Content area
Full Text
Democracy is a fragile form of government. Its success depends on a high level of public trust in its institutions. Trust in the system allows minorities to believe that in time power could be delivered to them. When this trust is maintained, the 'miracle' of democracy is that those in power will relinquish office peacefully to their opponents. All this occurs without the application of force. Trust in political institutions is seriously undermined when governments fail to deal fairly and truthfully with the public. The evidence is clear that the Howard government repeatedly and concertedly sought to constrict public opinion, and frequently lied to the public. Some leading journalists comment that such mendacity is unimportant, and that it is only to be expected of politicians. This article contends that, although truth-telling is not an absolute, systematic dissembling is a serious threat to the health of our democracy.
While it is commonplace to observe 'fragile democracy' in many locations - Nigeria, Bangladesh, Venezuela, Cambodia, Fiji, Pakistan - in so-called 'developed' countries we are too little aware that democracy is inherently fragile wherever it is practised. It depends on a high degree of toleration, and the acceptance of the legitimacy of other people's different points of view which they may hold without having fault attributed to them. People are persuaded to preserve the 'miracle' of democracy, that strange system where those in power are prepared to relinquish it on the people's say-so, because a high level of trust has been maintained. An essential ingredient in that maintenance of trust is telling the truth to the public. This paper warns of the serious threat to Australian democracy posed by the endemic collapse of public trust in our political institutions and in the drying wells of 'social capital' among political actors in this country (cf. Offe 1999, 85).
The concern is with the flow of information at two levels. First, it argues that the trust required to maintain the toleration that sustains a democracy must be based on a high level of veracity on the part of political actors. second, it maintains that the lifeblood of democracy has always been open discussion, for which a free flow of information relevant to public policy-making is necessary.
Political Veracity
To...