Civil society members of the Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership, OGP have called on stakeholders to protect open, inclusive and accountable governance, while upholding democratic standards and personal rights in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Noting that a state of emergency such as this pandemic requires extraordinary measures, the OGP Civil Society Steering Committee members however, cautioned that governments must respect civic space and human rights in whatever actions they take as they respond to the pandemic.
They stated that in many cases, measures taken have been proportionate and justified but that“in several instances, there has been weakening of parliamentary oversight and other vital checks and balances, removal of key watchdog officials, aggressive censorship and pressure on journalists, and the introduction of intrusive and potentially permanent digital surveillance regimes.”
Many interventions, they observed, appear to go beyond what is necessary for health and safety, even in a pandemic adding that in some instances, measures have been introduced without any clarity on when or how they will be rolled back.
Pointing out that prior to Covid-19 democracy was already at risk, with trust in government at ever-lower levels and civic space under attack, they noted that a crisis of this magnitude further threatens democracy through increased political repression, overly zealous strengthening of executive power, and increased corruption.
“We have already seen that governments that suppress facts, remove oversight and silence critical voices can escalate the crises and increase hardships. On the contrary, open, honest and inclusive governments are leveraging collective knowledge to improve critical services and create a shared sense of responsibility. This approach creates trust in government actions and empowers citizens to be active participants in the response and recovery, ” they said.