By Estrella Gutiérrez
CARACAS, Sep 19 1997 (IPS)

Leaders at the Iberian-American Summit in November will be looking at ways to restoring substance and credibility into politics and to promote democracy as a way of life, not just a system of government.

The loss of confidence in politics – what Venezuelan political scientist Ricardo Combellas describes as “neo-Machivellism” combined with economic neo-liberalism – has weakened governing structures through formulas that are utilitarian, acritical, reductive, manipulative and short-sighted.

Combellas presides over the Presidential Committee for State Reform (COPRE) in Venezuela, which functions as a “ministry at large.” COPRE has drafted the preliminary text of the main body of the Margarita Declaration to be addopted at the summit.

The current political situation has fueled a lack of credibility in the institutions that sustain democracy, a problem which to be addressed at the 7th gathering of leaders of 19 Lation American nations, plus Spain and Portugal, on Margarita Island Nov. 8-9.

The theme of the summit will be “the ethical values of democracy” including the issue of governability, which was discussed discussed at length during the last ;last year’s meeting in Chile.

The agenda includes six sub-topics: social justice, ethics and public administration, promotion and respect for human rights, administration of justice, political parties, transparency and elections, and the right to true information.

Combellas argues that a redefinition and deepening of democracy is essential for Latin America, because people in the region are feeling “detachment, apathy and lack of faith in the institutions that embody the democratic ideal.”

Many see democracy as a “mere method of government, when it should also be a way of life and should integrate citizens into an system of values” which, in turn, should allow them to participate in government.

That participation should happen, according to Combellas, on the basis of freedom – as opposed to arbitrariness – equality (meaning a dignified life for the entire community as opposed to poverty and marginality) and pluralism, that is, a respect for diversity and difference.

The president of COPRE indicates that it is not easy to approach these topics, especially among heads of State and government. But he insists it is a “fundamental” process, because without values and principles, “democracy becomes a skeleton of methods, without body and soul.”

Democracy is a juridical and political problem, but it is also an ethical one. Combellas says that dealing with the issue does not necessarily mean resolving it, because it is an essential aspect of governability and requires changes in the patterns of behavior among those in power.

Furthermore, changes must occur among ordinary people and in the education system, in order to inculcate collective values and civil behavior, which should not only return to the classroom, but also become the responsibility of the family and other agents of socialization.

Combellas stresses that COPRE limited its work to drafting the preliminary document, on request of the Foreign Ministry, and took as its guide a speech given by president Rafael Caldera in Chile when he was appointed to be the host of the meeting in 1997.

For that reason, it has avoided comments on the changes coordinators from the 21 countries introduced to the document during the two working sessions that took place in April and August in Venezuela, and who will meet again Nov. 5-6 before the Summit opens.

“We mustn’t ask for the impossible,” says Combellas on the expected outcome of the summit, and he adds that its success is not “circumscribed” just because its is a meeting of heads of State. “They are permanently rotating, and it would be illusory to believe that a president would modify her or his behavior because of any declaration,” he says.

The real importance of these summits is discussed before and after the actual meeting among the regional communities, as well as raising awareness about the goals and therefore a greater willingness to restore democracy and its values.

On this basis, Combellas says summits need more “follow-up” especially since the meeting in Chile when the Iberian-American leaders began to deal with political issues and make concrete commitments which must be given continuity.

Combellas is in favor of a small Permanent Secretariat, which should be non- bureaucratic and low-cost thanks to communications technology. This Secretariat could act as the “brain” for the fulfillment of the commitments, and would function parallel to the Pro Tempore Secretariat, which is formed and dissolved during the summit.

In Margarita, the countries will discuss “the democracy that we want, and not the one we have” which, is linked to the construction of the Iberian–American community. “There is a great historical tradition” between the old European metropolises and their former Latin American colonies, says Combellas.

Latin American countries endured colonial rule – more than 300 years – longer than they have enjoyed independence – less than 200 years and their Iberian roots remain very strong, as reflected in customs as well as the legal system.

Combellas rejects what he called the “petrified” notion of the welfare state, and believes each nation must adapt itself to changes, open itself up to civil society and to popular participation in political processes. “The public goes beyond the State,” he says.

Furthermore, the government must respond to the phenomenon of globalization, “which is a fact, it is there, but it is not a neutral process,” but rather favors some sectors and excludes others. If governments do not unite, they could be absorbed by those who promote the homogenization of society into “a single way of thinking.”

This homogenization privileges the free market and the weakening of the State, within “an elitist or even oligarchic vision, which upholds government for some sectors but not for everyone.”

“The model of participation and of taking the democratic ideal to a more concrete reality for the Latin American people” is one response to that single way of thinking that leaves out millions along the way, says Combellas, who believes that the meeting in Margarita will lead to advances towards a democracy based on principles.

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