The people at street level in all countries deserve to choose their national leaders by voting in free and fair elections. Many nations, especially in Asia and Africa, fall far short of the ideal. This fact reflects widespread injustice, not shortcomings in democracy or unfavorable circumstances.

In China, the ruling Communist Party likes to proclaim that without one-party dictatorship its populous country would disintegrate into chaos. But what’s the evidence? Normally, the Chinese leadership’s statements, including endless rants about Taiwan, have little to do with truth.

Some jurisdictions, like Hong Kong and Singapore, play farcical games by pretending to stage democratic elections, ones that are rigged. Others, like Thailand and the Philippines, taint the democratic process with widespread vote-buying, fraudulent ballot-counting and other corruptions. Such failures emerge from hypocrisy and greed, not from democracy.

No population’s so fragmented and hateful that only dictators or absolute monarchs can keep the peace. Virtuous dictators or monarchs may exist, but they’re rare and usually succeeded by ruthless, lesser mortals.

Democracy decides the contentious issues by ballots, not bullets. Only this approach can strengthen peaceful co-existence. Collective decisions by millions of voters automatically hold a legitimacy that those by powerful individuals lack. Even if democracy goes wrong, as when the United Sates twice sends a buffoon to the White House, a chance to do better always awaits in the next election.

Who’d like to stand on a street-corner in any country and yell to pedestrians that they’re incompetent, unworthy of democracy? That’d be insulting, incorrect and inviting fisticuffs.

Editor’s Note: This editorial appears in rebuttal to “Does Democracy Fit?” published on November 16.

ARCHIVES