The United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken has praised the Maldives for its efforts to strengthen its democracy. He made the remark in his keynote address on Advancing Technology for Democracy at the Summit for Democracy 2023.
In his remarks, Secretary Blinken spoke on the use of technology to make democracies healthier, prosperous, and inclusive, as it builds on democracy’s core strengths of openness, transparency, adaptability, and the faith that citizens can make the system work better to deliver results. He gave examples of how governments are using technology to shore up the foundations of democracy and strengthen institutions in ways that deliver results for citizens. As such, Secretary Blnken highlighted that the Maldives introduced video technology that allows individuals to participate virtually in court hearings, freeing up time for judges, and reducing costs for citizens. He also noted that Estonian citizens can go online to do everything from registering a new business to paying their taxes to request refills of medical prescriptions all within minutes. He added that participation in elections shot up 25% after Malaysia adopted legislation lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 and that the government was able to automatically register people online who were newly eligible to vote.
In conclusion, Secretary Blinken said no system of government is better equipped to drive the forces that they represent in improving people’s lives than democracy, despite the challenges that disruptive technologies present. He also said that success depends on using technology to improve people’s lives in tangible ways, establishing rights-respecting rules for emerging technologies, investing in innovation, and countering the use of digital tools of authoritarian governments to abuse people and weaken democracies.