| New Democracy
DEMOCRACY IS being recognized now as something
more than a vote every five years or so. A government is not
authorized to do as it pleases just because the party that
leads it got more votes than some others, and never usually
the vote of the majority, even among those who voted.
And so the new trends of the times. The World
Social Forum has gathered significance hugely over three years
at Porto Alegre in Brazil; its annual meeting in Mumbai next
month is seen as a step further forward. The European Social
Forum held in and around Paris last month drew about 40,000
delegates, and a resolution that resolutions are not enough;
people must act and not just talk.
And so now therefore a Commonwealth People’s
Forum in Abuja. It’s the way of the times. Civil society
is assuming the voice of the people. With what legitimacy,
many of its critics (and there are many) have begun to ask.
Governments are at least accountable to people every few years,
civil society is not similarly accountable at all.
The test really will be what civil society
does, never mind what is says or what others say. Civil society
organizations (CSOs) are asking governments to do a lot, but
they are on test themselves.
The CPF is bringing together civil society
groups, professional associations, faith groups and cultural
groups. The aim is to promote networking among these groups
“and to showcase the work and contributions of these
organizations to the fundamental principles and values of
the Commonwealth.”
The theme of the people’s forum is ‘citizens
and governance’. The people’s forum has been organized
by the Commonwealth Foundation, an inter-governmental organisation
of the Commonwealth with a mandate to strengthen the role
of civil society organizations.
It aims to take the voice of civil society
to government and to raise the visibility of CSOs. The forum
is aiming also to strengthen the Nigerian connection by firming
up links with Nigerian CSOs, and to highlight the cultural
heritage of Nigeria.
A lot of aims will be on test this week.
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