As a public servant and as a Briton, to talk about democracy is to talk about something I am passionate about. It’s not that I am an expert in the topic, but it is a system with which I can identify closely and it is an ideal which drives every day of my working life. And I’m pretty sure that all my close friends and colleagues share that same conviction, that democracy is the best possible system to let us live our lives in freedom. I really can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a world in which the abuse of power was the norm. I also know that it took 800 years for what is now the United Kingdom to achieve the levels of democracy that we enjoy today.
For me I feel it is both a duty and an honour to share that passion for democracy. It is one of the primary goals of my work, and one I thoroughly enjoy doing. But the question is: how can we help other countries strengthen their democratic systems so that their citizens enjoy their freedoms, so that their economies flourish, and so that their institutions fulfill their duties in an efficient and transparent way? We have found from experience that there is no one formula to entrench democracy, and that there will always be new challenges along the way. And I think that Guatemala has also learned this reality.
Within a few days of landing in this country in August last year I witnessed large numbers of Guatemalans marching in the streets, filling the squares, presenting suggestions, making demands, and insisting that corruption be brought to an end – all in order to deliver a higher quality of life for everyone. Many of the banners I saw talked of inclusion, respect, transparency and justice; they talked of the future, of rights, of prosperity… I was reading on those Guatemalan banners exactly the same democratic values that the United Kingdom promotes and defends all around the world.
But I have also seen a lot of suffering and injustice since arriving in this country. Corruption had totally consumed some institutions, and eye-wateringly high levels of violence made violent deaths a daily reality. There is a lot of work to be done. And it is for that reason that the United Kingdom has committed itself to creating alliances with all sectors of the country in order to promote change, a little step at a time.
That is why, with our partners, we are promoting themes like improving the business climate in the country, by encouraging business to work in a more transparent, sustainable and human way. We want to promote the use of the internet as a means of open communication between the people and their government. We recognize the need for reform of legislation in order to strengthen the judiciary. And so on. That is the focus of our work here. We see it as vital that civil society has the space to voice its concerns, defend its rights, and present clear proposals for change. We want to amplify its voice. We are also working on a specific project to improve the conditions of life for girls living in high risk areas to save them from becoming yet another grim statistic of violence.
We will not do any of this alone. We will do it working with Guatemalan partners who have presented their ideas to us and who have given us the opportunity to help. To all of those I say thank you for wanting to strengthen democracy in Guatemala. By a happy coincidence, Democracy Day on 15 September coincides with Guatemala’s Independence Day. Long live Democracy, long live Guatemala!