The arc of progress

In 1961, King used these words as he explained his principles of nonviolence. Later, on March 31, 1968, four days before his assassination, he used them again in his last sermon. In April 2008, then Senator Barack Obama, recalled: “Dr. King once said that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. It bends towards justice, but here is the thing: it does not bend on its own. It bends because each of us in our own ways put our hand on that arc and we bend it in the direction of justice.”

Now is as good a time as ever to go back to King’s idea of history’s gradual progression over time. As slow and painful as it may sometimes seem, make no mistake: ours is a world of progress; meaningful change and improvements are happening all the time affecting every single class of human being whether we admit it or not.

Consider, for instance, the political rights now enjoyed by all parties in this country. Last Friday, peaceful protesters in Hong Kong were confronted with violent thug action. The protesters liked the violence to triads - secret Chinese societies dating back to the Qing Dynasty - hired by the authoritarian state of mainland China. The entire week prior, the world had marvelled at the peaceful nature of the protests by thousands of students. The students were objecting to a subtle, but undoubtedly perilous, shift in the territory’s election rules which meant that while residents could vote freely to determine who would be the chief executive, China would limit who could actually contest the election. The change was not unforeseeable. China is now intent on flexing its muscles and asserting its power globally, as seen, for example, in the circumstances surrounding the Ayungin reef in the South China Seas. But Hong Kong residents — who were annexed to China in 1997 under the terms of an old treaty — sought to assert their desire to remain free to vote for who they want without Politburo veto.

In this country, people are free to protest peacefully and within the constraints of the law. We have not had scenes such as those at Mok Kong. The fact that more and more people are protesting is, ironically, a very good thing. It is a sign that democracy is alive and well. Also, the fact that more and more people are now free to voice their dissent and discontent is also a good thing. It is a sign that the direction the country is heading remains one with a respect for freedom of expression and thought. The years when persons were afraid to speak out publically, to comment on matters of current affairs, are over.

And there have been marked improvements, over time. Voting is now open to all; we have inched closer to proportional representation with the introduction of proportional representation at local government. The new runoff procedure, if implemented, is an incremental improvement on the ability to chose. Just last week the Parliament completed a Budget debate which saw new rules which have introduced an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability in how the State spends money. Opposition and Government MPs were able to question ministers on items in Budget documents ranging from $1,000 to $8 billion. The new standing orders have also introduced Prime Minister’s Question Time, which sees a sitting prime minister being brought to answer questions from elected MP s on the Parliament floor. As cantankerous as Parliament debates and proceedings sometimes become, these do not detract from the incredible improvements in the overall system of democracy.

It is very easy to talk about what is going wrong. And it’s very easy to talk about what is wrong without any reference to facts. It’s also very easy to talk, period, and not act; to not attempt to bring about meaningful change. But when we just talk and complain, while that should not be the end of the matter, that dialogue itself is a part of the change; the arc of progress.

Change does come and has come and will come. That is the nature of the journey we are embarked upon. We can interpret Obama’s idea as meaning that change is not from the top, but rather from ordinary citizens living their lives. Each and every citizen today, without discrimination, has and continues to enjoy all of the rights - explicit or implicit - set out in the Constitution. No authority in this country can ever take away those fundamental rights. The day that is done, the State will rue the day. This is the reality, the foundation which today underlines our democracy which is growing from strength to strength and continues so to do.

Martin Luther King also asked, “How long?” His reply was, “Not long.” I would say notwithstanding the terrible problems we face, such as crime, we have already gained much and can confidently look forward to a brighter day.

Email:abagoo@newsday.co.tt