The simple definition of democracy

Paul Green*

The simple definition of democracy is the following: “A form of government in which the people either directly or indirectly take part in governing.”

A 21st-century democracy should contain the following elements:

1) rule of law
2) freedom of speech
3) the right to elect its governing officials through fair and free elections
4) freedom of assembly
5) freedom from discrimination

Clearly, there are other factors that make a governmental system a true democracy but, for the purpose of this article on the current situation in Turkey, No. 1 on this list is the most important. Why?

The release of audio recordings of conversations between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his son Bilal demonstrate a massive breakdown of the rule of law. These recordings reveal graft, corruption and bribery taking place in the highest circles of Turkey's government. By no means am I an expert on Turkish politics or culture, but if these recordings are real and not a fabrication, then Mr. Erdoğan must resign or be removed from power.

We in America are all too familiar with our leaders occasionally dishonoring and disrespecting this high office and the democracy it serves. What makes finessing one's way out of or discrediting an illegal crime and/or corruption a difficult task is modern technology. In short, hearing one's own voice discussing various nefarious schemes, whether they are financial or political, makes it almost impossible to remain in office.

As evidence, here are two US case studies.

Case 1: National -- August 1974. Richard Nixon resigned from the presidential office due to the Watergate Scandal. The event that precipitated his removal occurred in June 1972. At that time, individuals working directly for the Committee to Re-elect Nixon broke into the opposition party's headquarters (the Democrats) in Washington, D.C. (offices were in the Watergate complex) to tap phones and locate records. A massive cover-up ensued, with Mr. Nixon denying involvement and, in his efforts to survive, forcing his closest top aides to resign. Eventually, President Nixon's undoing were tape recordings from his own office in which one heard Nixon and his advisors plotting strategy to cover up the scandal -- a scandal that they knew about from the very beginning. Mr. Nixon, by his own voice, eliminated any possible chance of his innocence.

Case 2: The State of Illinois -- November 2008. A US senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, was elected president. By law, the governor of Illinois (Rod Blagojevich) had the responsibility of naming Mr. Obama's senate successor. Incredibly, one month after the presidential election, Governor Blagojevich was arrested by federal agents for attempting to sell Mr. Obama's vacant senate seat to the highest bidder. Another month later, the Illinois legislature impeached Mr. Blagojevich and, a few weeks after that, an Illinois Senate trial removed him from office. Eventually, Mr. Blagojevich was tried and found guilty on several counts. He is now serving a lengthy term in a US federal prison. What did Mr. Blagojevich in? Telephone recordings. The US Attorney's Office had tapped the governor's phones and, using his own words, convicted him on the most serious charges leveled against him, trying to sell a US Senate seat.

Without the audio recordings, Mr. Nixon and Mr. Blagojevich would have had a much better chance of escaping punishment and the loss of their respective offices. Today, technology has become law enforcement's best detective, especially if tapes reveal the suspect's own voice discussing criminal activity.

One other factor needs to be briefly discussed. When a prominent elected official is facing potential political disaster and criminal prosecution, an old trick is to suggest a third person -- a rival -- is behind his troubles. It appears that Mr. Erdoğan has pointed to Fethullah Gülen as the mastermind of his opposition. Mr. Gülen, a cleric who lives in the US state of Pennsylvania, vehemently denies having anything to do with the activities discussed by Mr. Erdoğan in his audio recordings.

Remember George Orwell's groundbreaking novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” where in the fictional nation of Oceania all citizens are told by their leader, “Big Brother,” to watch a film depicting their enemy Emmanuel Goldstein? Every day, citizens were forced to have “two minutes of hate” directed at Goldstein to remind them of his potential evil. History is filled with leaders depicting a third person or group as the country's real foe, thereby minimizing their own culpability.

Democracy is often a fragile form of government. It requires leaders and their citizens to play by the rules, even when occasionally breaking these rules seems to be the easiest course to take. As former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said many years ago in his famous description of democracy, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those others that have been tried.” Indeed, democracy is worth fighting for, and those who abuse the people's trust must forfeit their office.

*Paul Green is the director of the Institute for Politics and the Arthur Rubloff Professor of Policy Studies at Roosevelt University.

Published on Today's Zaman, 10 March 2014, Monday