kings or judges, should look for justice for the most vulnerable, as the books of the prophets insist on. The prophet Isaiah puts it:
“Cease to do evil and learn to do right
pursue justice and champion the oppressed
give the orphan his rights, plead the widow’s case.” (Is 1:17)
This protection of the poor, the excluded, the triad “widows, orphans and strangers” – the most vulnerable in society – is especially highlighted by the Psalms and the Prophets (cf. Psalms 9:18, Isaiah 1:23, Malachi 3:5).
From a biblical perspective, justice, as one of the foundations of political excellence, always goes hand in hand with peace, and vice versa. The psalmist put it in a poetic way:
“Love and fidelity have come together;
justice and peace join hands.
Fidelity springs up from earth
and justice looks from heaven.” (Psalm 85:10-11)
It is against this background that in the New Testament Jesus proclaimed in the Beatitudes, which can be considered as his guidelines for ethical living:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (justice), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:9-10).
To the Beatitudes, Luke adds Jesus’ vision and mission of bringing “good news to the poor…proclaiming release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and setting the oppressed free.” (Luke 4:18)
These biblical messages offered the framework for the ecumenical movement’s commitment to and work for justice and peace in the world. The creation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1948 responded directly to the aftermath of Second World War and was inspired by the commitment to peace. On the other hand, in the decades following the establishment of the WCC, it became even clearer that “the search for Christian unity – the raison d’être of the WCC – and the struggle for justice in the world belong together, as has been amply demonstrated in many contexts.”
At the dawn of the 21st century a concrete example of this commitment of the churches and the ecumenical movement for peace and justice has been the Decade to overcome violence: churches seeking reconciliation and peace (2001-2010). The Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) tries to address violence at all levels in society, including structural and political violence. In proclaiming the DOV, the WCC rejects any theological justification of war, and denounces the spirit and logic of violence, the use, misuse and abuse of power. As we approach the end of the Decade, a series of consultations is being organized leading towards an International Ecumenical Peace Convocation to be held in 2011 which will build on experiences from all over the world to effectively address violence and agree on a Declaration on Just Peace.
From a Christian perspective it is clear that the struggle for peace and justice should inspire the pursuit of political excellence. But for the political actor, to put this into practice is not an easy task. There is a need first, to identify the most vulnerable or excluded in the society: “the orphan, the widow, the alien”. To do so, it is imperative to understand the society where the one lives. Thus, to achieve political excellence, the political actor must not be alienated from the reality of the society in which he/she operates. One must have first-hand knowledge of the society and should not depend only on information from the media. Face-to-face contact with the people is necessary in order to understand their hopes, needs, frustrations, expectations and to identify those who are the most vulnerable in the society. Consequently, one must face the challenge of building the capacity to deliver peace and justice to those people. All this constitutes a complex process of discernment where one needs the expertise and support of others to succeed.
References:
De Grouchy, J.W. Voice “Oppression, ecumenical consequences of” in Dictionary of the ecumenical movement. Geneva, WCC 2002.
References from the Bible are taken form the "New English Bible" version.
