Action is required to “regenerate democracy” amid a sense of “tiredness” and “complacency” from voters toward the political system, Tang Prize laureate and professor emeritus at the University of Melbourne Cheryl Saunders said on Wednesday.
Saunders, who is in Taipei to give a lecture as the latest recipient of the Tang Prize for the Rule of Law, told a press event that such trends had caused “democracy decay” in many parts of the world.
The pressing challenge is to find ways to “regenerate democracy” and make people disenchanted about the democratic process “excited” again, she said.
Saunders advocated the greater use of direct democracy through referendums despite noting that such forms of public decisionmaking might also have some “implications.”
She mentioned in particular Taiwan’s referendum in November last year on a proposed constitutional amendment to lower the voting age from 20 to 18, in line with international standards.
She said she was “disappointed” at the result of the referendum, which fell short of the threshold needed to pass.
“I’m playing with the idea that we just can’t get out of the habits of representative democracy in order to confront what direct democracy really involves ... Maybe that’s too utopian, because many ordinary people are never going to care, but it does seem to me that it’s a challenge we’ve got to face if we’re going to use these forms [of governance],” she said.
Saunders also proposed the use of citizens’ assemblies to seek consensus on contested issues, as well as technology tools to facilitate greater access of citizens to public decisionmaking processes.
However, technology can also be problematic, as it has also enabled the proliferation of fake news on social media, which has subsequently fueled polarization in democratic societies, she said.
Nevertheless, there are measures to counter the spread of fake news, such as ensuring a diversified media environment and promoting the education of media literacy among the public, she said.
It is also important to have a vigorous debate in which society discusses the matter directly and subsequently develops a sense of trust to try to counter disinformation, she added.
Saunders, 78, is also president emeritus of the International Association of Constitutional Law.
She was awarded the Tang Prize in June last year in recognition of her “pioneering contributions to comparative public law, and, in particular, her work on constitution-building in the Asia-Pacific region,” said the foundation, which has organized the biennial award since 2012.
