Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Elsie Tu

32. Quotations on Democracy and Pseudo-Democracy

32฀ 9> I 4 > » O « <»—4— < Quotations on Democracy and Pseudo-Democracy Half a century ago or more, I believed that democracy meant what it says, that is, 'people's power'. During that half-century, m y dreams of democracy an d worl d peac e hav e bee n shattered . Democrac y to o ha s been shattered, at least, democracy as we in the Western world have always been taught. It no longer means what it says. From my reading of books on history and politics, mainly but not entirely written by American academics, I have come to realize that the only hope of achieving real democracy and peace in the world will be when the world ceases to believe propaganda and begins to search for the truth from facts . This collection of quotations, culled from my own reading, should teach us the lessons we need t o learn i f we truly wish to turn the world away fro m the power-seekers and towards the people-carers. The quotations are chosen at random without any particular continuous theme, but the y may be useful fo r political speaker s as quotations. Bette r still, I hope the y wil l inspir e readers t o read th e book s quoted an d lear n more of the facts on which they are based. Mahatma Gandhi: ... Electors' private relations with the candidates have often weighed with the m mor e tha n th e candidates ' qualifications . The y (th e electors) should consider candidates' views and not their parties'. Their character shoul d weig h eve n mor e tha n thei r views. A man of character will make himself worthyof any position in the government. 240฀ Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Elsie Tu Helen Keller ( a blind an d dea f American writer) : We vote! What doe s tha t mean? They (th e politicians) exploi t th e resources o f th e natio n bu t no t fo r us , but fo r th e interest s whic h they represent and uphold. We vote! What does that mean? It means that w e choos e betwee n tw o partie s o f real , thoug h no t avowed , autocrats. We choose between Twiddlededum an d Twiddlededee. Helen Keller' s contemporary , Emma Goldman: Our modern fetis h i s universal suffrage . Howard Zinn (U S academic) : The rule of law usually means that whoever can afford to pay lawyers and can afford to wait, is the winner, and justice does not much matter. Zinn oppose s th e word s o f Professo r Tucke r o f Johns Hopkin s University , who urged : . . . a policy of a resurgent America to prevent the coming to power of radical regimes in Central America. There is no persuasive reason for believing it would not. Right wing governments will have to be given stead y outsid e support , eve n i f necessary , b y sendin g i n American forces . Zinn adds, 'Tucker's suggestion became the Central American policy of th e Reagan administration. ' (Se e Chapte r 2 8 o f thi s boo k o n th e Monro e Doctrine i n action. ) Michael Parenti: Some 400 (United States) transnational companies control about 80% of th e capita l asset s o f th e globa l fre e market , an d ar e extendin g their grasp into the ex-communist countrie s of Eastern Europe. . . . All the world's bank robbers combined hav e not done one tenth of one per cent of the harm that the World Bank has in just fifty years . Quotations on Democracy and Pseudo-Democracy 24 1 Henry Kissinger, i n justifyin g th e 197 3 overthrow , wit h Unite d State s aid, o f Chile' s democraticall y electe d president , Salvador e Allende , said : 'When w e have t o choos e betwee n th e econom y an d democracy , w e mus t save th e economy. ' 'Kissinger', countere d Michae l Parenti , 'wa s utterin g a half-truth . I t would hav e bee n th e whol e trut h i f h e ha d sai d h e wante d t o sav e th e capitalist economy. ' Parent i als o said : In 1955, the CIA spent U.S . 1 million dollar s in Indonesia t o back a Conservative Muslim Party , but the party did poorly while the CIA set about to negat e the electio n result s by backing an armed coup, costing an estimated 500,000 to a million lives in what was the worst bloodletting sinc e the holocaust. . . . I n Mexico, 1988 , the popula r leftist candidate was leading in the polls. The Government confiscate d the ballots, prevented the attendance by the opposition, and Salinas was declared the winner, the US supported candidate. A strong protest by th e peopl e wa s ignored b y th e Unite d States . . . . The Unite d States has a prohibitive voting system. For example prohibitive fo r minority party ballot access, expensive filing fees, restrictive voting qualifications, limite d medi a access , huge campaig n expenses , an d no proportiona l representation . Thes e mak e i t impossibl e fo r alternative parties lacking the support of rich donors to reach man y audiences. O n 2 7 Septembe r 1993 , U S presiden t Bil l Clinto n sai d a t th e Unite d Nations: 'Ou r overridin g purpos e i s to expan d an d strengthe n th e world' s community o f market-base d democracies. ' An d o n 5 Octobe r 1993 , The New York Times haile d Presiden t Yeltsi n o f Russi a a s 'th e las t hop e fo r democracy an d a marke t econom y i n Russia' , a t a tim e whe n Yeltsi n wa s using the army to abolish the constitution and parliament, killing and jailing large numbers o f protestors an d opponents . A Russian ]oke: Question: Wha t has capitalism accomplished in one year that socialism could not accomplish in seventy years? Answer: Mak e socialism look good. 242฀ Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Ebie Tu At th e Vienna Human Rights Conference, 1993, severa l delegates agree d that 'th e West , b y insistin g o n universa l standards , wa s practisin g huma n rights imperialism.' (Note : President George W. Bush began the first year of his presidency , th e yea r 2000 , wit h omen s tha t h e intende d t o continu e practising huma n right s imperialism , an d afte r onl y on e mont h i n offic e indicated tha t h e woul d pres s for fundamental Christianit y throughou t hi s own country! ) General Smedley Butler (on e o f the tw o recipients o f the United State s highest militar y awar d fo r bravery) : As a soldier, I long suspected that war was a racket,- not until I returned to civil life did I fully realize it. Edward Luttwak (o f the Center for Strategic and International Studies) : Democracy must become fragil e whe n better hopes are worn awa y by bitte r disappointment , openin g th e wa y fo r th e strong , fals e remedies of demagogues. Once the politics of affluence fo r all - th e American drea m - become s to o blatantl y unrealisti c fo r mos t Americans, the politics of racist, xenophobic or class resentment can more honestly gain votes. [... whic h is precisely how Nazism became popular in the 1920 s and 1930s. ] The words of an African American: I swear to the Lord, I still can't see why democracy means everybody but me. Mark Twain : The statesmen will invent cheap lies... and each man will be glad of these lies and will study them becaus e they soothe hi s conscience,and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and he will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys by his self deception. Quotations on Democracy and Pseudo-Democracy 24 3 Noam Chomsky: The Unite d States opposed democracy i n the Middle East becaus e 'it is much simpler to manipulate a few ruling families, to secure orders for arms, and ensure that oil prices remain low, than a wide variety of personalities an d policie s bound t o b e throw n u p by a democrati c system. John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton: The grassroot s democrac y tha t inspire d our revolutionary forbear s has given way to political elitism, corruption and influence peddling. Does anyone seriously believe that i t is a pure coincidence tha t 2 7 United States Senators (in 1995 ) are millionaires? Fewer than half of eligible American s eve n bothe r t o vote . Cynicism , alienatio n an d disappointments have come to typify attitude s toward government . The Publi c Relations Industry is moving in to turn the definition o f grassroots politics upside down - t o serve the interests of their elite clients. The PR industry has stolen our dreams, and returned them to us packaged as illusions. It must be our duty to dream more deepl y and to participate i n the process of transforming thos e dreams int o reality. Martin Kettle (from The Guardian Weekly, March 2001): The Americans now have a special relationship only with themselves. [Canada, h e adds , has learne d thi s lesson, bu t Ton y Blai r has not. ] Jonathan Power (South China Morning Post, Hon g Kong, March 2001 ) : ...The Republica n foreig n policy...kne w th e onl y goo d cas e the y could cit e t o prov e th e necessit y fo r i t (th e land-base d syste m o f missile defence) wa s North Korea . The outcome of this potentiall y deadly dua l (wit h North Korea ) i n the highes t echelon s of the U S Government, will probably determine whether we have peace in our time in East Aisa, or not. 244฀ Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Elsie Tu Conclusion฀ Michael Parenti in Against Empire: Our best hope is that in times ahead, as in the past, when things look most hopeless, a new cry will be heard in the land (i.e., The Unite d States) an d thos e who would be our masters are shaken fro m thei r pinnacles. Not onl y must we love social justice more than persona l gain, we must als o realize that ou r greatest persona l gain comes in the struggl e fo r socia l justice. And we ar e most i n touc h wit h ou r individual humanity when we stand close to all of humanity. ...