Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

When I think of democracy I think of a system of government with four key elements: a political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; the active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; human rights of all citizens; and a rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally and fairly to all citizens in the common good.

I welcome this opportunity to speak on this the United Nations International Day to mark democracy. I have here a book published in 1992, written by my late uncle Tom Keating, entitled Presidents of Ireland. In his opening remarks Tom Keating states: "The Presidents of this country are guardians of the law and enactments [and are] guided by a Council of State comprising of members serving all in a true and just manner".

Our democracy in Ireland was hard fought for. I was reminded of this during the summer break when we were bombarded with television pictures of the strife and struggle in Libya, in Syria and in Egypt where we saw young people fighting to have the freedom to express their views and to participate in the civil, cultural and public life of their respective countries. I was also reminded of one of the greatest democrats of all time, Nelson Mandela, a man who spent 27 years in prison because he was principled about democracy, about having the vote for every citizen,

Shortly, this country will have an opportunity to express its view again on who we want as our President. I do not intend to enter into party politics but I appeal to all our citizens, each and every one of them, to exercise their right to vote on 27 October for the person whom they believe should be President of this State or for the person whom they believe should represent them in protecting the Constitution in representing each and every citizen, singly or as a community.

I am proud and privileged as a citizen of this country to be a Member of Dáil Éireann, having been sent here by the people of Dublin Mid-West, to stand in this House and to freely express the views both of my party, of the individuals with whom I have had discussions and in what I believe myself. This is possible because of the democracy we have, even with all its limitations and virtues.

The greatest and most serious threat to our democracy is not the bomb or the bullet - not even the external or internal pressures of economic mismanagement we have witnessed in the past - as we have seen by the previous Administration- but the growing cynicism and apathy that can be found daily in our society. We often hear remarks such as, "Sure there all the same" or "why should I bother?". I say to this House and to all those who are listening that we are not all the same and we should bother. We in this Chamber do bother and we have a duty to protect our democracy by the way we treat this responsible work. When Deputy Enda Kenny was returned as Taoiseach with a massive endorsement, that was democracy at work and I know and believe he will honour that endorsement.

This Republic has been blessed to have had eight Presidents, eight heads of State, who were representatives of our democracy. In the US in the 1950s and 1960s there was a highly segregated society with blatant discrimination based on colour of skin. Two world leaders came to the fore in those days with a non-violent approach to achieving civil rights. They were Mahatma Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King. Their non-violent resistance to the segregated society that existed then - there are still elements of it existing today in the US - were successful because they had a principle which was enunciated as follows: "In struggling for human dignity the oppressed people of the world must not allow themselves to become bitter or indulge in hate campaigns". I call on those who indulge in this behaviour to get involved, to exercise their entitlement, have their say and demand that their opinion be heard.

The principles of democracy, on which my party is founded, are a template for going forward. They include the principle of equality for every citizen; hope that we will recover from our difficulties; integrity in every public office and action; scrutiny, especially for those who are at risk; and reward for those economic patriots who work for the betterment of our society. Each of us has rights and responsibilities. In this country we are blessed to have, in our democracy, what many countries do not have. People should be allowed to question the decisions of government, but not reject the government's authority providing it is a government elected by the people. Democracy demands that we protect the weak, the vulnerable, those most at risk and the marginalised. On this International Democracy day I pose the question that if we do not have democracy, what do we have?

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