Nothing can be better argument in favor of ‘Chinese democracy’ than a political party (in turn) enjoying electoral support of about half of the USA, is helpless against alleged fraudulent elections (ii)- Democrats will commit mistake if don’t consider it a bipartisan issue in the interest of winning ‘Cold War II’ (iii)- Merely military, police and bureaucracy are not enough rather committed cadres of political parties are essential for democracy.
Facebook had suspended the former U.S. President Donald Trump’s account the day after the January 6 Capitol Hill riot, determining he had incited violence. Now on Friday Facebook suspended Trump’s account until at least January 2023 (and announced changes to how it will treat world leaders who break the rules on its site) and this suspension will last at least two years from the date of the initial block and would only be lifted if the risk to public safety has receded as reported at https://www.reuters.com/world/us/facebook-suspends-former-us-president-trumps-account-two-years-2021-06-04/
No doubt all over the world social media (including Facebook) is misused by the people and many people and governments are demanding & saying that there should be some checks on it . This can easily be done if Facebook appoints an ‘oversight team’ which will look into the daily complaints made by anybody about misuse of this media and if anything is found objectionable then such posts can be removed and notice can be given to the wrongdoer to refrain from such objectionable posts in future. If such wrong does persist in his / her such objectionable posts then his / her account can be suspended or removed after giving him / her reasonable opportunity to defend.
But in Trump’s case Facebook is clearly in the wrong when it says that Trump had incited violence and his suspension would only be lifted if the risk to public safety has receded. On both the issues Facebook is wrong as given below:-
(i)- Trump was not present in person before Capitol Hill on January 6 hence by no stretch of imagination it can be said that he incited violence. Trump before the said incident only asked the people to demonstrate before Capitol Hill to arouse the inner conscience of the Congressmen which is perfectly legal & legitimate. If demonstrators (by their acts of commission) indulged in violence or criminal activities of illegally entering the Capitol Hill then such individuals should be booked under law. Moreover the security forces & their officers who were responsible to protect the Capitol Hill during such demonstrations should also be booked for their acts of omission. Facebook should not forget that all over the world people demonstrate before their Parliament / Congress and security forces regulate & control such demonstrations effectively.
(ii)- As far as “suspension of Trump would only be lifted if the risk to public safety has receded” – it is such an absurd statement (where Facebook considers itself as some apex law enforcing agency responsible or capable of deciding the matters of risk to public safety) that it hardly deserve any comment on it.
To be fair to Facebook despite its irresponsible behavior (in not having said ‘oversight team’) if it could indulge in such a high handed & megalomaniac treatment to Trump then it is due to the meekness & irresponsibility of Trump & his Republican Party (Grand Old Party, the GOP) who did not take the alleged ‘fraudulent elections 2020’ (which is at the root of January 6 incident before Capitol Hill) to its logical / political end.
When Trump and members of GOP (including its office bearers, people’s representatives, law officers etc) BELIEVED (on the basis of their experience & evidences) that 2020 Presidential elections were fraudulent especially in 8 swing States then they were supposed to do the following:-
(1)- Trump in office as the President of the USA, by using his Presidential powers, could have gone for fresh elections in the USA by ‘paper ballot in person and counting by hand without any counting machine’ as mentioned at https://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/opinion-details/3707
(2)- The vice President Mike Pence also could have order a Congressional enquiry in the alleged fraudulent elections 2020 but by his act of omission left no other alternative to the democracy-loving people of the USA (especially to GOP) than to come on the streets in order to protect the sanctity of the most important & crucial ritual of the democracy, namely the free & fair elections as mentioned at https://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/opinion-details/3744
(3)- Now Trump & GOP are merely issuing meaningless statements but are not taking any politically correct steps, namely of coming on streets all over the USA to demand free & fair reelections (in place of allegedly fraudulent elections 2020).
Such a lack of commitment to democracy in Trump & GOP (which commands about half of electoral support of the USA like Democrats who both occupy white House in turn) is mainly due to the reason that the USA has still not realized that the world has already entered into Cold War II where ‘liberal Western Democracy’ led by the USA is engaged in a fight to finish war with ‘authoritarian Chinese democracy’. Western democracy functions through political parties and if a political party (GOP) can not get justice to its President (in his reelection) & to the people (about their electoral rights, the sine-qua-non for any democracy) then how will it get justice to ordinary people of the USA. Obviously the Trump & GOP are meekly avoiding demonstrations all across the USA and also avoiding the offer of arrest during peaceful demonstration for it out of meekness & irresponsibility.
Here it is in context to add that despite being an Asian country China has made spectacular economic & related progress hence ‘authoritarian Chinese democracy’ is increasingly getting respect in developing countries. At the same time if Western democracy is seen to be not functioning properly in the USA itself, then how will it inspire confidence & hope especially in the developing world about ‘Western democracy’. Therefore the Democrats (led by Prez Biden) also do not have any reason to enjoy such political weakness of the GOP because in this Cold War II if Western democracy is seen to be incapable of projecting political parties (as is happening in Pakistan & India too as given below) which will fight to get justice for the people then the West led by the USA will lose Cold War II to China :-
(A)- In Pakistan opposition parties since 2019 are demonstrating (including by Dharnas / sit-ins) for free & fair elections but neither their people’s representatives are resigning for reelection nor the opposition parties are offering arrest through peaceful demonstrations for free & fair reelections.
(B)- In India two third of its population (the farmers who are fully or partly dependent on farm income and who have been committing suicides in hundreds of thousand due to non-remunerative prices of farm produce) is agitating at Delhi border & and at other places since November 2020 mainly for ‘Legally Enforceable Minimum Support Price’ (LEMSP) for farm produce but no political party is coming forward to offer arrest (with them) in peaceful demonstrations for LEMSP.
The USA (especially Democrats & Republicans) should not forget that the West led by the USA could win Cold War I because it was mainly between Private capital and State capital and the USSR (which used exclusive State-capitalism) was squandering State-capital hence failed and got dismembered. But China is using joint-capitalism (where private capital of the West itself is used by China immensely) hence its economy is quite efficient (undeterred by boisterous & undisciplined democracies of Asia, like India). Hence the Cold War II is mainly between ‘liberal Western democracy’ and ‘authoritarian Chinese democracy’ (China also calls its political system, as democracy) and if the USA doesn’t care about the essentials of Western democracy then it should forget about winning this Cold War II.
Moreover there is an important difference between legally correct and legitimate. Hence merely military, police and bureaucracy in the service of law (the State) are not enough; rather cadres of political parties committed to justice are essential for the proper functioning of any Western democracy. Leader of the free world, the USA, will have to understand this reality if wants ‘liberal Western democracy’ to succeed against ‘authoritarian Chinese democracy’ in on-going Cold War II.
Therefore not only in the interest of keeping the Facebook at its proper place but also in the interest of winning Cold War II of ‘liberal Western democracy’ against ‘authoritarian Chinese democracy’ former Prez Trump and his political party the Republicans (GOP) should launch peaceful demonstration all over the USA in all the counties of the USA for free and fair reelection (in place of US – elections 2020) and should be prepared to even offer arrest (if necessary) for such free & fair reelections (by paper ballot in person and counting by hands without machines).
