Democracy And Fair Trade
Recently, reviewing a document on standards and principles for fair trade gold, I have been struck by an underlying bias toward democratic processes. The assumption is that democratic decision making is superior to all others. Ironically, the democratic approach has often been used to undermine indigenous communities—the very groups which fair trade is supposed to support
I live in the American Southwest, and have decades of experience observing and even being mentored by the Native people of my region. I have witnessed time and time again how elections are used to split resource rich communities — particularly between those who are wanting development versus those whose values are deeply rooted in culture and non-money economies. It is not unusual, historically, for pro-development elected tribal councils to not represent the true will of the People.
Too often, our western faith in the superiority of democracy is an arrogant and a biased projection of our values. Democratic institutions, to be most effective avenues for the common good, require a whole set of safeguarded foundations, such as a free press, and a somewhat educated population, to be effective. They do not work effectively as a kind of overlay on a culture not rooted in the western tradition which birthed the democratic processes.
Even in our own western democratic tradition, Plato in ‘The Republic’ criticized democracy, stating that the more ideal choice would be something akin to the “Philosopher King” who was able to make decisions without influence, for the best of all concerned. In a sense, this type of process exists in indigenous communities which are still intact, where decisions for the People are made by the “Clan Mother” or “Elder.”
When these traditional cultural structures exist in mineral rich areas, the very nature of elections themselves undermine these societies. Some people still exist in non-moneyed economies, where the earth as a living being, and all things that move are seen as deeply connected. To such people, mining of any kind is anathema.
Without acknowledging indigenous approaches, even the well intentioned fair traders have the potential to undermine indigenous cultures for the sake of “progress.” No fair trade organization should ever use democracy to undermine the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous People.
