Democracy and Independence are two concepts that one hears frequently in today?s Bermuda. Yet, I wonder to what extent the people using these concepts are aware of the extent to which the terms are very interdependent. In this article, I hope to discuss this interdependence and demonstrate that like the chorus in the popular old ballad ?Love and Marriage? ?You can?t have one without the other?.

The New World Webster dictionary defines democracy as government by the people either directly or through elected representatives. Hence, I think it is fair to say that when democracy is used in reference to government, the common denominator is that the government is selected by a vote of the citizens and that the citizens have full responsibility for the affairs of state.

The same dictionary gives the following definition of Independence. It notes that Independence is freedom from the influence, control, or determination of another or others. Hence, the notion of self-determination is very strong in the concept of political independence. We will look at this point later in the analysis. For now let us look a little more closely at the concept of democracy.

Although it is generally agreed that democracy is government by the people, there is disagreement with respect to what this means. At one extreme, there is the belief that the people rule when they make all the important decisions of government. This is often referred to as participatory democracy. At the other extreme there are those who believe that the mere size of government and the complexity of its decisions make it mandatory that democracy be exercised through representatives of the people who are elected by them.

Believers in the concept of participatory democracy believe that referenda should be utilised as frequently as possible since this is the best way of ensuring that all points of view are represented in any decision taken.

A glaring weakness of this concept is the reality that not all people participate in an election; hence not all points of view will ever be represented. In fact, at Bermuda?s election held to determine whether or not Bermuda should seek Independence, only 58 percent of the persons eligible to vote actually voted.

Those who accept the concept of a representative democracy would argue that it is unrealistic to expect the voters to participate in all the important decisions of government. For instance, the most important decision that any government makes each year is how much money will be necessary to carry out its obligations to the voters. In most countries this is referred to as the budget debate. Is there anyone who seriously believes that the decisions taken during the budget debate can be effectively and efficiently executed by referendum? I think not. Yet the decision making surrounding the decision whether or not Bermuda should seek Independence is at least as complex as the decision on how much should be spent to manage the affairs of state.

Historically, in countries that claim to be a democracy, the government is formed by representatives of the people. These representatives are elected over a fixed period as in the United States or for some maximum period as in nations that form the British Commonwealth. Governments selected in this way are representative and are trusted to carry out the wishes of the people who elected them.

The nature of this elective process is best illustrated by reference to sporting clubs and trade unions. In Bermuda each of these organisation types is truly democratic. Yet, even in the management of Bermuda?s sporting clubs and trade unions, no one would expect a club or union to be managed in a manner that requires members to make all decisions at frequently called ?General Membership Meetings?. On the contrary, the members of these organisations agree to select a group of persons to rule on their behalf and once yearly or some other agreed period, they call a General Meeting to review the stewardship of the elected management and to decide whether they should be re-elected. Surely no one would expect the management of a democratic state to be handled with any less dependence on a representative from of government.

At what point then should voters become directly involved in the decision-making process? Usually this is the case when the decision to be taken has the potential of seriously dividing the country and certainly, many Bermudians believe that the decision of whether or not Bermuda should seek Independence qualifies.

However, while granting that the issue of Independence has the potential of seriously dividing the country, the question must still be asked, will a referendum generate the kind of debate that is necessary to fully air the issues involved in seeking Independence more thoroughly than would be the case, if Independence were to be decided by a General Election? I think not. A General Election is the one time in the political affairs of a country that issues get maximum discussion. For this reason, I believe that the decision whether or not Bermuda should become independent should be taken by means of a General Election.

If we accept the view that a state is democratic to the extent that its citizens are entirely responsible for the affairs of state, the question as to whether the democracy is participatory or representative is a matter of degree and, in my opinion, has no fundamental consequence. What is of greater importance is whether the affairs of the state are the final responsibility of the citizens of that state?

Following that line of reasoning, a more important question from my point of view is whether a country can claim to be democratic, if all legislative decision making must be approved by another power before legislation can be enacted into law. It follows, therefore, that if the citizens of a country do not have the final responsibility for the affairs of state, surely that country cannot claim to be democratic. Such being the case, the real question facing Bermudians is whether or not we want democracy. If we want democracy, then it follows that we must have Independence. To say that we have democracy but we do not want Independence is illogical.

Perhaps the Independence debate should be rephrased as follows: ?Do we want the full responsibility of democracy?? If we do not, than it makes sense to continue to be a colony of England and let Independence revert to a non-issue. After all, Bermuda?s flirtation with democracy is relatively short-lived. In my lifetime, Bermuda?s rulers used to state in the colonial reports issued annually by the United Kingdom on behalf of each colony, ?Bermuda is not a democracy and we are proud of it?. We should at least determine whether this is still the case.