Are we in the age of democracy’s collapse as we know it? Is the end of democracy imminent? Would democracy collapse abruptly, or at least at the expected time, as communism did? I have no answer to these posers, but whichever way we look at it, the fact that democracy is in retreat and totalitarian pressures are on the upward swing is self-evident.
The first presidency of Donald Trump, as the then-president of the United States, was portentious but seen mainly as the antics of a show-business impresario and as a flash in the pan.
Even when he tried to rig the election to get elected and resorting to thuggery to overthrow the incipient presidency of Joe Biden, most observers and pundits didn’t see it as a significant threat to democracy which by all account was considered to be resilient, stable, self sustaining and, which, because it represents elements of checks and balances, it was beyond destruction or collapsing.
Democratic resilience is now seen through a fresh prism, more as a myth than as the hope of preserving peace, order, and good governance. We are still in the early days, and there may well be another wave that would not only reverse this trend and revive democracy as the best system of government known to man but also reaffirm its resilience.
Perhaps it is somewhat premature to speculate on the idea that has inspired humanity to embrace freedom, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, equal rights under the law, transparency, accountability, and representation based on the will of the people freely expressed during elections.
Early days, yes, but a lot has been happening globally with the rise of authoritarian tendencies even in the West and the rise of China, and its developmental miracles may well have validated the lingering belief that democracy may have seen its best days and may have given way to new ideas that might change the fortunes of humanity for the better.
China, and, paradoxically, Trump, are pointing in several directions at the end of the journey, rather than democracy as the only valid road for man. How do we explain a situation where the president of the United States is threatening death to opposition Congressmen and even going as far as ordering the Department of War and the Justice Department to bring a former Navy Captain and astronaut before a court-martial for the heinous crime of advising service men not to obey unconstitutional and illegal orders? It doesn’t matter that the retired naval officer in question is a United States Senator and a decorated Navy pilot.
How does one even try to understand how the American Press which we were taught in Journalism school as the epitome of press freedom and the symbol of democracy being muzzled with diverse perspectives vanishing, with free speech endangered and major news outlets, forced to consolidate and snapped up by billionaire allies of the president even as digital platforms are also forced to bend towards racist right wing pressure?
This trend may have fundamentally, undeniably reshaped American democracy. According to a recent CBS News report, “The Trump administration actively shapes media narratives. It uses political leverage. It mutes criticism. It punishes perceived bias…
“The current environment actively suppresses free speech. Government power targets critics. The administration uses arguments previously criticised.
“These actions parallel those conservatives once opposed. The hypocrisy is stark. It undermines foundational principles. Journalism’s independence erodes. The media becomes an extension of political power. Propaganda risks increase. Public backlash against unpopular policies becomes harder to organize. The struggle for an informed public intensifies.
“The future of American media looks increasingly homogenous. It risks becoming a tool for consolidated authority. This challenges the very notion of a free press”.
These CBS News narratives are not about Third World countries in Africa. Not excerpts from our own Decree Four of 1984. It is about the state of democracy today in America. Before you read this piece, American troops may well have commenced ground operations in Venezuela, a sovereign state in Latin America that dares to chart a path different from that of the gringos.
If Trump, who covets a Nobel Prize for peace, has his way, the Marines may soon be on our shores, guns blazing, to put an end to a ‘Christian genocide’. In Africa, the last month has exposed the underbelly of the gradual erosion of democracy and the myth of its resilience.
The electoral process in Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda, Cameroon, and Guinea-Bissau has resulted in blood trails as tyrants slaughter youths to stay in power forever, whether the people voted for them or not.
The resurgence of military juntas in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and, only a few days ago, in Guinea-Bissau, is a testament to the resilience of authoritarian and predatory forces in many African countries.
Even in Nigeria, which has been ruled for over thirty years since independence, the nation has been plundered beyond reason. Its national fabric in tatters, the culture of militarism perpetuated by former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, a retired General; and Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Major General, who passed on this year, has become a significant albatross militating against democratic maturity and an electoral process free of disputes.
The recent reports about a foiled coup attempt, although denied by the military, are an indication that the evil wind of military authoritarianism hangs over the nation even as they have virtually failed in their constitutional responsibility of defending the people and preserving the territorial integrity of the nation.
Recent Afrobarometer data show that Africans are losing faith in democracy, with satisfaction with democracy declining by 12 percentage points across 30 African countries and support for democracy dropping by seven percentage points. For the first time in 20 years, there are 91 autocracies and 88 democracies worldwide.
A clear indication that democracy has not fared better than autocracies in reducing poverty, inequality, corruption, economic hardships, hunger, and other socioeconomic conditions that afflict most countries worldwide.
Several factors contribute to this decline: poor governance, the rise of authoritarianism, and poor elections. There is a correlation between these factors and the growing spate of insecurity, wars, social instability, structural decline, and cultural desiccation.
Many African countries are burdened by weak institutions of accountability, and, with poor and disputed elections, people are losing faith in democratic processes.
In Guinea-Bissau, the military didn’t even allow the result of last week’s presidential election to be released before throwing out the incumbent president and dissolving democratic institutions.
For Nigeria, although the military is battling what seems to be the greatest existential threats the nation has faced since the civil war, the 2027 elections will be the ultimate test of whether democracy is consolidated or faces closure.
The 2027 elections will be a referendum on democracy, testing Nigeria’s democratic maturity and peaceful transfer of power. Beyond that, it will be a significant insight into whether the nation will ultimately survive or be overwhelmed by a failure of leadership and its internal contradictions.
