The Union Farmer Quarterly/Fall 2001

The Internet: Bane or Boon for Democracy?

"The dynamic interaction between knowledge, information and information/communications technologies opens up new frontiers. Various aspects of "e-governance" are quickly gaining ground, not only in industrialized countries but also in many developing ones. They relate to:

• Enhancing democratic and parliamentary institutions, mechanisms and practices (eg. Parliamentary on-line services, networks and information-sharing, the creation of government websites);

• Strengthening transparency and accountability (including a decentralization of government functions, online public tenders and procurement, land trans-actions, and Internet transmissions of meetings of legislative and executive bodies);

• Improving government activities (by creating inter-ministerial networks) and aid Coordination (through online observatories with consultation and positing of date, documents and studies;

• Improving the delivery of government services (by opening public cyber kiosks; posting online basic documents, form, statistics and bulletins; providing online national registers; and options to pay government fees and invoices);

• Fortifying the observance of human rights through monitoring, networking among interested groups, awareness programs, and online education."

These seem to me to be reasonable, and in fact, desirable, uses of this incredibly powerful communications tool. Only history will tell us whether or not the Internet is good for society, just the same as it will tell us whether or not trade liberalization, agricultural genetic engineering and globalization is good for us. As a society, we are on a learning curve with Internet - what sources of information are dependable and which aren't; which regulations will and won't work; what is a legitimate organization and which isn't.

What is fortunate, I believe, is that the Internet is available to that "fuzzy" but ill-defined movement that we call civil society. Imagine where we would be if it were available only to governments and corporations. It has helped us keep up to date and respond to changes that have profound impact on our common good as human beings regard-less of where we live. If that makes us warriors or cyber terrorists, so be it.