Democratising the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth represents one-third of humanity that needs urgent reform in its leadership to make it democratic

The world order has changed since the inception of the Commonwealth. It is the right time to take a fresh look into the working of the commonwealth and there is an urgent need to make a paradigm shift in its total approach towards the member countries. Recently in succeeding his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III not only takes over the leadership of the United Kingdom but also that of the Commonwealth. A British dynasty as head of the Commonwealth, a free association of 56 independent self-governing nations, has always been an embarrassment to democratic values and leaders. In today’s democratic world, hereditary leadership has no place in any organization. A monarch from the United Kingdom can’t be the head of the Commonwealth. As a confederation of states based on shared history and values, the Commonwealth represents one-third of humanity. All members share one common history which is the illegal occupation by Britain. Trying to delineate history from the Commonwealth is impossible. There is no organization like it when it comes to historical baggage. Due to its colonial heritage, it has always suffered from an imperial hangover which impedes its reformation.

The Commonwealth represents one-third of humanity that needs urgent reform in its leadership like Group 20 (G-20) which runs under the leadership of a rotating Presidency. The leadership of the Commonwealth should also be chosen under the leadership of a rotating Presidency of all member countries by a principle of rotation among its members in the appointment of its leader during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Rotation-based leadership is characterised by equality. This means that every member of the Commonwealth has the same rights with the same hierarchical level; there is no place for a King. It is also recommended that the office of the Commonwealth also operates from the Commonwealth’s leader country till the period the country is in a leadership position.

There is a growing desire among the members  of the Commonwealth to be free of any imperial aura associated with the British royal family that indicates the organisation’s colonial origins as the British crown is the symbol of monarchy that has a very bloody history. Hereditary leadership cannot be tolerated by republic members who hold democratic values. And if the commonwealth doesn’t agree with the reform of Democratic leadership then members have the right to leave this autocratic organization. 

The subject of whether the leader of the organisation should be a natural leader in the contemporary democratic world has been raised again with Prince Charles’ succession as head of the Commonwealth. In addition, the Chagos Archipelago territorial issue has favoured Mauritius and disadvantaged Britain. Britain’s actions are not in the best interests of its leadership in a post-Brexit context because the Commonwealth is made up of numerous small island states, and the handling of Windrush immigrants has raised concerns between Britain and the 12 Caribbean countries. The Commonwealth must set boundaries between its colonial past and its present and adopt a new perspective.  It would be nothing less than a colonial artefact if the smaller states are unable to relate to the ideology and values of the organisation.

The Commonwealth needs to be redesigned, and more significantly, its power base needs to be decentred from London. The organisation can capitalise on a variety of shared risks and opportunities in the absence of a direct common threat without having to resort to its dismal past.

Fostering an effective alliance based on equality and sovereignty that can deliver an ambitious agenda for its members requires fresh and proactive leadership. Therefore, we advocate rotating leadership instead of automatic succession as in the past, but what’s more important than the nominal figurehead of the Commonwealth is its actual leadership, and the UK is no less aligned on this issue. Today, the UK’s political leaders lack both the willingness and the capacity to lead the Commonwealth, as they are far removed from their historic power positions.

Developing a positive Commonwealth and updating its mission to allow its members to flourish as equal partners in today’s environment is a tall order that will require new leadership.

In the world of today, India is a growing force that will have a profound impact on how the world looks in the future. For more than a century, India was the jewel in the Crown of Britain’s global colonial empire. The idea of the jewel becoming the bearer of the crown may be called for if the nobler of the many diverse values of old are to continue. As a strong and able nation, India is capable of leading if properly supported and guided. Reshaping the Commonwealth as a force for global progress is an opportunity it should not miss given its ambition to play a broader role in world affairs.

(The writer is the Chairman of the Dalmia Group of Companies. Views expressed are personal)

Source: The Pioneer