Assumptions that Western-style democracy is superior to all other systems fail to realise that its cost and complexity may not suit countries where action, not words, are paramount.
The famous Winston Churchill quote on democracy is: “The worst form of government – except for all the others.” But with elections looming in many parts of the world – Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Iran as well as the US – it may be time to reflect a little on the price of democracy.
Elections cost a lot, are lengthy and results often fall short of the optimum. In America, the democratic system has been engineered to the point where the spectacle of choosing the party candidate is as elaborate as the presidential election itself. Yet for all that, the American system is rightly criticised as one in which money counts more than ideas, campaigns focus on character assassination rather than issues and presidents can rule with the support of less than half of the voters. Imagine if a company ran itself the way governments do – with the CEO spending his time campaigning rather than managing – and it is easy to discover why democratic government often delivers less than it promises.
A lesser known commentator than Mr Churchill, the 19th-century American author Ambrose Bierce, summed the situation up thus: “Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.”
Possible improvements
How can the American political system be improved? Supporters of replacing private funding with public money point out that the cost would be no more than that of the Iraq war. Shortening the campaign season and giving candidates free but restricted television air time are other ways of making the process cheaper and fairer.
Labouring under a costly and inefficient electoral system is, however, not such a serious matter when it is happening in the world’s richest country. The big problem comes when that system is exported to less advanced countries: the Philippines is a case in point.
An elaborate presidential system that includes a Senate, a House of Representatives and all the legislative difficulties that this complexity entails does not produce good results in a country that needs expediency as much as dialogue. A less grandiose parliamentary system might work better in terms of creating laws without getting needlessly bogged down in political argument. Policy makers face the same dilemma in introducing democracy in Iraq: finding an appropriate model.
In 2004, when politicians stand up and advocate Western-style democracy for all, they should be asked to explain how they intend to improve their own systems before uncritically recommending them for others.
