MatriTalks 56
DEMOCRACY
Questions
& Answers
with
Han Marie Stiekema Sermes
Q. The second request today was about
"democracy", as seen from the perspective of the Mother.
A. Contrary to official
propaganda, we in the West don't have true democracy - people's sovereignty - and less and
less freedom. People know this very well. The only reason, why they still tolerate it is,
that the system has provided them with a reasonable standard of living. Without the
latter, there would have been calls for fundamental change much earlier, already.
Q. Thus, as long you keep the people busy with
"bread and play".....
A. The crucial factor is, that
the political parties don't represent the people, hence the people not being represented
by the parliament.
Q. Which should be a quite a
"shocking" finding indeed.
A. Reality is much more
cynical. The true translation of "freedom" is "unlimited economic expansion
for the few", while "democracy" means "not hindered by politics".
The ruling elite very well knows, that democracy as we know it, is powerless. It is the
reason, why it is promoted....
Q. Compared to other systems it is still the
best, they say.
A. Obviously, it is still
better to live in the West, than anywhere else (also because other countries have been
corrupted by us). That doesn't mean, that we should live in conceit for ever. The thing
is, that we have "forgotten" to further developing it. Democracy is not a fixed
system, it is a process, that has to be renewed all the time. That's why US President
Jefferson once said, that "every generation should renew the Constitution".
Q. What is "the opinion of the
Mother" about all this.
A. Democracy is the way Her Web
of Life is organized. It is Her organizing principle. Hence, it should meet the highest
demands.
Q. That is a very promising opening
statement. I predict tough times for the ruling anti-democratic elite (laughter).
A. The criteria, the Mother
handles for true democracy are different from the current ones, though. First of all, it
should reflect Her Web of Life. Which means, that it should present an interrelated whole.
An interrelated whole can only be found in the community. Hence, the community is the
foundation of life: spiritually, culturally, politically, ecologically and economically.
Therefore, it should be the bearer of democracy ( "community-democracy"),
consisting of bottom-up organized layers of interrelated self-ruling
("sovereign") bodies, including the individual, the family/group, the street,
the neighborhood (district), the commune, the county, the (greater) region and the
Commonwealth, respectively.* Thus the problem isn't parliamentary democracy, as some say.
On the contrary. It is the shallowness of the system, that poses the problem, the fact
that parliament is limited to the top only. Parliament should be of the people, though.
Rather than abolishing it, further caving in should be stopped by extending it to
"lower" echelons. So what I would like to see is that "parliament"
should start at the bottom of society e.g. the street, the neighborhood and the
commune", something I call street-council, neighborhood-council etc.
* These ideas were first expressed by
Johannes Althusius (1557-1638), Director of the Reformed Academy in Herborn (Germany),
mentor of Count John of Nassau (brother of William of Orange) and later city major
("Syndik") of Emden. His main work ("Politica") - a "grand
design" for a decentralized federal Union - was published in 1603.
Q. How could this possibly be working?
A. This touches the second
principle of the Web of Life. In order to be fair and just, organic and transparent, the
principle of "subsidiarity"* should be applied on it. It says, that "what
can be organized by a lower level ("echelon"), should not be taken over by a
higher". In practice, it means, that first of all, the individual defines its
responsibilities. What he or she can do him or herself, is done by him or her. What cannot
be done by him or her, is being delegated to the family e.g. the small group.
Subsequently, the family is defining its responsibilities. What can be done by them, is
done by them. What cannot be done by them, is being delegated to the street. The street
(e.g. the street- council), in its turn is defining its responsibilities, What can be done
by them, is done by them. What cannot be done by them, is being delegated to the
neighborhood (district). Then the neighborhood defines its responsibilities. What can be
done by them, is being done by them. What cannot be done, is being delegated to the
commune etc. etc. This Self-sovereign bottom-up structure furthermore includes all higher
levels, up to and including the Commonwealth.
* See also: "Transformation Manifesto".
Q. Wouldn't it require an enormous investment
in good-will in order to get everybody involved?
A. One big incentive is the
collapse of the system, as we know it. To prevent utter chaos, people will understand the
necessity of interdependence. It reflects the principles of cooperation, consensus,
solidarity and mutual assistance.
Q. Since the events go faster and faster,
especially the breakdown of nature, with a smoldering panic already making itself felt,
shouldn't it be necessary to starting right now, rather than considering this
"something for the future?"
A. The danger is, that in
times of great unrest, states will commit a "pre- emptive strike" against their
own population. Actually, states are already increasingly doing this. They are using the
threat of terrorism as an excuse to tighten their grip on their people. Therefore, the
question nowadays is: "To be in control or to be controlled".
Q. I think people very much want to know,
if the principle of community-democracy is indeed a viable proposition. So, how are the
various layers interrelated?
A. Without a system of
representatives it obviously won't work*. So, the family-council is sending its
representative to the street-council. The street-council consists of representatives of
the families, living in that particular street. In its turn, each street-council is
sending its representative to the neighborhood-council. The latter thus consisting of
representatives of the street-councils. Each neighborhood-council is sending its
representative to the communal council, the latter thus consisting of representatives of
the neighborhood councils. This system of representation goes up to the top, thus
providing an interrelated bottom-up e.g. "organic" structure for the whole
fabric of society.
* See also: Kees Boeke "Sociocracy".
Q. How are the representatives elected?
A. Strong leadership can only
emerge from the community itself. In order to assess a candidate, the current "party
programs" are obviously a joke. Especially, if a candidate is not responsible to his
or her own community (as is the case with The Netherlands, for instance), the mandate of a
candidate is a license to a corrupt behavior, in which the representatives are serving
ruling interests, rather than the interests of the people. Contrary to that, the quality
and integrity of candidates, chosen by their own communities, is guaranteed. Not only that
these candidates are known by everybody, they also exactly know the needs e.g. carry out
the interests of the community involved. Candidates are looking after the interests of the
layer, by which he or she was chosen and are directly responsible toward that very
body. Because everything is interwoven, "higher levels" never lose contact
with e.g. interest in "lower levels". Hence, community democracy is a very
interactive model. I call it a "natural socio-political order".
Q. Majority vote or consensus?
A. That touches the other
criteria for the Mother's Web of Life. Since greed and competition have greatly damaged
Her Material Body in recent decades, "She very much lays emphasis" on
cooperation, inclusiveness and consensus. It therefore should be based on A Feminine World View, in which the latter, together with
wholeness, justice, compassion etc. prevail. It may include a central position for women,
since they are "having a natural talent" for initiating, maintaining and
restoring the substance of the community*. The aim is (re)integrating "humans,
animals and plants" ("ecocracy"). Moreover, it is the only way to satisfy
the legitimate demands of minorities. Majority vote (rule) is structurally discriminating
them, which is not only unjust, but is giving rise to never ending trouble as well.
* Compare the various community projects in the
Third World. With women in charge, success is mostly guaranteed, which cannot be said of
the male-dominating ones.
Q. Current political systems are founded on the
rule of law, the separation of powers, the judiciary system, rights and duties etc.,
things which are at the foundation of a constitutional state.
A. Democracy as it is today is
just a dim reflection of how it should be. Neither political parties, nor the parliament
are representing the people. The EU is clearly built on autocratic bodies, with no say of
the people at all. Our concept though will be built on a new Constitution in which the
bottom-up Self-governing and integrated Community will be the foundation of society. The
parliament, instead of being a body at the top only has to be extended to the grassroots.
In my concept the parliamentary system includes the family, the street-councils, the
neighborhood-councils, the commune up to the Commonwealth. The Community controls its
representatives, the latter being its executive power. The principle of the separation of
powers will not be changed. Like all other bodies, the free and independent judiciary
system will be decentralized. Conflicts have to be solved in the Community first* though.
If this doesn't work, then justice will be found in the higher echelons.
* Because of the lack of problem-solving on the
level of the Community, the judiciary system is hopelessly overburdened. It is the
consequence of taking all power away from the base. The danger is a corresponding increase
of the power of the judiciary system at the expense of the people. Only
Community-democracy can prevent the "lawyer-state" from further excrescence.
Q. Renewal of democracy: what for?
A. In these most desperate of
times, the Mother has called us to restore the Wholeness of Life: Her Material Body. It is
a turning point, in which militarism has to be turned into world peace; materialism into
spiritual humanism; competition into cooperation; greed into economic justice; misuse of
power into self-determination; individualism into brother and sisterhood; exploitation
into solidarity; poverty into prosperity for all; sickness into basic health and
destruction of nature into regeneration. This only seems to be possible, if, with the help
of the Mother, the community reclaims its central position as the Living Self-sovereign
Body of the people.
Q. What is your greatest concern is this
regard?
A. Dominating is the sense of
urgency. How can we persuade people in the West, that shifting to a system like this, is
in their greatest interest. You may give up something for it, but what you get back is
more than rewarding. Spreading the message, finding people who want to serve others,
therefore is my greatest concern.
Cooperate with the Mother.
Never give up.
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