The lost art of losing gracefully

In American politics, Democrat William Jennings Bryan is reported to have started it all in 1896 with a telegram sent two days after Election Day while the votes were still being counted. The vote pattern indicated that Republican William McKinley would be named the winner. "I hasten to extend my congratulations. We have submitted the issue to the American people and their will is law," the November 5, 1896 telegram from Bryan in Lincoln - Nebraska to McKinley in Canton - Ohio read. Shortly after Bryan's concession telegram in 1896, he explained he could not understand why conceding "was much commented upon at the time" and "why it should be considered extraordinary". "We were not fighting each other, but stood as the representatives of different political ideas, between which the people were to choose," Bryan wrote in his memoirs of that campaign "The First Battle: A Story of the Campaign of 1896". "A courteous observance of the proprieties of such an occasion tends to eliminate the individual and enables opponents to contend sharply over the matter of principle, without disturbance of social relations.

The debate over principle is much larger than the individual," Bryan argued.

That message kicked off the now 120-year-old tradition of a losing US presidential candidate conceding to the victor, a norm largely in vogue with a few exceptions. The high point of the exception is the current scenario in the US politics where President Donald Trump still refuses to acknowledge Joe Biden as president-elect. Trump continues to make claims of widespread election irregularities. This is something for real as 73 million Americans voted for Trump and a great majority of them endorses his views.

Grace and trust in politics and perhaps are eroding in mature democracies, such as the USA and India, and in emerging ones. Pakistan is no exception where grace in politics and trust in democracy are both under severe strains. President Abraham Lincoln defined democracy as: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people". The term democracy comes from Greek and means "rule by the (simple) people".

Democracy is meant to be service to the people. Over the years, with a few exceptions, the word "politics" has moved out of it. It is no longer service to the people. It is now largely driven by business interests, vested interests, ethnic and religious doctrines, self-centered nationalism.

It is an irony that the line between dictatorial regimes and democratic governments is becoming blurred. Their styles of governance are almost identical. Democracy is said to be "By far the most challenging form of government - both for politicians and for the people". Its sustainability is now under tremendous stress and the world could well be moving towards its replacement with a more equitable regime of state governance.

(The writer is former President Overseas Investors Chambers of Commerce and Industry)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020