PHM-Exch> Food for an oversold thought (2)

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Shulamith Koenig <pdhre at igc.org>

The only point I see missing in the rendition of this Reader on
representative democracy (No.282) is that, if it is in the underground that
we fight for human rights, we will never get there.  It is only when ALL
people know about and own human rights that democracy will truly be a
delivery system of human rights.
By definition, democracy is the voice of ALL the people .. In some, very
few countries , you are fined if you do not vote. In others, hardly 50% do,
because they do not see voting as their

> Inalienable human right and the power it can give them.
> The Reader could thus more optimistically have said, to close:
> It is imperative that we launch a world campaign for all to know and own
> human  rights. The newly gained knowledge will allow them a more critical
> thinking at the time of voting, i.e.,being more conscious they are charting
> their own future.
> When advocating for such learning at the community level, I always say:
> When candidates run for office and come to a village to gain votes the
> first question they should be asked by the crowd must be:What are you going
> to do in your high position for our human rights?
> Without such deeper knowledge of human rights we will
> never, never have a real democracy and break through the vicious cycle of
> humiliation as 'democratically elected'
> politicians throw sand in the eyes of those who innocently elect them to
> office or those who never voted, because they did not know their human
> rights. The latter must become the guide and the framework of every
> democracy, if it wants to call itself one .
>
> Shulamit Koenig
>
    PDHRE
People's Movement for Human Rights Learning
New York
Email: pdhre at igc.org
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