Who’s in control of our democracy?
Democratic values, transparency & foreign interference
Yesterday I arrived in Los Angeles after driving 3000 miles with my wife and kids across America in a pickup truck. I'd been promising my family this trip for seven years, but a few small things - an unexpected stroke and heart operation in 2019 followed by Covid lock downs and then a house to sell - kept delaying us.
Over that waiting period the increasingly dystopian impressions I received from my Social Media feed made me start to wonder whether it was a good idea to embark on this trip at all. Would America still be the place I remembered from when I worked here over twenty years ago? Did the chaotically beautiful essence of this vast democracy even exist anymore?
Let me cut to the chase.
Yes, the America I love still exists.
Some things were inevitably going to change mainly due to technological developments (like the self-driving car I had to give way to in Las Vegas). There are also some raw emotional wounds on display. Tributes to Charlie Kirk are found everywhere.
Yet for all the fractious political angst, America is still, deep down, a worthy place, a hot mess of contradictions, a society full of supremely endearing and admirable qualities. From the steamy hamlets of the Deep South and the windswept plains of the Texas Panhandle to the crisp alpine resorts of Colorado and the dusty, isolated Navajo settlements of Arizona, the people we met along the way exemplified an industrious, free and conscientious spirit. Most weren't wealthy, a few far from it, but only one person we met complained about their lot in life and she was a well-educated affluent New Yorker on holiday at the Grand Canyon!
Virtually everyone else appreciated the opportunities this country afforded them while still acknowledging that there are unique challenges which come with living in a free society. A few people related their experiences of finding a sanctuary here from the political and religious persecution they'd faced in their original homelands. And not a single one of those immigrants took this new home for granted.
So, I'm about to head back to New Zealand with a renewed appreciation for what makes a democratic society tick.
I've also joined the PILLAR team because I believe our democracy in NZ has got its work cut out for it.
One of the issues that we must face as a nation is foreign interference and transnational repression. China (through its proxies operating domestically in NZ) poses the biggest threat to our sovereignty as a nation state. As Nathan recently mentioned, our own intelligence services stated this in August when the SIS published its annual national security summary. Those most affected by China's tactics so far have been pro-democracy activists and journalists of Chinese ethnicity.
However, I've had opportunity recently to meet with various world experts on this issue in Europe and the United States. Their warnings are consistent. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not just trying to suppress criticism of its actions by dissident groups like the Free Tibet movement, Taiwan Independence groups or Hong Kong democracy activists. China is also succeeding in buying influence and favours through an extensive and often illegal system of patronage it has cultivated throughout the West. Especially troubling are the public threats of forced repatriations of critics of the CCP.
What is lacking on this issue in most countries in the West is transparency.
A key part of our work at PILLAR will therefore involve exposing the problem of authoritarian regimes and their supporters increasingly influencing and/or coercing figures in NZ politics, business and civil society. While it may sound at first like cloak and dagger stuff, the reality is quite the opposite. Transparency is crucial to maintaining trust in our democracy. Right now, we have current and former politicians (and likely future ones) who are failing to disclose or refuse to admit a conflict of interest on this issue. In taking a stand over this problem, we're also building a network to support those in our region who've been targeted by China and other repressive foreign regimes. Too many leaders in politics, business and education have ignored the problem hoping it would simply go away. It hasn't. For fifteen years it's only become worse. And the detrimental impact will grow if nothing is done about it.
To be clear, I don't claim to know for certain what the future holds for the US, NZ or China. The geopolitical scene is becoming unpredictable. But one thing I am sure of after 3000 miles in a pickup truck is that I'm more hopeful that a democracy beats all alternatives. A free society is only possible politically if we emphasize, defend, and uphold a culture where we celebrate individual life, liberties, and rights. PILLAR is our way of trying to help keep our democracy in NZ staying true to those roots.
We invite you to join us and support this work.
