Politics of Secrecy

"We need fewer secrets," says Jimmy Carter. In his Washington Post column of July 3, 2006 he says, in part,

“Increasingly, developed and developing nations are recognizing that a free flow of information is fundamental for democracy. Whether it's government or private companies that provide public services, access to their records increases accountability and allows citizens to participate more fully in public life. It is a critical tool in fighting corruption, and people can use it to improve their own lives in the areas of health care, education, housing and other public services. Perhaps most important, access to information advances citizens' trust in their government, allowing people to understand policy decisions and monitor their implementation.”

It’s pretty clear from polls and public commentary that we do not trust any part of our government. There are hints of corruption, and little pieces of it that get “cleaned up” but we don’t really know how deep it goes.

There are tidbits about how those captured in the “war on terror” are treated, but we don’t really know because our government tells us the “national security” demands that we keep secret the details. Secrecy, they tell us, protects us from evildoers.

Secrecy also protects power.

“..access to information advances citizens' trust in their government.” We know that the a certain bill passed in congress, what we don’t know is why it passed. Was it in behalf of the public interest? Was it because moneyed interests paid to have it passed? Was it passed as a result of some secret “dealing” that occurred in the halls of government?

The Carter Center works in developing nations to establish access to information for those nation’s citizens. Formerly totalitarian nations such as South Africa are opening up their governments to inspection by their citizenry. These nations, where citizens are becoming better informed, are finding that their citizens become more participative in government and enjoy a greater degree of freedom of society.

The United States, on the other hand, has a government that is becoming more and more secretive. The claim is that this is being done in the name of national security, it is being done to keep us safe.

But it is also eroding our trust in our government. It is creating a cynical citizenry that, believing that its vote will not count, does not vote. It weakens democracy, and in so doing it makes us less safe.