Reimagining Democracy

• The will of civil society to promote and defend democracy in Asia

  Guest article by Ichal Supriadi, Asia Democracy Network

• Thoughts and perspectives on democratic practices in Nigeria

  Open submission by Eziano Spencer

• Through Arts and Imagination: 2018 Youth Day Celebration - in search of silenced voices

  Youth Arts Contest Seeks Out Silenced Voices to Reimagine Democracy

  Johannesburg, 18 April 2018 - What kind of country would South Africa be today if young people had not first raised their voices and taken action more than three decades ago?

  And today, how can the many silenced voices of youth be heard, to express a vision for the kind of democracy they desire?

  ‘Through Arts and Imagination’ is a newly launched contest seeking bold and original creative arts - music, poetry, art, media – that present youth perspectives on “re-imagining democracy.” To celebrate Youth Day on 16 June, the Youth Working Group of CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, in partnership with Emerging Leaders in Internet Governance (ELIG) and Woke Project have kicked off the contest in search of silenced voices.

  “In a world in which our democracy and fundamental freedoms are under increasing threat, a world where the voices of young people are silenced and marginalised, we believe that it is up to this generation to re-imagine the democracy we want to live in,” said Elisa Novoa, of the CIVICUS Youth Working Group.

  “And what better way to give voice to that mission, and draw out the best that youth have to offer than through a creative arts contest,” Novoa said.

  The contest will culminate in a creative symposium of young voices held in 16 June, under the theme “Re-imagining Democracy: in search of silenced voices.”

  Youth are crucial to development, change and growth. And the arts have always played a critical role in the struggle for freedom, human rights and democracy.  This symposium will engage the voices of young people through the creative arts - to speak your truth and share your vision for the world they want to live and grow in. Youth voices and the contributions of young people towards social change are vital.

  About the Contest

  Are you:

  Creative, original and eager to share your unique perspective on how we can re-imagine our democracy today?
  Living to the beat of your own drum, in a world where your voice is misunderstood?
  Then, this is your chance to share your vision and be heard.
  For too long we have lived in silence and fear of being judged.
  The creative arts - music, poetry, art, media - reach across all language barriers to connect with millions of people.

  Share your written, visual or multimedia arts, to be judged in the following categories:

  Art Categories

  • Written arts: poems, short stories, essays (500 words max.)
  • Visual arts: drawings, cartoons, paintings
  • Multimedia arts: short films (2min max), songs

  Awards

  1. The top 15 artists selected will be awarded an all-expenses-paid one-day workshop on storytelling and digital security, run by CIVICUS, in Johannesburg, on Friday 15 June 2018.
  2. The top 2 symposium participants selected in each art category also will win a cash prize - with 50% of the prize money going to the artist personally and the other 50% going to an organisation of their choice, as a donation. The 1st and 2nd place winners will also be awarded fee-waived voting membership to CIVICUS (after following the regular voting membership registration procedure).

  •             1st place prize: R6,000

  •             2nd place prize: R3,600

  3. The best three (3) submissions (the first place winners of each category) will be published in the online 2018 State of Civil Society Report.

  Participants Eligibility

  Authors must:

  • Be 30 or under by 16 June 2018

  • Be based in South Africa

  • Meet the deadline (30th April 2018)

  • Submit one application per person

  • Submit Original content

  • Submit in any of the 11 South African official languages

  Please submit your application by filling in this form: https://civicus.org/index.php/youth-day-symposium
  The deadline for submissions is 30^th April 2018.

  For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at

• Tomar agua nos da vida; tomar conciencia nos dará agua

  Contribución de membresía, por Adriana Inés Ávila Zárate, con el apoyo de todo el Movimiento Cívico Conciencia Ciudadana

• We need to reimagine democracy to create a better life for all

  By Mandeep Tiwana, CIVICUS Chief Programmes Officer

  As 2019 gets going, it’s a time for many of us to reflect on the year past, consider our current situation and to contemplate resolutions for change in the future. If we were to do this exercise for the state of our communities and reimagine the kind of democracy we live in and the way we experience democracy, what would it look and be like? This was the question researchers at global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, put to thought leaders and activists from nearly 80 countries across the globe in the course of a year-long initiative.

  Read on: Equal Times 

• West Papua, Indonesia: Failure to implement human rights protections in law contributes to violations

  As part of our 2018 report on the theme ofreimagining democracy, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their work to promote democratic practices and principles, the challenges they encounter and the victories they score. CIVICUS speaks to Yan Christian Warinussey, a senior West Papuan lawyer and Executive Director of LP3BH (Institute for Research, Investigation and Development of Legal Aid in Manokwari), an organisation that empowers local civil society through advocacy, legal aid and education about basic human rights. In the West Papuan region of Indonesia there have been severe human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary arrests of activists by the Indonesian security forces under the guise of suppressing separatism. Yan has worked for over two decades on human rights in West Papua and has defended activists who were arrested and prosecuted for their peaceful activism. In 2005, he received theJohn Humphrey Freedom Award from Rights and Democracy in Canada.

  1. What are the main challenges for civil society’s fundamental rights of association, peaceful assembly and expression, and for human rights more generally, in West Papua?One of the main challenges for fundamental rights in Indonesia, and especially in West Papua - that is, in the provinces of Papua and West Papua - is the failure of the government to implement the United Nations (UN) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Indonesia has ratified. Further, there has also been a failure to respect and protect human rights provisions in our Constitution as well as in local laws and regulations. Therefore, when individuals exercise their rights and carry out peaceful actions or gather and associate to protest against human rights abuses, demand independence or seek attention from the international community they are constantly faced with repressive actions from the authorities, such as arrest and detention. In some cases, individuals are also charged with treason.

  2. Have the conditions for civil society in West Papua improved or worsened in recent years, and why?
  The conditions for civil society in West Papua have deteriorated in recent years, because of the lack of implementation of the laws mentioned above. For example, in 1998, Law No. 9 on Freedom of Expression in Public was passed. However, no implementing regulations were issued. Instead, the police have issued internal guidelines that suppress the freedom of expression. This has become the law in West Papua and is used to suppress activism. Things have become worse also because the central government in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and in the West Papuan region have not provided space for the legal and democratic education of civilians, including on the issue of the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression.

  3. What have been the recent actions of the pro-independence movement, and how has the Indonesian government responded to these?
  West Papua used to be a Dutch colony known as Netherlands New Guinea. The Dutch government kept hold of these territories after Indonesia became independent in 1945. Then in the 1960s West Papua was supposed to undergo a decolonisation process, but in 1963 it was annexed by Indonesia. In 1969, Indonesia formalised its control over West Papua by hand-picking about a thousand people among its population and threatening them into voting for annexation in a UN-supervised, but highly undemocratic, process known as the ‘Act of Free Choice’. As West Papuans were denied their right to self-determination, a pro-independence movement under the umbrella of the Free Papua Movement, also known as the OPM, has remained active for more than half a century. Further, a small armed group has led a decades-long low-level insurgency, which the government in Jakarta has used as an excuse to perpetuate a significant military involvement in the region. Numerous human rights violations have resulted from this.
  
  In late 2014 a number of pro-independence movements united under the leadership of an organisation called the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). Ever since it formed, the government's response has been to treat it as a separatist group and refuse to enter into any kind of dialogue with them. In September 2017, a petition calling for independence signed by 1.8 million West Papuans was smuggled out of the country and submitted to the UN Decolonisation Committee, which rejected it on the grounds that West Papua’s cause is outside its mandate. So we are nowhere close to finding a solution.

  4. What actions should the Indonesian government take to safeguard democratic freedoms and human rights in the immediate future?
  First, we need to strengthen the National Human Rights Commission in Indonesia and revise Law No. 39 of 1999 concerning human rights to allow the commission not only to investigate human rights violations but also to prosecute such crimes. Currently there is a lack of political will by both the police and the Attorney General’s office to undertake such prosecutions.
  
  Second, we need the Indonesian government to formulate and produce implementing regulations on the array of human rights legislation that has been passed over the years, including against torture (Law No. 5 of 1998), civil and political rights (Law No. 11 of 2005) and economic, social and cultural rights (Law No. 12 of 2005).
  And finally, especially for Papua, the government must immediately implement the mandate of the 2011 Special Autonomy Law, which calls for the establishment of a Human Rights Court and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Papua.

  5. Looking further ahead, what would it take for human rights and democratic freedoms to flourish in West Papua? And how can civil society help advance these?
  There are lots of things that need to be done in the West Papua region. As a first step, there is a need to open up the region to international scrutiny. Currently journalists and international human rights organisations have been denied access to many part of the region. Previously, the visit of the then UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression was unilaterally cancelled and indefinitely postponed by Indonesia, allegedly because of the Special Rapporteur’s wish to visit Papua.
  
  There is also a need for human rights and democracy education to be included in the basic, secondary and higher education curricula in West Papua so that we understand these rights. To do this we would need the support of the government through the National Human Rights Commission and human rights organisations in West Papua and internationally.

  6. Has the response of the international community to the situation in West Papua been adequate? How could external actors help?
  The response of the international community to the situation in West Papua has been good and there has been very significant and constant pressure when abuses occur. As a human rights defender and a lawyer, I am very grateful for this and urge the international community to keep this pressure up.
  
  As I have mentioned before, international support is needed to ensure human rights education and democracy for all West Papuans, and especially for victims of human rights violations, so they know how to defend and advocate for themselves now as well as in the future.

  Civic space in Indonesia is rated as ‘obstructed’ by the CIVICUS Monitorr.
  If you would like to support the work of LP3BH, please get in touch with CIVICUS.

   

• What can save democracy?

  Ryota Jonen, World Movement for Democracy

• Whither democracy in an age of renewed populism?

  Guest article by Kendra Dupuy, Senior Researcher, Peace Research Institute Oslo