February 20, 2010
By Richard Lu
Dear Singaporeans,
I have been reading the comments in the Temasek Review and here are
some of my thoughts on democracy.
Democracy exists in several shades and hues – from liberal to
sinister to diabolical. Ask Robert Mugabe or Kim
Jong-il. Democracy is characterized by:
· “majority
rule”;
· rule of law;
and
· separation of
powers.
Within the 3 characteristics we find:
a. Freedom of expression
b. Social and political
tolerance
c. Civil society and
d. Accountability and
transparency
An essential process in liberal or representative democracies is
competitive elections that are fair both substantively and
procedurally. Freedom of political expression, freedom of speech
and freedom of the press are essential so that citizens are
informed and able to vote in their personal interests.
Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy or constitutional democracy is the dominant form
of democracy in the 21st century. The term “liberal” in “liberal
democracy” refers to adherence to the ideology of political
liberalism. Liberal democracies feature constitutional
protections of individual rights from government power.
There is general agreement that the states of the European Union,
Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, the United
States, Canada, India, Israel, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, and
New Zealand are liberal democracies.
Structure
According to the principles of liberal democracy, the elections
should be free and fair, and the political process should be
competitive. Political pluralism is usually defined as the presence
of multiple and distinct political parties.
The liberal democratic constitution defines the democratic
character of the state. The purpose of a constitution is often seen
as a limit on the authority of the government. The European
and American political traditions emphasize the separation of
powers, an independent judiciary, and a system of checks and
balances between branches of government.
Many European democracies emphasize the importance of the state
that follows the principle of rule of law. Governmental authority
is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written, publicly
disclosed laws adopted and enforced in accordance with established
procedure.
Political stability
One argument for democracy is that it is a system where the
majority can remove administrations, without changing the legal
basis or the constitution. Democracy reduces political uncertainty
and instability. It assures citizens that they will be given
a regular chance to change the government, or policies they
disagree. This is preferable to a system of violent political
changes.
Some think that political stability is excessive or undesirable
when a group remains in power the same for too long.
In the past, it was feared that democracy could be easily exploited
by leaders with dictatorial aspirations. However, the actual number
of liberal democracies that have elected dictators into power is
low.
Loyal Opposition
The notion of a “loyal opposition” exists in various
Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdoms it is termed
formally as Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and informally as the
Official Opposition, with the head of the largest opposition party
– that which holds the second largest number of seats – typically
designated as the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.
Some other advantages of democratic government structure
1. The freedoms and rights of the
citizens in liberal democracies are usually seen as
beneficial.2. Democracies are more
often associated with a higher average self-reported happiness in a
nation.3. Democracy correlates with a
higher score on the human development index and a lower score on
the human poverty index.4. Democracy,
parliamentary systems, political stability, and freedom of the
press are all associated with lower
corruption.5. A democratic system may
provide better information for policy decisions.
Democracy in Singapore
Mr. Daniel Adelman, US Ambassador-designate to Singapore has
admitted that Singapore is not a democracy and replied that the
United States must engage Singapore on these issues:
“My view is the United States must engage Singapore on these
issues. You identified the area where, quite candidly, Singapore
needs the most improvement if it were to live up to the ambitions
Americans have for democracy. Make no mistake, currently Singapore
is not a multi-party democracy, and I intend, if confirmed, to use
public diplomacy to work towards greater press freedoms, greater
freedom of assembly and ultimately, more political space for
opposition parties in Singapore to strengthen Singapore into a
multi-party democracy.”
The Economist Democracy Index ranks Singapore as 82nd in the
world in terms of democratic development, below neighbors such as
Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Reporters Without Borders ranks Singapore 133rd out of 175 for
press freedoms.
Quoting one founding father, Lee Kuan Yew:
“But we either believe in democracy or we not. If we do, then, we
must say categorically, without qualification, that no restraint
from the any democratic processes, other than by the ordinary law
of the land, should be allowed… If you believe in democracy, you
must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe that men should
be free, then, they should have the right of free association, of
free speech, of free publication. Then, no law should permit those
democratic processes to be set at nought, and no excuse, whether of
security, should allow a government to be deterred from doing what
it knows to be right, and what it must know to be right… “-
Legislative Assembly Debates, April 27, 1955
Conclusion
In conclusion, Singaporeans understand the necessity to democratize
Singapore; the advantages of an open society – freedom of
expression, social and political tolerance, civil society and rule
of law, separation of powers, loyal opposition and finally
happiness. Can we make it happen?
Yours sincerely,
Richard Lu
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/02/20/advantages-of-a-democratic-and-open-society/
