KOREA: Internet cannot substitute democratic process

IDEA secretary-general Karen Fogg discourages heavy reliance on Internet services by the government

The Korea Herald
Thursday, May 26, 2005

Seoul -- Active consultation on the Internet between the government and the public can be a useful complement to democracy but should not become a substitute to the democratic and political process, the head of an international democracy organization said.

"(The Internet) is encouraging the individual to be a purely egoistical component of the society," Karen Fogg, secretary-general of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance said in an interview with The Korea Herald yesterday.

Fogg is in Seoul to take part in the 6th Global Forum on Reinventing Government, the largest international event to be hosted by South Korea, gathering over 5,000 state leaders, business representatives, international organizations and civic groups to discuss how to improve governance in the new globalization era.

Fogg explained the important aspect in democracy is grouping together the people to express common interest, but the Internet enhances the atomization of society instead.

"I would personally feel unhappy in a situation where the individual in their isolated existence is asked to judge or react to the acceptability of a government policy because it is reducing the notion of community and collectivity," Fogg said, also adding another negative aspect of the Internet would be the guarantee of anonymity of users.

Fogg, who has been with the International IDEA since August 2002, commented South Korea should be pleased with its progress toward sustainable democracy.

"Korea has a very lively debate. Koreans have great open mindedness about reform. Korea is a politically involved society with a quite high interest with relatively low cynicism," Fogg said.

Fogg has been with the European Commission since 1973, and is currently taking a leave of absence to work in IDEA. She is slated to go back to the EU Commission later this year.

Her past positions in the commission include ambassador and head of delegation in Ankara and Bucharest, and her main areas of work involved employment, social policy and education. She also focused her studies on European integration and East-West relations.

IDEA, founded in 1995, is an intergovernmental body comprising 23 member states devoted to supporting sustainable democracy worldwide. Karen said she believed most members would welcome the application of Korea to join as member.

Fogg talked more about how sustainable democracy would balance improving the basic rights of the people, such as abolishing poverty.

"You cannot have a flourishing democracy unless you have circumstances which allow that."

Fogg explained that it is both a target and an instrument of democracy to ensure that the government has a capacity to govern, which is legitimate, responsive and representative.

Fogg, whose institution (IDEA) has worked extensively on reconciliation in the European region post World War II, assessed it would take patience for the Asian region to reach reconciliation surpassing deeply rooted historical issues.

She explained that Germany became a modest player in the new future of Europe because it was crucial to be a part of the European enterprise. Fogg said the difference in the Northeast Asian region and the overhanging dispute over Japan's past invasion could be that Japan did not have a chance to take part in building new community in the region.

Date Posted: 5/26/2005