Blog by Jack Tannock, media volunteer at Scottish Refugee Council
The referendum in three days will be a historic day for Scotland and the people of this great nation. We will have a chance to control our destiny and whatever Scotland chooses (Aye or Naw) nobody can say that we didn’t come together to exercise our democratic right.
Freedom of choice is a right that we both hold dear and yet also paradoxically take for granted in this country. It is a right that many have fought and even died for.
However, just a few days before our referendum is another important day that oft goes unnoticed in these parts. Today it is UN International Day of Democracy – a day to be celebrated the world over as a reminder of both the inspiring power of democracy and of the fact that so many people across the globe are denied its benefits.
A drought of democracy
In fact, a lack of democracy is often one of the reasons why people have come here from far and wide to claim asylum. Fleeing one’s homeland is always going to be a life-changing decision, and not one to be taken lightly. In fact, it is often the hardest choice a person will have to make in their life, and the fact that people still feel the need to leave is testament to how terrible the situation in their homeland has become.
We have had people coming here to seek asylum for many years and whatever the specific reasons that bring them here, the issue of democracy is never far away. Let us remember that many Jewish refugees came to our shores to escape from persecution by the Third Reich. Many defectors from the Communist Eastern Bloc made their way here as well and were also given a warm welcome.
Our tradition of welcoming those who need and deserve our help and support has been maintained to this day and long may it continue.
Reasons for fleeing
In our globalised world, people come from far and wide to seek asylum, but many have to do so because they have spoken out against dictatorships in their homeland and now fear for their lives.
Countries like China and Zimbabwe have a long and inglorious history of oppressing those who stand up for democracy and in many cases this has led to the deaths of pro-democracy campaigners. In Eritrea people are regularly tortured for their political beliefs in what is essentially a one-party state. There are many egregious instances in other countries.
This is why the UN instigated its Day of Democracy; to remember those who are not fortunate enough to live in free, democratic societies. But it is also a day to celebrate the achievements of democracy and the voice that it gives us.
Choice and voice
Not many places in the world in 2014 should be more acutely aware of the importance of taking part in the democratic process than Scotland, given the historic choice we have to make this week. Of course, we at Scottish Refugee Council believe that refugees and asylum seekers should have a voice in our referendum debate, given that it affects their lives just as much as it does those of us who were born here.
So please remember on 15 and on 18 September to hold democracy dear in your heart – for whatever we choose, we are lucky just to have the choice in the first place.
