Thomas Navratil: HEALTHY DEMOCRACY IS NOT BASED ON UNANIMITY

One of the tests of the democracy is the ability to work together for the common good in spite of disagreement

Thomas Navratil at Civil's conference, March, 2010

I am pleased to share thoughts, from an American perspective, on political and civil dialogue and its importance to democratic and economic development. I will also describe briefly, what the United States is doing to help this process in the Republic of Macedonia.

Another word for political and civil dialogue is democracy. I think what we are talking about here today is the degree of effectiveness of the process of deliberating, debating, and deciding matters of public interest, at the local and national levels. 

For a number of challenges facing Macedonia, the outcomes depend on the quality of political and civil dialogue. Macedonia needs the ideas and solutions that a thorough dialogue and debate can generate. When you think about the challenges that Macedonia, or any country, faces, there are very few that are not affected one way or another by the results of the democratic process. Even problems that primarily originate outside Macedonia, such as global economic conditions or international disputes, require broad-based decisions on how Macedonia should best respond. Opinion polls here consistently indicate that economic conditions such as high unemployment top the list of concerns of citizens. I am not suggesting that Macedonia can create jobs simply by debating the problem. But many of the factors which influence the business and investment climate, such as the quality of education, laws on taxation and regulation and the extent to which the government implements them consistently, the independence of the judiciary and the reliability of the legal system, are proper subjects of public discussion. Macedonia has faced difficulties in developing a robust, competitive market economy that is well integrated internationally. Improvements in political dialogue, by creating better conditions and incentives for investment and entrepreneurship, will lead directly to greater prosperity. And, that is what the people of Macedonia want.

A healthy democracy is not based on unanimity. One of the tests of democracy is the ability to work together for the common good in spite of disagreement -- that is what political and civil dialogue is all about. Criticism, pointing out areas in which laws and procedures can be improved – this is a form of patriotism, this is loyalty and dedication. When all citizens have the opportunity to talk about problems and challenges, this facilitates finding solutions. To be effective, political dialogue must go deeper than meetings of party leaders or debates among parliamentarians or political pundits, though all of these are important components. An active civil society is necessary. This includes a free and independent media, to provide accurate information to nourish responsible dialogue. 

The United States encourages political and civil dialogue through our diplomatic and development efforts. In our interactions with officials, political leaders, business people, civil society, and citizens, we promote the value and benefits of democratic processes. And, our assistance and exchange programs aim to encourage this in a wide variety of ways, from fostering environments in which people can discuss their ideas and views openly, to supporting the functioning of the fundamental institutions of democracy. I will note a few examples. 

To promote civil dialogue, our programs aim to bring together people who might not otherwise interact and exchange ideas -- to build the understanding and trust that will later allow them to enter into a civil or political debate. We do this in inter-ethnic sports camps for youth -- where friendships and understanding develop across ethnic lines. Our Ben Franklin scholars program brings together some of Macedonia’s most promising high school students to take part in exchanges in the United States with other young leaders from around the world. At a recent reunion of Ben Franklin alumni, enthusiastic greetings and genuine excitement at seeing each other again morphed into a quite heated but respectful debate on religious education in public schools, and ended with a new consensus among these students about what they thought was the best way forward—incorporating the ideas and concerns of each of them. This is encouraging, and shows that people in Macedonia can come together to build bonds and address complex challenges respectfully. It also shows there is a need for Macedonia’s own institutions – schools, government, and civic organizations – to do more in this area.

We organize study tours for young and mid-career professionals on a variety of issues such as inter-religious dialogue, building constructive political debate and strengthening local governance. We work to strengthen the capacity of active, independent, and responsible civil society organizations to represent citizen interests and to monitor government decisions and activities. The information and constructive criticism provided by these organizations can be very valuable to government institutions, which are established and funded to serve the citizens of Macedonia. We support the development of professional, objective, and economically viable media outlets.

Two further examples. During last year’s municipal elections, we helped create opportunities for open discussions and debates among candidates. Ambassador Reeker has subsequently returned to many of the municipalities he visited before the elections, emphasizing that the candidates who were not elected still have important leadership roles in their communities. In addition, we have a number of programs to help Macedonia’s parliament develop practices such as public hearings, legislative review, research, committee operations, and -- the foundation of everything else they are supposed to do -- to enhance their ability to represent citizens' interests in the legislative process.

I hope this partial list shows the range of American support for political and civil dialogue in Macedonia, often in partnership or in parallel with others in the international community. However, we all need to recognize that political dialogue is something that the citizens of Macedonia must do themselves. Friends and supporters can provide advice and expertise, but we cannot do it for you. Ultimately, it is up to the people here to judge how well political dialogue is functioning to address and resolve the challenges and difficulties Macedonia faces. And, to take responsibility for your own country. As in any democracy, it is up to Macedonia’s citizens to speak up and engage each other, when they see areas for improvement. Macedonia will flourish or struggle based on how effectively citizens and their leaders work together to address common problems. Effective dialogue is necessary to produce sound decisions and positive action.

(Mr. Thomas Navratil is former Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy)