Stifling Opposition Voices is a Recipe for Disaster

Sometimes it might sound like a recipe for stability; no protests ,no riots and no big debates in parliament and also in grassroot levels, yet beneath the reality the absence of opposition often reveals a fragile system ,one that risks stagnation ,dictatorship and disconnection from the people it claims to serve.  

On a morning in the silent capital of a country, the sun rises over the capital. Streets are orderly, banners of the ruling party hang, and the national anthem echoes from loudspeakers. Citizens walk briskly to work, heads down, voices hushed.

There are no campaign posters, no rallies, but inside every seat belongs to the same party; every vote is anonymous; every law passes without question. This type of system shows the real illusion of harmony ,the ruling authority enjoys uninterrupted control where laws are passed swiftly ,policies are implemented without resistance and leaders project an image of unity.

Citizens may even feel a sense of order where there are no noisy campaigns ,no bitter rivalries ,no uncertainty about who governs tomorrow. But the reality is harmony without opposition is often an illusion ,without checks and balances ,power consolidates in the hands of a few ,decisions are made behind closed doors and citizens lose the ability to influence their future. The absence of opposition does not mean the absence of disagreement. It only means disagreement is suppressed. 

The reality has a human cost, imagine being a citizen in a country where there is no opposition, you may disagree with a new tax, a restrictive law or foreign policy decision. Where do you go? Who represents your voice? Because media is censored and journalists risk imprisonment for criticism and keeping those in power accountable, forcing even radio stations to play only government approved content, television stations only invite government officials to debate and interviewers are restricted from asking questions that may criticize some things the government is not doing correctly. 

The dailies and magazines are forced to only write about the good sides of the government and even threatened not to talk ill or write on contrary to the government. If they keep the ruling class accountable, they risk revocation of the license and being banned from operating. 

There is this one time a 22-year-old student told me behind closed doors, “I want to start a podcast, I want to talk about unemployment, corruption, climate change” but he told me that his uncle warned him and told him “Don’t be clever. Be quiet.” So that’s why Brian records music and love songs. Nothing political because of the fear instilled by those in power, the fear of being arrested and jailed without trial since there is no opposition. 

In such a country, even resistance exists, for example a poet writes verses that hint at injustice ,a teacher assigns banned books in secret to students and maybe a farmer refuses to join the ruling party's cooperative. These acts are small but powerful. They remind us that opposition is not just a political but it is also personal, cultural and spiritual in some ways.

These practical examples are real evidence that shows how people are feeling in countries where there is no opposition. But also, without opposition a country achieves success, for example roads are paved and smooth, schools are built and hospitals are fully equipped with medicine and beds and doctors don’t go on strike. 

Foreign investors praise the country's stability but also the cost is high, corruption is rampant, public funds vanish without scrutiny, citizens fear speaking out due to fear of abduction and innovation is stifled. Even in countries without in opposition resistance whispers in that you find a teacher slips a forbidden book to student, a journalist writes anonymously online, a citizen dares to question in private. These whispers remind us that opposition is not a luxury, but it is a necessity. 

There is this one time I talked to a guy called Ayub asking him why he changed his writing style in terms of topics in his newspaper but Ayub told me, “I used to write columns. I wrote about potholes , about hospitals, but one day, I wrote about a minister who misused funds. The next morning ,my newspaper was shut down and told I am free to write but only praise. Now I write travel brochures. I describe mountains and rivers but inside I miss writing the truth". This made me Imagine of a country where a citizen is never free to express his/her opinion ,write on contrary to the government. This question still lingers in my mind every day. This has made me reflect on so many issues and also have to ask different people their opinions including students in Universities.

There was a time I interacted with a foreign student who visited our country and became a little curious because I saw him a little bit surprised with how things are run in our country. I asked him how were things operating in his county in terms of opposition. But Job told me, “I want to be a lawyer, but the law is not about justice. It is about obedience. We study cases where the government always win. There is no defense, no appeal. Sometimes I dream of arguing in court, standing against the State, proving them wrong, but that dream is dangerous, My professor told me in that country, lawyers defend the government, not the people,”.

This testimony from Job made me put myself in that situation and reflect even how teachers some times feel during lectures when students become courageous enough to ask tough questions that may challenge the professors and teachers in such countries. 

A country without opposition seems orderly, peaceful, united but the silence hides fear. Stability masks fragility and unity conceals repression. Opposition is not chaos, it is balance.