Democracy Corrupts?
Please don’t get me wrong, I enjoy living in a free country.
- Where I can freely embrace and promote my Christian faith
- Where I can blog all I want without fear of being jailed or censured
- Where I can surf websites of my choice
- Where I can freely choose where to live, where to work
- Where I can freely express my sentiments to groups and individual
- Where I can freely choose what to read, listen, watch and even what to eat
- Where I can disagree with the Government
- Where I can freely choose a leader
- And a lot more
But sometimes, democracy sucks!
I don’t understand the arrogance of a small and noisy, but perhaps an “elite” group who would impose their political choice to the majority, who are sometimes “poor” or less influential.
In our part of the world, since the fall of dictatorship on 1986, the Philippines embraced liberal democracy and introduced “people power” to the world. I was still a student then, and I proudly took part of the history. I was one of the warm bodies who participated in the peaceful assembly to bring about change in Government, the event was also known as “EDSA 1″ in the Philippines and “people power” to the world. Fortunately the leader that time, President Ferdinand Marcos, strong and dictatorial (according to martial law victims), was wise enough to let history judge him. He avoided blood shed and left the seat of power. The peaceful change of government thru people power was embraced by the world and also led to peaceful changes of government in other nations. But to a few, it also resulted to violence and bloodshed. The success of the 1986 people power, with the remnants of the principal players of EDSA 1, this approach was again used and succeeded to remove another seating President, Joseph Estrada , on 2001. But the crowd on this version of people power, also known as EDSA 2 is relatively smaller compared to EDSA 1. Smaller but powerful and influential in society. Likewise, this people power was equally criticized for ignoring the choice of the majority as reflected in the elections. Legal and constitutional issues were also raised. The same approach was again used but failed to remove President Gloria Arroyo. This is also known as EDSA 3. This one though is ugly, violent and bloody. This led me to think that on this instance; when a dissatisfied group who happen to be influential, and based where the seat of government is located, will create noise and other disturbance to force a seating leader to step down, disregarding due process and respect to the result of the elections and/or the voice of the silent majority, democracy sucks! Looks like this is what’s happening in Thailand. In my opinion, when people are killed or hurt for a dissenting political view, this is mob rule and not democracy. What do you think?
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9 Responses to “Democracy Corrupts?”
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Sonnie says, “But sometimes, democracy sucks!”
thefool says: It sucks ALL THE TIME, BIG TIME! DEMO-cracy is mankind’s second greatest sin after the biblical Original Sin!
Oh! there’s still plenty of money to prop it. So, democrazy is going to be around for a long time yet.
thefoolonthehill’s last blog post..Cliches, Exclamations and Expletives
on the otherhand, some believed the worst of democracy is far better than the best of dictatorial regime.
“on the otherhand, some believed the worst of democracy is far better than the best of dictatorial regime.”
No two persons will ever come to a settled conclusion on what it takes to form a fair and just governance of the masses.
My take is that the worst of democracy is still better than the best of dictatorial regime. My rationale for saying so follows.
Democracy (even at its worst) gives man false hopes. Is there a hope for a better tomorrow when in fact tomorrow is sealed save for a miracle? Festering hope is likened to having a gangrene wound.
Dictatorship on the other hand negates hope (the kind of hope that was just mentioned above). The future stark as it may seem is already a forgone conclusion. It does not support hopeful aspirations. One learns to live within the norms.
Dictatorial regimes is likened to having an amputated limb.
To cite a real case for example:
Indonesians today, despite all that the rest of the World has come to know about ex-President Suharto’s dictatorial regime, they now clamour for a return to such a rule.
Why? Democracy has done nothing to alleviate the misfortunes for the vastly impoverished populace. Fact is, it has turned even worse. The Indonesians know too well its a folly to hope for anything better with their sham democratic form of government.
Indonesians reminisce that they never had to suffer for want of the basic necessities in life during Suharto’s rule.
Their staple food was within their economic means and energy was never an issue.
Prices for basic needs were not inflationary during Suharto’s rule.
I do a small amount of humanitarian work in Indonesia and I fully understand what the Indonesians mean when they yearn for a return to Suharto-type of governance.
How dictatorial regimes are made out to be by the hugely democratically controlled media is another debatable issue.
thefoolonthehill’s last blog post..Cliches, Exclamations and Expletives
Pardon me, correction needed to my above comment.
My take is that the worst of democracy is still NOT better than the best of dictatorial regime. My rationale for saying so follows.
thefoolonthehill’s last blog post..South East Asian Democracy
Democracy does NOT suck. It’s anarchy which does. There’s a difference between anarchy and democracy. Democracy means basic freedoms that are regulated by civil law. Think in terms of History and tell me guys if something like Czarist Russia is the alternative you want.
bugsey’s last blog post..FSM appears as lightning in Malibu
Anarchy is not a Social Science nor does it belong to Political Science. It is not a form of governance.
Or am I to assume that you consider anything that is not Democracy as being Anarchy?
Now that you have introduced anarchy into the discussion, there is more anarchy in democratically governed nations than other forms of non-democratic governments. So how does democracy fair vis-a-vis Democracy and Anarchy?
I think in his opening statement, Sonnie has already oped about his concerns about basic freedom and whatever regulation by Civil Law means today.
Russia without the Czarist rule has not fared any better by social improvement or comparable standards of living.
thefoolonthehill’s last blog post..This is what HOPE means
pardon me but methinks that the biblical adage which says “when a righteous leader rules the land, there is peace”. i believe, it is the quality of a leader. dictatorship is good when the dictator is benevolent and is guided by righteous, people-centered principles. democracy is good if the people are capable of choosing good leaders who, themselves, will continue to be good. i believe marcos was good at the start of his rule, but was corrupted along the way.
just my half-cent thought.
I like it. This discussion enters a new phase as it journeys.
Woe to mankind when religious tenets and/or axioms are brought into man-agement. On the secular issues, mankind hardly meets the “standards” midway so that leaves wonderment if and when religious teachings are pointed to.
I do agree about “benevolent dictators” but may I add IF they stay on course because
Again, I differ about Democracy for the simple reason that the people are being hoodwinked, befuddled and manipulated when it comes to making their choice. And that isn’t what Democracy truly means.
Good comment from you though, bluelabel but I shall refrain from saying anything about Marcos whom Democracy once idolised and then scorned.
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Before monarchy was introduced in Israel (old testament), the practice was “theocracy”
on another note, though am no fan of Marcos, my childhood days was on the 70′s and I have fond memories of the city then
1. Peso to Dollar rate is 6-7 to 1
2. Disciplined commuters
3. Clean city