MODERN
DEMOCRACY
The concept of democracy can be attributed to the ancient
Greeks between 500 to 400 B.C. The term came from the
Greek words demos, which means "the people" and kratein,
which means"to rule." Thus, democracyliterally means "rule
by the people." It is important to note that originally,
democracy was not perceived to be the "best" form of
government. The Greek philosopher, Plato, argued that
democracy - having popularity as its criterion - has the
tendency to result in tyranny while his student, Aristotle,
claimed that democracy is one of the three acceptable
degenerate forms of government. It was only during the
Enlightenment period that the perception on democracy
transformed to have a positive tone.
Elements Of
Modern
Democracy
Modern-day democracy, as practiced in
many countries all over the world, is
comprised of six fundamental elements,
namely, rule of law, separation of powers,
basic rights and freedoms, suffrage,
freedom of speech, and pluralism.
Rule Of Law
The rule of law is the heart of any
democratic government. The remaining
five fundamental elements of
democracy are derived from this core
element. The rule of law ensures that
the rights and freedoms of citizens are
protected and that "no one is above the
law." In this sense, all citizens stand as
equals in the eyes of the law.
Separation of Powers
Since the rule of law safeguards equality within the State, it
only follows that powers should be distributed within the
government and make provisions for checks and balances so
as to curb the tendency for democracy to regress into
dictatorship. In this light, the three separate powers of a
democratic government are the executive, the legislative, and
the judiciary,
› The executive power is responsible for the implementation
of laws.
› The legislative power is responsible for the creation of laws.
The judiciary is responsible for the interpretation of laws.
It is also worth mentioning that democratic governments can
be patterned after two different systems - presidential and
parliamentary - or a combination of both.
a. Presidential System
In a Presidential system, the citizens elect a President who
serves as the head of state and of government. The legislative
power is distinct from the executive power since the people
also elect members of the Legislature. The Legislature passes
bills that the President signs into law, approves the national
budget, and decides on national policies, among others.
Meanwhile, some of the functions of the Executive include
ensuring that laws and policies are enforced, acting as the
Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, and collaborating
with other heads of government for international peace and
stability. The Philippines is an example of a nation that
subscribes to the Presidential system.
b. Parliamentary System
In a Parliamentary system, the citizens elect the members of
the Parliament. The party that wins the majority seat in the
Parliament elects the Prime Minister from among themselves.
The Prime Minister serves as the head of government and is
distinct from the head of state. For instance, in England, the
Monarch serves as the head of state while the Prime Minister
is the head of the government. The head of state only has
ceremonial functions while the head of the government
presides over the Parliament in making important
administrative decisions.
c. Mixed System
Some nations employ a mixed system that draws the best
features of both the Presidential system and the Parliamentary
system. It may also be referred to as a Semi-Presidential
System. In a mixed system, the citizens elect a President that
does not only have ceremonial functions but shares executive
powers with the Prime Minister. For instance, the President is
responsible for the appointment of members of the Cabinet.
The Prime Minister, on the other hand, aside from his or her
executive functions, also works with the Cabinet. Both the
President and the Prime Minster are responsible for
legislature. Examples of nations that employ the mixed system
are France and Russia.
Basic rights and freedoms
Another implication of the rule of law is the acknowledgment
of the fact that citizens have basic rights and freedoms. These
rights can be broadly categorized into human rights, civil
rights, and political rights. Examples of human rights include
the right to life, the right to be secure in one's person, and the
right to live freely. Civil rights include the right to own
property and the right to enjoy the privileges accorded to a
citizen of a particular country. Political rights include the right
to run for elective office and the right to suffrage. Meanwhile,
some of the basic freedoms recognized by the rule of law are
freedoms of speech, worship, and association.
Suffrage
Derived from the civil and political rights of the citizens, as
recognized under the rule of law, is the right to suffrage. The
right to suffrage means that every citizen, within the
recognized legal age, has the right to participate in elections by
casting a vote. Since democracy is the rule of the people, it
implies that the people should be the ones to choose the
leaders of the State. This right expressly underscores the
equality of the citizens in the eyes of the law since every
citizen, regardless of sex, religion, political affiliation,
educational attainment, and socioeconomic status is entitled to
cast only a single vote.
Freedom of speech
As one of the freedoms acknowledged under the rule of law, freedom of speech ensures that the
citizens are able to voice out their agreement, disagreement, affirmations, criticisms, and
proposals to their government. Highlighting the notion of rule of the people in a democracy,
freedom of speech shows that it is still the people who decide what happens within the State and
how they want to be led. The government's function is to make sure that the decisions of the
people are enacted and implemented.
Concurrent to the freedom of speech is the freedom of the press. Information is crucial for the
citizens to formulate well-informed opinions and the mass media is the fastest and most effective
way to disseminate information. The press also serves as a means for those who are in
government to speedily communicate with the general public and vice-versa.
However, in the Philippines, one of the impediments to fully realizing these freedoms is the
existence of libel. Libel is a crime broadly characterized by maliciously publishing an article or
write-up that may be detrimental to a person's character or may cause dishonor. In more
progressive countries, libel is no longer recognized as a crime since it obstructs the freedom of
speech. Another difficulty is the alarming rate of media killings and abduction of press people in
the country.
Pluralism
Genuine democracy is characterized by pluralism. Since the
rule of law recognizes the basic rights and freedoms of
citizens, this entails that the people are entitled to diverse
beliefs and opinions, which may result in them becoming part
of different organizations with varying thrusts and advocacies.
Pluralism within the State may be indicated by the presence of
different religions, political groups, and associations. In the
government, the uninhibited presence of two camps -
administration and opposition - is indicative of pluralism.
TYPES OF
DEMOCRACY
Direct Democracy
Direct democracy is also referred to as pure democracy. In a direct
democracy, the citizens come together to decide on issues or pass laws
through a vote. This may be considered as the ideal democracy since every
person is able to participate in the voting process and it ensures that the
will of the people is really followed. The advantage, of a direct democracy
is that each citizen has a voice in making important decisions for the
community. On the other hand, the disadvantage is the difficulty to
implement this in societies with huge populations because of the amount
of time needed just to gather each citizen's vote and opinion on issues.
Direct democracy is currently practiced in the Cantons of Switzerland. In
the Philippines, the only trace of direct democracy can be found in the
provisions of the Constitution on "initiative and referendum."
Indirect Democracy
An indirect democracy •is also called representative democracy.
In an indirect democracy, such as in the Philippines, the people elect
leaders to act as their representatives in the government. During elections,
the citizens vote for members of the executive and the legislative branches
at the same time. The elected officials, who "represent" the will of the
citizens, are responsible for passing laws and implementing them.
The advantage of an indirect democracy is that it is relatively easier to decide
on issues, pass laws and carry out their implementation, as compared to a direct
democracy, especially when there are numerous policy areas to decide on,
apart from the size of the population. However, the disadvantage is that it is
very difficult for representatives to consider the will of every citizen, hence,
they must resort to intelligent guesses to decide what they think their
constituents need.
THE DIMENSIONS
OF DEMOCRACY
The People
As previously pointed out, democracy is etymologically
defined as "rule by the people," thus, the concept of "people" is
central in any discussion of democracy. The question before
us is, "Who are the people or what does the phrase the people
mean in the definition of democracy as rule by the people?"
Obviously, "the people" here does not refer to just a single
group of individuals making up an ethnolinguistic group, a
political party or a religious group, but to a collective group of
individuals with varying political and religious beliefs who
freely decided to live together in a particular geographical area
and mutually consented to form a democratic nation.
We may simply refer to this group of people as citizens of a
nation that are regarded as equals. However, not all citizens
have the same interests. And with respect to interests, there is
the majority and there is the minority. In a democracy where
issues are decided through a voting process, if the vote of the
majority puts the minority at a disadvantage, can this still be
called a rule by the people? Is the majority the people?
Hopefully this is not the case, otherwise, democracy will just
be a fancy term for mob-rule.
Equality
Another dimension of democracy equality. But are we really equal? Some people
are born healthier than others, while others are born with different kinds of
sickness. Some are born into wealthy families, while others are born into poor
ones. Some are born naturally smart or beautiful or athletic, while others have to
exert a lot of effort to develop themselves to be at par with those with natural
talents. If we are equal, then why do our laws try so hard to put up a system
where all of us may be treated as equals? Yes, we are equals in the eyes of the law
(moral equality), not necessarily because we are naturally equal in every respect,
but because we have to be placed in a status of equality so that we may be
governed fairly and receive the equal protection of the laws (legal equality). Thus,
equality is vital for democracy. However, what is equality? The principle of
equality in a democracy can be interpreted as the people of a democratic nation
having an equal right to rule and an equal right to vote (political equality).
This is expressly stated in Article V, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution, which states that "Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of
the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law..." Furthermore, equality
can also be understood as sovereignty being founded on the people. The
Preamble of our Constitution begins with the words, "We, the sovereign
Filipino people..." which means that all of us are giving the right, power and
authority to the State, through the Constitution, to govern us and our affairs
as a nation. It does not say, "We, the richest among the Filipinos.." or "We,
the members of the labor force." that is the source of the sovereign power of
the State. This is why during elections, which is supposedly the most
democratic exercise in a democracy, each citizen who is eligible to vote is
given only one vote as a sign that each of us has an equal right before the
law.
Common Good
Ensuring that the common good is always upheld is a very
important task of any democratic government. But, what does
common good mean in a democracy? Since sovereignty
belongs to the people, the government, then, is by the people
and for the people. Thus, elected officials are, in effect, servants
of the people. In this regard, every action done by these public
servants, in relation to their respective offices, should be done
for the welfare of the people and not for personal interests nor
only for the benefit of a particular majority, since, as pointed
out earlier, what be good for the many be bad for a few.
Representation
Representation is another key dimension in a democracy.
Whether in a direct democracy wherein citizens represent
themselves or in an indirect democracy wherein
representatives are elected, the concept of representation is at
work. Theoretically, representatives are the ones who are
authorized to take the appropriate and necessary actions within
the government that would be beneficial for the common good
of the people. Nonetheless, in today's practice, how does
representation work in a democracy?
On the one hand, aspiring representatives may present platforms during
campaigns while the voting public selects which platforms they want to be
implemented and who they want to implement them. Once elected, the
chosen representatives are expected to act on their platforms. On the
other hand, aspiring representatives can also opt to choose platforms that
will most likely help them be re-elected for another term since voters
have the tendency to exact payback from representatives who did not
serve them well by not voting for them when they run for re-election.
However, in both cases, representation is problematic since:
1) elected representatives have minds of their own; and
2) there is relatively little information for citizens to use in evaluating the
performance of their representatives.
Borcelle University
Thank
You
Presented by Juliana Silva
