Knowledge and accountability at home and abroad

However, in weak democracies most people can only get information from or about their representatives indirectly. Reporting becomes more selective and superficial. Corrupt governments are reluctant to share information with the public and the press. They have strong incentives to silence active political coverage. To counter this trend, regulations or laws must oblige the content, timing and programming of information sharing by politicians and representatives.

Citizens' interest and engagement in politics increases the close monitoring of politicians. It prompts representatives to work harder and produce better policies for their constituencies. This benefits all voters; it affects voting outcomes and increases participation in elections and the tendency to support successful incumbents. As a result, voter information also draws more funding to services and investment in local constituencies. The opposite case, a lack of information for voters, affects representatives' behavior negatively. Representatives who share less information with their constituents vote in a more partisan manner, rather than being responsive to the needs, expectations or understanding of their constituents.

Freedom of information improves accountability. It reduces the chances of voters casting ballots for the wrong candidate, for poor policies or for corrupt political interests. Less public access to information leads to distorted policy outcomes in favor of narrow interest groups. In a pluralistic world, this then affects the welfare of all citizens. Here, of course, the proliferation of technology and global information networks have wide-ranging implications for voter information and political accountability.

Two recent events are illustrative of this discussion. The first concerns Dick Cheney, the former vice president of the United States. Word has leaked out that Mr. Cheney kept the US Congress in the dark about several clandestine operations, pushing the limits of legality. Former and current intelligence officials also indicate that plans to assassinate certain people in other countries without the knowledge of other US authorities existed, and the foreign governments concerned may seek criminal prosecution. This news has led to further discussion about whether the CIA was involved in making or carrying out such plans, and whether the CIA is still running other such efforts that Congress has not been briefed on and whether the US military participated in these operations or not. It is alleged that one particular assassination in Kenya has already proved a severe embarrassment for the US government. It is the US government's job to resolve this issue thoroughly. The point here for us is that nothing remains secret in the globalized world of information, and nothing affects one constituency or nation alone. Whether Cheney was right or wrong is again another issue, and not the scope of this column. The point this US story illustrates is that information equips voters to monitor and hold their representatives accountable, and that poor or reduced access to information may lead to clandestine decisions which have wider implications for all the citizens of a country or countries concerned. We hope that the accusations prove false and do not lead to any further moral ambiguities or blemish the high values and legal norms American democracy purports to represent.

The second example is from the Turkish Gladio, or Ergenekon terror organization. So far, no one knows exactly how many plots, assassinations and killings this amorphous organization and its clandestine members have carried out. No one can reckon the valuable time and opportunities Turkey has lost in its economic and democratic modernization as a result of Ergenekon's false flag terrorism, chaos and discord, not to mention the deaths of 17,000 people in southeastern Turkey. All these events were plotted within exclusivist salons and secret society organizations. Now the Turkish people have learned about them and would like to hold accountable all those who took part. Although the culprits are attempting to conceal themselves and escape prosecution and legal sanctions with various political, “medical” and judicial schemes, the people are now equipped with enough information to pursue the case, and Ergenekon cannot cover the sun with mud.

Information and knowledge empower ordinary people and constituencies. Knowledge brings about accountability and liability. Shared knowledge consolidates the public's wisdom and status. When it is not shared, knowledge may serve ulterior motives. Whoever assumes that things could be concealed from the public is self-deluded. Sooner or later the truth prevails over falsehood, “for falsehood is by its nature bound to perish.”