LETTER: Cracks emerge in the old democracies

Listening to the debate in the “Partygate” scandal in the British parliament was another disappointing peep into the failures of democracy in an old democracy, and the cunning footwork of politicians to avoid accountability. No wonder we observe the same trends in young democracies.

What I simply could not swallow is that the blame is now shifted to public servants and structures that served previous prime ministers perfectly well, and not on to the incumbent prime minister’s leadership and integrity.

Although the opposition blamed the prime minister’s leadership and integrity, no-one specifically challenged him on why the public servants and structures that served previous governments so well suddenly failed dismally under his leadership.

And then there is his cunning effort to use the Ukraine crisis to divert attention and bolster his leadership — an age-old trick used by politicians. It is also a well-known strategy to use a pending investigation as a diversion and to gain time.

It is concerning to observe cracks appearing in old democracies such as the UK and US, accelerated by the character flaws of leaders such as Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. The UK and US are losing influence in the international arena.

May their current challenges lead to introspection and serve as a wake-up call to strengthen government institutions and political accountability.

Dawie Jacobs
Sterrewag

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