Information, development and democracy

As the world approached the beginning of the 21st century, there were significant changes happening around the world. The end of the cold war; the collapse of the Berlin wall and the triumph of capitalism heralded the beginning of the new century under the banner of trade liberalisation.

While some people celebrated the end of the century with caution, some reacted to it more positively. Francis Fukuyama convincingly argues in his book, The end of history and the last man, that the end of the Cold War meant the battle for ideology was finally over and the western liberal democracy would be widely embraced by many people around the world.

Within the liberal concept of democracy it assumes that each individual freedom is respected and valued. The freedom to exercise individual rights through a vote and to participate in the decision making process is vital to democratic societies.

In spite of the proclamation, the concept is widely contested among policy makers both in developed and developing countries. Some argue that western liberal democracy is incompatible with eastern values; therefore, the idea must be rejected.

The rationale for rejecting such an idea is based on President Lee Kuan Yew’s thesis - the former Singaporean President who strongly defended the concept of Asian values where the interests of the general public take precedent over individuals’ rights. This is despite the fact that such a theory has been rejected by prominent authors such as Amartya Sen in his book Development as Freedom: he claims that there is no strong evidence which suggest that individual freedom is a threat to economic development.

One common feature of the 21st century is the increased interconnectedness among people around the world through trade, foreign investment, capital flows and the spread of technology facilitated by the rapid improvements and developments of the telecommunications system.

In the age of globalisation, space and time are no longer an issue. Improvements in transportation makes distances between countries a thing of the past. Furthermore, modern telecommunications, such as the internet, telephone, radio and television, make the world a global village. People are more connected than ever before.

Even though these new inventions are seen as a major breakthrough, discussions surrounding the benefits brought by modern communications are always widely debated. It is argued that improvements in telecommunications helps terrorist groups to strengthen their network capabilities and to launch deadly attacks on sovereign states, such as the September 11 attack at the United States in 2001, the 2004 Madrid train bombings, the July 7, 2005 London bombings and others.

Counter terrorism experts argue that the remote control helps terrorists to carry out attacks in an effective manner. For instance, today, most terrorist groups tend to use remote controls as a means to detonate their explosives. The results are very destructive as they can generate enormous casualties and extensive damage (see the International Institute for Counter Terrorism 2007). The ability of terrorists to generate and move finances, acquire weapons, recruit and train cadres, and communicate, particularly via the Internet, are central to their successful missions.

Similarly, improvements in telecommunications could also encourage transnational crimes such as human trafficking, drug and arms trafficking and money laundering. By making telecommunications devices widely available, terrorist groups can easily use them to their advantage.

Though such concerns may be justified, telecommunications are seen as indispensible when it comes to advancing human freedoms. Media encourages public participation in the decision making process; it raises public awareness and prompts global action; it conveys knowledge and science to society hence enhancing human capabilities to actively participate in the development process.

One of the key features of democracy is the ability of each individual to gain free access to information. Writing in the Social Research Journal Berman and Witzner (1997), for example, argue that the free access and exchange of information is indispensable to the notion of democracy. Another writer, Patrick O’Neil (1998), in his essay on Post-Communism and the media in Eastern Europe similarly argues that without the freedom of communication that mass media provides the foundation of democratic rule is undermined.

Proponents of freedom of the press argue that the very nature of democracy suggests that free and open communication, through a variety of channels, is necessary to foster critical practices found in democratic societies. Media undoubtedly contributes to the public sphere by providing citizens with the information they need. Furthermore, it fosters public debate about politics and current affairs as well as encouraging informed decisions to be made. It provides avenues for action.

The exposure of gross human violations by the states against pro democratic movements around the world - such as in China, Iran, North Korea, Burma as well in Indonesia under Suharto - is an example where media can serve as a watchdog to make sure states are accountable for their actions. Though democratic changes in those countries may take place at a snail’s pace, intensive media coverage will eventually lead to changes, as has happened in Indonesia post Suharto.

Free media plays a key role in sustaining and monitoring a healthy democracy, as well as in contributing to greater accountability, good government, and economic development. Telecommunication is thus seen as an important tool to promote democratisation (See Freedom House report).

Therefore, it can be argued that the media is an important element necessary to foster the democratisation process. Without freedom of press democratic principles such as human rights, the right to freedom of assembly, a political freedom and a civil liberty will be undermined.

Independent media’s reporting undoubtedly sways public opinion and prompts people to react and tackle worldwide problems. There is plenty of evidence pointing to the fact that in the last few years media has been playing an important role in raising public awareness and encouraging action to solve global issues.

The bombing campaign carried out by NATO forces in 1999 against Serbian military forces to stop further genocide in Yugoslavia was an example of how media played its role in prompting the international community to take action to resolve the conflict in the Balkan region. The television pictures of refugees being driven out of Kosovo made a vivid and simple case to support NATO's actions.

When the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck causing enormous damage in the Asian region, the international community response to the disaster was swift. It prompted an enormous flow of support from governments around the world, especially from the west. This natural disaster received so much attention from the international community because of the publicity generated by media outlets around the world as the tragedy unfolded.

Similarly, during the 24 years of Indonesian occupation of East Timor, the media played a leading role in exposing human rights abuses committed by the Indonesian military forces.

There are many more examples of the power of modern telecommunications. It suggests that media has played critical role in prompting international action in times of global crises. Without the media it is unlikely there would have been any action taken to address those problems.

Telecommunications have also contributed to the effective dissemination of information to people without their having to travel to seek that information. Another great advantage of improving telecommunications today is that people can easily access it wherever they live.

Telecommunications are also useful to boost and enhance systems for delivering education, healthcare and inclusion in democratic process of a country.

This is all part of bridging the digital divide and begins to overcome the information gap between people in developed and developing countries.

Recognising the importance of information for development, recently the World Bank has set up a worldwide partnership of Distance Learning Centers (DLCs) in partnership with more than 120 recognised global institutions in more than 80 countries. The aim is to offer “the opportunity for on-time and cost-effective information exchange, knowledge sharing, co-ordination, consultation, training, and dialogues to organisations, groups, teams and individuals that work in line to contribute to sustainable development and the reduction of poverty in the developing world”.

All these benefits are part of the belief that telecommunications can support sustainable development based on democratic values in which human rights principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1945 are vigorously upheld and cherished.