MS and democracy

MS focuses on democracy - the world’s poor shall be empowered.

MS concentrates its efforts to ensure that poor people have the chance to create a dignified life for themselves - a life without poverty, but with respect for all people. We focus our efforts on the promotion and assurance of democracy, a means by which poor people can make their influence felt - both locally and internationally. The development of a popular democracy requires the opportunity for popular participation and for the people to make a united effort – not only every fourth year during election time! The effort should be made on a daily basis, whenever common decisions have to be made about important issues such as; education, employment, health and the use of public funds.

MS supports poor people who make the effort to influence their own lives and the environments that affect them, not only locally but at a national and global level where decisions are made concerning such subjects as; trade, aid, mediation and the fight against corruption. MS supports the common effort and the pioneering collaboration that really makes a difference:

• When poor people get together and form local associations to ensure that their interests are taken seriously.
• When groups of associations merge to form coalitions, who campaign for the formulation of a common agenda and the precipitation of dialog with the powers that be.
• When popular organisations, regardless of national borders, through effective networking, pool their experiences and focus on international structures and the balances of power, which create and perpetuate the state of poverty.

It is the opinion of MS that democracy can not be dictated by external influences. Democracy is founded upon the participation of the people, for these reasons MS always enlists local people in their development projects. MS sees democracy not just as the self-government of one group of people, but also as co-operation between people, regardless of international borders - an association for international co-operation.

MS works with a number of coherent approaches to the development of democracy; partnerships, the use of development workers, and exchange programmes.

The establishment and maintenance of the democratic rights of poor people requires, not only an effort in the local community but also in regard to parliamentary elections and in relation to international organisations. The scope of our work is local as well as global. MS works together with other organisations who fight poverty and injustice, and who have a democratic and political goal that extends beyond the limits of their own organisations. Our efforts are trans-global, we work in partnerships which span the world in order to give people the opportunity to ensure global justice.

A common factor in all MS projects is our support of the poor in their own struggle to strengthen democracy. We believe that the best way to do this is through the development of popular organisations. We have a long and difficult task ahead of us, but this project is essential if poor people are to remain the focal point of development work, and if the accessibility to power and influence is not to remain the right of the few. We strive towards a world, where the vision of a life with dignity becomes reality - because people working together to make a better life, have faith in the concept that democracy is also within the reach of the poor.