We are seeing the gradual erosion of democracy by our politicians - Alcyonenews

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Posted June 22, 2026

This is a “reprint” of this article. It was first published in the Gulf Island Driftwood on July 31, 1996.

The article was a reaction to the events of the BC election held on May 28, 1996.

It remains “timely” and will remain so until Demokratia displaces Party-ocratia.

We are seeing the gradual erosion of democracy by our politicians

Strange things happen under the western sky, indeed they do.

That is why we have a “majority government duly elected by a minority” of the citizens! It does not make sense at all considering that the fundamental tenet of democracy is “government by the majority.” Yet this minority-elected majority government, not unlike others, claims full democratic credentials and the “right to govern” the society against the objections of the majority.

As if being saddled with this government isn’t bad enough, we now know that a portion of the minority votes which elected the NDP were misdirected and there are strong indications they were really stolen from British Columbians. Let’s review the events:

On the eve of the election the NDP dipped their hands in the public treasury to buy themselves much propaganda. This they topped by a campaign richly financed by their party’s sponsors, rivaling that of the megabusiness-sponsored Liberals.

That the voters were misled has by now been demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt. Indeed, it is acknowledged by the NDP who plead ineptitude and deny lying. Few people, if any, believe that the NDP are as wimpy as they pretend to be, hence the widespread suspicion that this misleading the electorate was done deliberately.

Because budgetary matters were much in the minds of voters in this election, the misinformation fed the citizenry by the NDP on this issue alone arguably shifted the election result substantially from what it would have been if the facts were known and, as luck had it, the shift favoured the NDP. An honest election, more than likely, could have denied the NDP that three-member majority which now sustains them in power.

How could such things possibly happen in our society, a society priding itself on its democratic traditions?

Over time, the politicians have eroded democracy, gradually and inconspicuously, always making sure that each bite they grab is insufficient in itself to generate more than brief breeze of protest. The cumulative result is the “elected tyranny” we are now forced to endure. We do resent and dissent but the politicians do not relent and since it is the politicians, not the people, who hold power, we are forced to lump it and resign to suffering the despotism.

In 1991 we asserted our desire to govern ourselves when we voted 81 per cent for our right to recall errant politicians and 83 per cent for the facility to instigate referenda on matters politicians neglect or mismanage. The politicians responded with a placebo Recall and Initiative Act.

In his grossly misleading report to the Legislature, Ujjal Dosanjh wrote:

“… recall has the potential to defeat a duly elected government in the middle of its term, by the recall of a sufficient number of Members of the Legislative Assembly. The scenario is of special concern when considering the position of a government elected only with a small majority. For example, if the government has a three-member majority, the recall of three members could lead to the fall of the elected government.”

Evidently his crystal ball was good, his dedication to democratic principles feeble and his determination to buttress elected tyranny unshakable. Now we know what Dosanjh had in mind while fighting democracy with political power to protect the politicians from the citizens.

Had the result of the 1991 referendum been honestly implemented, we would now recall a few borderline “winners” to correct the election result to what it would have been if we had not been misled by the NDP in the first place. Disposing of this “duly elected government” not only would restore government by the majority, that is to say democracy, but would demonstrate how wrong are those who claim we deserve the politicians we get because we are “indifferent”, “disinterested” and living in a state of “benign neglect.”

The writer is co-author of Recall & Initiative, a book about the provincial legislation of the same name. He divides his time between Salt Spring and Victoria.