Democracy is a source of concern and an ongoing struggle in
undeveloped nations like the Philippines. Democracy is already a great notion
for many people. It is, however, severe in developing countries. The foundation
of democracy is that any excellent ideology, no matter how little or great, has
a flaw that affects its people. It allows people's voices to be acknowledged
and citizens to participate in the governance of their nation, a possibility of
either electing a competent or incompetent individual to power, which could
inevitably lead to the destruction of a nation and its people, or not.
Democracy is fundamentally about a government of, by, and
for the people. The Philippines, for example, is a fundamentally democratic
country as well as an underdeveloped country. Some underdeveloped nations'
citizens are illiterate. These individuals tend to operate and believe what
others in positions of authority want them to think without acquiring previous
information or empirical facts. In a recent study by World Bank in July 2022,
nine out of ten Filipino children aged 10 struggle to read simple texts, hence,
considered the Philippines is one of the countries with the highest rate of
"learning poverty" in East Asia and the Pacific region and among the
lower-middle-income economies. The Filipino people, specifically the uneducated
sector and those who lack rational thinking would highly consider politicians
filled with flowery words and those with political campaign trails that possess
a blend of bygone political dynasties, celebrity personalities, and an
ever-present song and dance to provide plenty of entertainment and thus give
them an advantage over those who lack the rational thinking to vote wisely.
This results in politicians who are incompetent, unaware of the necessary work,
and a continuous patronage politics that cover the shortcomings of politicians.
The Greek philosopher Socrates (469–399 B.C.) compared
society to a ship to illustrate the flaws of democracy. He posed the following
question: If we were to set sail, who would you want in command of the ship?
Would you prefer a random individual or someone who has been well-schooled in
seafaring skills? Socrates conveyed that he views voting as a skill, not
something that can be accomplished only via intuition. According to him, not
everyone is entitled to vote. People must not depend on or presume that others
can do so, particularly in underdeveloped nations.
Defining the principles of democracy, it is never about
making the best choices; rather, it is about expressing the will of the
majority. It indicates that if people were to choose between two politicians,
where the first does not have the necessary traits and depends on their flowery
words and rhetoric banner of unity, reconciliation, and nostalgia in harnessing
public resentment against history, which would result in poverty, whilst the
other political candidate who possess the skills, knowledge, and capable of
leading the people and result in economic progress. We do not have the ability
to overturn the choice if the majority votes for the politician who lacks the
capacity to steer a country through, even though the latter is the best
alternative, according to democratic norms. Since that is the majority's
desire.
Consequently, this is unsettling, given the frequency of
misinformation and disinformation in underdeveloped nations (take the
Philippines as an example) owing to low literacy rates. Given that it is
commonly recognized that literacy and poverty are tightly related. Given that
multiple people are constantly misled, it is conceivable that they would
operate and act based on hearsay rather than actual facts. Therefore, the
Philippines has experienced decades of revisionism. That is why many people in
the Philippines function on fabricated history, and it is pretty risky to
empower those who have been misled to make crucial policy choices for the
nation. Thus, in my opinion, democracy is an unsuitable political paradigm.
Additionally, in a study by the London-based think tank The Economist Intelligence
Unit (EIU), the Philippines ranked 52nd out of 167 countries in the Democracy
Index 2022 and is still classified as a "flawed democracy."
That is not to say that democracy is fundamentally flawed.
Democracy has made a huge contribution to the country's and people's
development. That is also what brought down the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos
Sr. and gave retribution and atonement to the Filipino people in 1986. It
allows the voice of the masses to be heard, it advances people's equality, and
it also alleviates exploitation problems. Certain research indicates that
democracy drives economic growth more than other types of administration.
Additionally, it helps people identify a higher level of patriotism. While the
concept of democracy is flawed, it does provide certain benefits for the
people.
People will almost always be harmed by the majority's
judgments if they are deceived. This is why we must act promptly to avoid
relying solely on revisionism, false nostalgia, and becoming blinded by our own
erroneous views. We must start paying attention to the major issues that must
be addressed before it is too late. Individuals who have been deceived by
disinformation must be educated and enlightened in order to avoid damaging the
rest of the population and the nation. With the current societal concerns
involving the previous and current administration, the
Philippines is now regarded as undergoing democratic
backsliding, paving the way for the potential risks that may result. Democracy
may bring us the people the power, but only if we secure our people from the
dangers of false beliefs. Democracy is a living notion, but its flaws induce it
to wither and succumb, taking us with it. As such, democracy must be upheld.
References:
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../wb-ph-learning-poverty...
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/.../PH-Global-democracy...
No comments:
Post a Comment