As Saint Lucia celebrates the 2025 Nobel Laureate Competition, geared toward celebrating our Nobel Laureates, Sir W. Arthur Lewis and Sir Derek Walcott, who acquired the Nobel Prizes for Economics and Literature respectively, it could mark 45 years, since Sir W. Arthur Lewis acquired the Nobel Prize.
It’s not oft although that our celebrations considerably pay consideration and search to use what democracy meant via the lens of Sir W. Arthur Lewis.
For many of our celebrations, Sir Arthur Lewis has been painted solely as a Developmental Economist, together with his most celebrated works being, ‘The idea of Financial Growth and Limitless Provides of Labour’ and ‘The Industrialisation of the British West Indies. Primarily he argued that we should jettison the neoclassical assumption that the amount of labour is fastened, and that there’s a vast provide of labour, which can preserve wages down, produce low-cost merchandise and guarantee excessive income.
Consequently, there will probably be a twin sector economic system, the place one half is a reservoir of low-cost labour for the opposite, and the limitless provide of labour derives in the end from inhabitants stress, as a section within the demographic cycle. Furthermore, growing economies similar to ours, was characterised by a conventional agricultural sector with its surplus labour and a contemporary industrial sector with larger productiveness. There can be nonetheless within the early levels of growth, the commercial sector absorbing the excess labour from agriculture resulting in financial progress and structural transformation.
On the core although, Lewis noticed the Caribbean as greater than a colonial backwater, famend just for manufacturing of uncooked supplies for industrial enlargement of the metropole or developed nations, however as an untapped potential and haven for financial transformation, capital accumulation, and industrialisation.
Past the empiricism of economics although, the place Lewis’s concepts on commerce, capital accumulation, labour and the institutional frameworks conducive to progress and modernisation formed the world of concepts, he was additionally a social and political thinker who believed at his core that democracy was the sine qua non, for financial growth. As such, democracy is a pre-requisite for financial growth.
However what was democracy via the lens of W. Arthur Lewis, and the way can his views be utilized to the 21st century challenges we face in our nation? What would W. Arthur Lewis make of our democracy and what doable prescriptions would he present?
For W. Arthur Lewis, in his e-book Politics of West Africa, the first which means of democracy was that “all who’re affected by a call ought to have the prospect to take part in making that call both straight or via chosen representatives.” It was the inalienable proper of the human being and citizen that they need to have the ability to take part within the selections that affected their lives. The conduit nonetheless via which democracy have to be actualised based on Lewis was and should at all times be via free and honest elections making certain that the desire of the bulk prevails. The Governor should at all times have the consent of the ruled. For Sir Arthur, it was solely the poll field and never the bullet or divine rule that should decide respectable rule. Democracy for him meant “that individuals have to be prepared to just accept the outcomes of honest elections; the desire of the lots of the individuals, pretty ascertained via the poll field, as supreme in figuring out who will govern.”
Nevertheless, this doesn’t present a carte blanche to governing events who win majority or the entire seats to make all of the governmental selections and relegate the ‘losers’ as mere critics who aren’t a part of the federal government equipment. For Lewis, the ‘shedding’ group should not be excluded from participation in determination making as that clearly violates the first which means of democracy.
For Lewis, democracy was not characterised by merely aggregating particular person votes into rule by a majority, and even the divine proper of majority, of which he abhorred, or what Maurice Bishop referred to as ‘two second democracy each 5 years’ or what the French Thinker Jean Jacques Rousseau described as ‘the vote as being a simultaneous train in, and give up of, sovereignty.’
For Lewis, the second we make the ‘x’ on the poll paper shouldn’t be the identical second we give up our sovereignty to our representatives, patiently awaiting our subsequent alternative for a ‘Ti Kwa’ within the subsequent 5 years as we really feel the travails of governance. Lewis, aimed for a type of democracy that allowed us to retain our sovereignty whereas actively collaborating within the political lives of our societies, with out totally surrendering our energy to the representatives on this restricted notion of consultant democracy.
For him, the citadel of democracy was within the tradition and artwork of compromise, power-sharing, consensual and give-and-take. It’s the place opinions have to be freely expressed in an open system, however there was additionally a tradition of tolerance and giving-and-taking throughout the political structure. Lewis famous that there have to be the articulation of variations, which have to be factored into coverage making and governance, which should additionally replicate compromise, lodging, and tolerance as mechanisms to include social battle and guarantee purchase in. He famous fairly precisely, that “the case for democracy just isn’t that it prevents rigidity, however that open dialogue creates a more healthy society than is achieved by suppression, and the diffusion of duty diffuses battle.”
Students decoding his work similar to Ralph Premdas, has subsequently believed that for Lewis, this “tradition constructed the institutional pillars of entrenched minority rights and opposition events as being very important to the legitimacy in addition to vibrancy of the political order.” From early on, W. Arthur Lewis, had famous that the Anglo-American democracy and its ingrained in-built zero-sum aggressive electoral system was ill-suited and incompatible for the third world, significantly with its a number of various pursuits. He famously famous that “politics is what the mathematicians now name a zero-sum sport, what I win you lose. You’ve got the wealth, and I’ve to take it.” This ‘zero-Sum’ and ‘gotchu’ moments that the political sphere has been relegated to was antithetical to the ideas of compromise, bargaining and consensual politics which Lewis believed have to be included in determination making to accommodate divergent pursuits. Lewis was ardent and idealistic, that democracy was not alleged to be centered on the idea of anyone prevailing over another person, of politics as a zero-sum sport, and famous that “phrases like profitable and shedding must be banished from the political vocabulary of a plural society.”
Albeit Lewis was writing for pluralistic multi-ethnic societies in West Africa in his well-known e-book ‘Politics of West-Africa’, his normative assessments are equally related throughout the Caribbean, as ethnicities will be changed with pursuits. And as a matter of truth, however our ‘homogeneity’, there are a lot of competing pursuits amongst peoples throughout the society.
Making use of W. Arthur Lewis At the moment and For Tomorrow
Once we apply a Lewisian lens in the present day, it’s clear that the electoral system i.e., the primary previous the submit as practiced inside Saint Lucia and the broader Commonwealth Caribbean can be antithetical to his idea of democracy, as whereas he recognised the desire of the bulk to elect their Governor, he additionally abhorred the follow that the ‘shedding group’ can be annihilated from the decision-making course of. For Lewis, the underlying philosophy of the framers, i.e., to make sure robust authorities can be an anathema to his idea of democracy, as its power wouldn’t be counterbalanced or allow lodging, compromise and a chance for dissenting voices to be a part of the decision-making course of.
As such, Lewis would abhor that the primary previous the submit system, systematically annihilates Opposition Political events, as they supply disproportionately giant majorities for the profitable celebration, even in circumstances the place they’ve misplaced the favored vote however win management of the Parliament.
As an alternative, he would and has presumably favour proportional illustration, because it supplies a extra degree enjoying subject which extra precisely displays the voting preferences of the individuals. Peter A. Jamadar, was subsequently on level when he famous that the primary previous the submit system, “often and repeatedly fails to create a Parliament by which the picture of the emotions of the nation are really mirrored and there’s a common tendency to magnify the representatives of the most important celebration and to cut back the smaller ones.” Additional, he famous {that a} “a parliament elected on the premise of proportionality will increase the chance for third events and even the opposition by offering the celebration with legislative seats roughly in accordance with the proportion of votes it wins, and it could additionally create a consultant physique which mirrors the distribution of opinion throughout the citizens.” Professor Cynthia Barrow-Giles is correct subsequently when she urged that in parliamentary democracy, an electoral system ought to create a Parliament which displays the pattern of opinion throughout the citizens.”
The disproportionality of the system has been evident in Barbados of their two most up-to-date elections when the profitable celebration, the Barbados Labour Celebration led by Hon. Mia Mottley acquired all 30 seats, or in Grenada through the previous phrases of Dr. Keith Mitchell. However, nearer to house, one should bear in mind the Common Elections of 1997, and even most not too long ago in 2021, the place the Saint Lucia Labour Celebration acquired a 16-1 majority in the home, with the proportion of votes as 60% for the SLP & 35% for the UWP, however with a 94% allocation for the SLP and 5% for the UWP.
When political events obtain such majorities in Parliament, it ostensibly supplies what Lewis warned towards, i.e., offering a carte blanche to governing events by advantage of the sheer allocation of seats, intensifying prime ministerial and celebration dominance, and engendering by way of each electoral calculations and behavior in workplace – intense parochialism and particularism with the tip end result being as famous by Midget, the legislature by which the governing celebration enjoys an insurmountable majority and behaves as a rubber stamp within the legislature with the Prime Minister being free to behave in a largely unilateral style. That is significantly current in our political system, due to the lack of the legislature i.e., the Parliament having the ability to carry out its position as a test and steadiness over the chief arm of presidency because of the lack of separation of powers. Parliamentarian as Parliamentary Consultant and as Minister!
As such, Lewis would abhor the system, questioning the extreme powers of the Prime Minister but in addition the lowered position of the Opposition’s as a test and steadiness, significantly in circumstances in nations like Barbados and Grenada, the place have been left with none seats in Parliament, however the proportion of votes they’ve acquired. As such, their workplace i.e., the Chief of the Opposition and the broader democracy is rendered paralysed, as they’re unable to nominate Senators who can scrutinise laws, unable to obtain their budgetary allocation to have interaction in programmes and supply assist for his or her constituents, obtain a stipend, obtain sources for the event of their celebration relegating them to company financing pursuits, unable to be consulted on key positions within the governance equipment and making certain that the voices of dissent, that are indispensable to good governance are energetic and capable of register their discontent. For Arthur Lewis, this is able to be undemocratic, because it meant that the Opposition forces have been unable to actively take part within the governance of the nation. He has buttressed this level albeit talking on West Africa, when he famous that “elections really are a zero-sum sport, and people who vote the unsuitable method are penalised, the roads of their space are left to deteriorate, contracts are positioned elsewhere and so forth and so forth.” A politician’s strategy as famous by Lewis shouldn’t be in essence to “seize the federal government as a way to profit one group on the expense of others.” It’s as if Lewis was trying over the Caribbean, whereas writing about West Africa.
Additional, even in circumstances the place there was ‘session’ Arthur Lewis would shun this fictional train, because it was merely ‘informing’ clothes as session with the Opposition political forces.
In sure situations, even the place there’s a respectable Parliamentary Opposition, which is apposite in Saint Lucia, there are lack of institutional guardrails and mechanisms to make sure that Opposition Political Events and their representatives obtain their fair proportion of sources from governmental budgets and allocations. As such, the opposition events and constituents are penalised for voting for opposition representatives via ravenous of state sources, within the hope that these voters would select the ruling celebration within the upcoming elections, because the opposition political events are unable to symbolize their constituent pursuits. On the flip aspect, opposition political events, upon assuming workplace reverse the pattern, and even throughout opposition promise these constituents that their day would quickly come.
Nevertheless, even past these institutional shortcomings, Arthur Lewis, would additionally contend that our slim software of liberal democracy i.e., the view that authorities by the individuals should solely make selections on behalf of the individuals versus allowing the citizenry to be energetic contributors of the decision-making course of was additionally undemocratic. For Arthur Lewis, those that are doubtlessly affected by specific selections ought to have a chance to take part in making that call straight.
Albeit, not in these actual phrases, however his views have been related or relatively a average model of CLR James & Jean Jacques Rosseau, whereby the previous believed that consultant “authorities was a farce, because the second one provides the political celebration their vote, they start to symbolize themselves or their very own pursuits and never the pursuits of the individuals. Consultant democracy and political events thus deceived the individuals as they begin to quarrel with one another with all types of personal and particular pursuits and the curiosity of the individuals are misplaced.” Put one other method, CLR James, which I’ve usually quoted is instructive when he lamented in Celebration Politics and the West Indies, that the “trendy political celebration, no matter its coverage or program, the second it takes maintain of any authorities, no matter its democratic intentions, turns into a system and a way and an organisations which is against the lots of the individuals.”
For Arthur Lewis subsequently, he can be supportive of referenda, and different types of direct citizen engagement, significantly utilising the proliferation of expertise, which albeit has not been utilised successfully, however has made it doable for extraordinary residents to have an enter into governmental selections. The advances in communications and expertise has made it doable to deliver info to the general public as shortly as their representatives obtain it. Arthur Lewis would contend subsequently as famous by Benjamin Barber, that the “applied sciences can guarantee equal entry to info, tie people and establishments to networks that may make actual participatory dialogue and debate doable throughout nice distances and interact in synthetic townhall conferences throughout demographics and populations on specific points.”
In our context, democracy via the lens of Lewis just isn’t restricted to merely informing residents of governmental selections by posting sporadically on social media, muting and ignoring their feedback as a result of they might be too ‘crude’, merely stay airing of Parliamentary debates on choose channels, proliferation of speak exhibits and call-in programmes, city hall-meetings, amongst different types of participation. As an alternative, it’s maximising using these platforms to have interaction, seek the advice of and actively solicit the participation of residents.
When final or ever has a Authorities consulted with extraordinary individuals by way of expertise on a Invoice being introduced earlier than Parliament, or the Annual Price range? Is it that these main selections are solely the ambit of technocrats and particular pursuits’ teams who appear to be the one ones who’ve a stake in governance? Or higher but, when final have you ever seen a Authorities seek the advice of and actively interact residents in a town-hall assembly, which isn’t restricted to members of Parliament speaking to supporters versus with them? A real case will be made subsequently as famous by Dr. Tennyson Joseph, in his work CLR James and the 21st Century Caribbean, for instance for the favored call-in programmes for use extra essentially as mechanisms for real public participation in determination making relatively than as leisure speak retailers, or as fodder for recognition rankings. And if the privileged argument is that the ‘extraordinary individuals have to be additional educated’ to be actively engaged, then not solely is that argument untenable, as who feels it is aware of it, however that there was a continuation of the lessening of the hole between educated and uneducated as a prerequisite for participating in a single’s democracy.
Arthur Lewis would subsequently be supportive of the view that our democracies should maximise the web platforms similar to Zoom, Skype, Fb, WhatsApp and even essentially the most fundamental types of the radio speak exhibits which have now created mechanisms for mass conferences and decision-making procedures and processes which can lead to shifting past the closed and unique parliaments which have been the area of the specifically chosen. Additional, democracy within the lens of Lewis would additionally embrace the view that expertise has allowed for brand new voting mechanisms on specific points, direct individuals participation, reformation and transformation in native authorities, plebiscites and direct determination making which haven’t been thought of within the Caribbean because of the obsession with liberal democracy.
For W. Arthur Lewis, the genesis of this downside is that the nascent Caribbean states similar to Saint Lucia, and nations in West Africa weren’t fashioned and crystallised in a democratic custom, such that he condemns the political class on the flip of independence for inheriting from the colonial masters a political system that’s ill-suited to the circumstances of Saint Lucia. Arthur Lewis was eager on noting that the weaknesses of this democratic custom was not distinctive to Africa however was shared by all states dealing with the difficulties of constructing new establishments and transfer past their horrific, oppressive and authoritarian previous.
Arthur Lewis, in contrast to the Fathers of their nations, Sir Eric Williams, and Alexander Bustamante, didn’t consider that as a result of the British Structure was good for Britain, it meant that it was good for us within the Caribbean. Nearer to house, Sir John’s view on the flip of Independence in his independence speech, of our fast alliance and pure affinity to the West, such that we gladly inherited the political system, might positively be seen at odds with Arthur Lewis’s view. As an alternative, Arthur Lewis in his democratic mannequin for plural societies, which has been referred to as ‘consociational democracy’ by Lijphart was involved with surpassing the inherent limitations of British or European democratic prescriptions and traditions. It’s this identical philosophical view of consensus constructing which superior Lewis’s ardent name for a Federation.
Arthur Lewis would subsequently be dissatisfied that our states, even after necessary workout routines of Constitutional Reform, haven’t altered the fundamental construction of the political system as a way to make it extra democratic and reflective of the wants of our individuals. Once more, he would lay blame on the ft of the political class, who in the end rejected the hybrid political mannequin urged by the Constitutional Reform Fee, which might be sure that members of the Home of Meeting wouldn’t be members of Cupboard, besides the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, as they must resign upon instantly being nominated by the Home for Ministerial positions. Arthur Lewis would have been happy that particular Parliamentary Committees must be created to supervise the chief arm of Authorities, with the legislature having a extra profound position to supervise Authorities ministries, departments, businesses and repair commissions.
Even when Arthur Lewis has been seen as a pragmatist and reformist, I’m sure that on this level he would agree with Bob Marley that ‘whole destruction is the one resolution.’ Additional, he would agonise that the British democracy has additional deepened their democracy by discontinuing among the extra undemocratic traditions inside Westminster whereas we [our political leaders] nonetheless observe them like ‘Westminster choir boys’ as urged by Mighty Gabby. Additional, even the ‘greatest practices’ of Westminster, similar to Particular person Ministerial Accountability have been sidestepped and ignored by our political elite. As an alternative, we see situations of democratic renewal inside the UK, as political instability.
It’s once more maybe why CLR James had warned us that “we should always not take too critically our claims of being a democratic society, past free, honest and integrity-based elections, as a result of the crude authoritarianism on the a part of management, have been habits fashioned and learnt within the plantation slavery and the present age calls for the cautious nurturing of recent democratic instincts.” James famous that, “the best hazard in the entire of the West Indies is that no class within the islands has ever been capable of make the conception of democracy an integral a part of their existence, and the expertise of higher and decrease courses within the West Indies was the custom of energy and obedience or terrified silence or riot.”
Our workout routines have subsequently ignored the low hanging fruits and fixed calls from the individuals for a system that does amongst different issues; agitate for Republicanism by eradicating the vestiges of colonialism via the Governor Common because the native consultant of the King in Saint Lucia, scale back the numerous powers of the Prime Minister because it creates autocratic authorities, create a system the place there may be ‘real’ separation of powers versus a fusion of powers, introduction of a strong native authorities system to encourage larger public participation within the democratic course of, guarantee fastened phrases for political leaders, fastened dates for elections, revisit the mechanisms utilised to pick out parliamentary representatives and Senators, abolish the first-past-the-post electoral system, tackle corruption and lack of accountability of elected and public officers and tackle the doubts in regards to the effectiveness and independence of the judiciary. These can be necessary in Arthur Lewis’s lens of democracy and have to be put again on the desk if we’re to honour his legacy.
For us in Saint Lucia, W. Arthur Lewis, as a result of he was a dedicated regionalist, as seen in his work for a Federation, scholarly work on the area and extra importantly his positions held on the UWI and CDB, would have supported our transition to the Caribbean Court docket of Justice, jettisoning the British Privy Council. As a result of he was additionally a democrat, he could have wished to see the individuals have a larger say within the determination, via a referendum or in lieu of, larger session and engagement on the actual determination. The session and engagement would be sure that the people who find themselves to learn from the actual determination can be conscious about the rationale, nature and impact.
Arthur Lewis was additionally unrelenting in his view that the individuals throughout the society with specialised data, related coaching and experience ought to interact in debates and options on public points. He famous in 1983, that “good authorities being depending on the existence of a well-informed and articulate public opinion.” As such, Arthur Lewis would agonise over the comatose state of public debate in Saint Lucia, such that, whereas a plethora of points face our nation, there appears to be a disquieting and chilling impact, amongst these with the specialised data. There appears to be a lessening of public scholarship, discount of extremely necessary debates to partisan taglines and rhetoric, management of necessary conversations by fringe media retailers, lessening of the necessary position of the media because the fourth property, and the ever-constant internal fears of victimisation and nepotism in circumstances the place these people interact in debate. Arthur Lewis, albeit opining on West Africa, which is relevant within the Caribbean, urged one of many causes is that there was suppression of unbiased criticism by people and different teams exterior the political events.
Arthur Lewis would even be involved on the comatose state of civil society, who above all else must be important a part of the dialog of nationwide growth, of their respective areas of experience. He would perceive nonetheless that there continues to be institutional challenges dealing with these businesses, together with however not restricted to, lack of capability, lack of financing, amongst others. However, extra importantly, for a very long time, there appears to be a scarcity of a coordinated strategy to the energetic engagement of civil society, as a way to hear and actively issue of their views and views on the event of Saint Lucia. Arthur Lewis can be insistent that we transcend the engagement of civil society in silos, and solely when a coverage on the respective curiosity has arisen. Even in these situations, it will not be accomplished. However Arthur Lewis can be eager on making a ‘social partnership’ which brings collectively all of civil society as a way to contribute in the direction of good governance, whereas helping in lowering their vulnerabilities.
As we replicate on the legacies of W. Arthur Lewis, it could be necessary for our nation to pay homage to his contributions and underlying philosophies that are geared toward deepening our democracy. If we’re to honour his legacy, there have to be as he as soon as mentioned, “a basic change within the political philosophy of those that wield energy.”
