Democracy and Governance

Big Eagle has written about democracy on this blog many times, many of those articles were posted in the early days of this blog. Upon reading Mr. Fareed Zakaria’s recent article entitled “ The Limits of Democracy” (Newsweek Magazine, January 29, 2007), I feel I am totally agree with Mr. Zakaria’s many views on this subject and I like to share with the readers on some important thoughts about democracy.

I had argued that it is impossible to import democracy from one country to another country as President George W. Bush mentioned again and again. His administration talks constantly about its “freedom agenda”. However, most people in the world know that 2006 was a bad year for liberty. Regimes across the world are closing down nongovernmental organizations, newspapers, and groups that advocate for human rights. Mr. Zakaria attributes this retreat of freedom and human rights to “global antipathy to the U.S. President.“ Bush’s arrogance has turned people off the idea of democracy”, said Larry Diamond, co-editor of the Journal of Democracy. He also pointed out several countries where elections have been followed by governmental paralysis, corruption, and ethnic warfare. I am sorry to say that Taiwan seems to follow the same track.

Mr. Zakaria correctly pointed out the basic problem confronting the developing world today is not absence of democracy but an absence of governance. This is the cancer that is eating away the lives of people across the globe, putting countries into chaos.

So the question is back to the establishment of democracy. Without education, sound economy, and a competent government that respects human rights and has the knowledge of governance, democracy is fragile and we can also say that the imported election can only results in causing nation’s politics and economy fall apart and the state is dismantled, its social order over turned.