A true democracy on a global service

Our planet is endangered by the human activity and we, the humans, have to act in order to prevent further deterioration that the future generations may experience. The governments from all over the world have to take the necessary measures. Contrary to the practice of the present-day US administration of President G.W. Bush, the Kyoto Protocol has to be respected. This amounts to saying that compelling measures have to be undertaken to reduce in a significant way the toxic waste, and to enforce high taxes upon all polluting industries. The governments have also to better control the extraction industries, especially the petrol and mining companies. Other measures could also be lined up, which is not our aim; this issue could and should be better treated by the scientific researchers to whom each government has to pay an increasing attention.

 There is however another, equally important, aspect of the issue of global heating : we mean the role each individual plays, especially in the rich countries. Governments have to address their citizens, asking and encouraging them to better consume in a more responsible way, or to limit their consumption. This amounts to questioning basic certainties, namely the citizens’ attachment to comfortable life. Governments could not be successful in this hard task unless they appeal to the individual’s civic sense. It is because a citizen is viewed as a thoughtful and responsive human being, that he/she will accept to decrease his/her daily consumption of petrol or water, to sort out waste, or even to find out new solutions for protecting the environment. This is not the most difficult aspect of the problem; more than once, the individuals have shown that they could make a sacrifice of their particular interest for the common good. Perhaps this attitude can win only if the governments appeal to this civic sense.

How is it that the citizen is praised to the skies when giving priority to the public interest in ecological matters, and reduced to an immature being when casting a vote?Why explaining him/her that he or she has not the right of having a choice other than between the competing parties ? The parties propose and the voters dispose.This simple rule will be realized only when the ‘none of the above’ vote will be taken into account. As far as democracy belongs to citizenry, the latter has to be allowed a much larger initiative during elections. A party that defends market economy cannot justify any form of protectionism for politicians. A party that is concerned with the rights of the poor and disadvantaged people has to struggle to make elections an authentic moment of decision-making, even for those who are not rich enough, or not well enough educated, to create their own party.

 We are calling for a true reflection on the democratic practices, for the good of our world.

Creation date : 03/12/2006 @ 19:00
Last update : 03/12/2006 @ 19:00
Category : Taking sides

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