We owe our peace to oversight institutions

A government that enjoys public confidence, however, can go about its mandate without distractive focus on authority. Obedience flows freely from respect earned and bestowed by the citizenry. Deference to powers becomes an exception to the general rule.

Critical to law and order and to long term peace and stability, is the protection of oversight institutions. So long as the public have credible electoral and dispute resolution institutions, a state would not, normally, have to resort to coercive powers or may have to do so only in exceptional circumstances. Citizens abide by the law, not because they fear punishment but because it is in their interest to do so and further, because of the existence of credible avenues of redress which offer effective vindication of their rights through peaceful means.