Understanding the essence of democracy

“ONE heartbeat away from the presidency and not a single vote case in my name. Democracy is so overrated.” – Francis Underwood, House of Cards.

I have been thinking about this quote taken from the American television series revolving around a cunning, manipulative and semi-sociopathic American politician, Francis Underwood, who plotted his way to the zenith of the United States’ administration. The show paints him as a conniving and ruthless politician, but I can’t help admiring his sheer determination to reach the top of his game.

It makes me wonder if all politicians are the same – and assuming that those who reach the apex exhibit roughly the same characteristics, perhaps democracy indeed is overrated.

There’s a general perception that in order for a country to develop its economy, it should adopt democratic principles. To a certain extent, this might be true. However, I recall reading an article on voxeu.org several years ago which argues that, for developing countries, the most important first step is to liberalise its economic policies. According to the writer, rule of law, private property and enforcement of justice are important antecedents to a democratic society. But in the long run, it does not necessarily mean that a country must adopt a democratic political structure to maintain its trajectory.

In essence, what democracy means is the majority wins. What most citizens may not realise is that what the majority votes for may not necessarily be good for society or country. The majority can be easily influenced by perception and sentiment, particularly if they come from uneducated backgrounds and have limited access to facts and information.

In addition, elected representatives are also subject to decisions and political pressure from their more senior and well-positioned party members.

A good example of how democracy may at times be overhyped is in our own backyard. The euphoria over the change of government after the May 9 general election was probably on par with the jubilation felt at the end of World War Two. Yet, 10 months down the road, we see hints of political infighting, lack of policy direction, and a growing number of disgruntled Malaysians. But let us not forget – if a Japanese living in Malaysia tells us to give the ruling party a chance, then we ourselves must firmly believe in the choice we have made, “Sharing Japanese experience” ( The Star, May 25, 2018).

In an interview with BBC’s Hard Talk in October last year, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad argued that not all countries are able to adopt and embrace the democratic system. He said that “in some cases, democracy ended up in anarchy”. This is undoubtedly true, as there are certain conditions which must be fulfilled prior to adopting a democratic political system.

Dr Mahathir further stated that “the great civilisations of the past did not have democracies, and yet they become great”, implying that political structure is not as important as having competent and visionary leaders.

Ultimately, democracy is nothing more than a platform to enable citizens to exercise their rights. What is more important is that we, as citizens, ensure we keep ourselves informed, cultivate progressive values and commit ourselves to playing our role. We must also not be easily swayed by sentiments and fall into the herd behaviour trap. At the end of the day, a well-functioning democratic society is not built by politicians but by the people of the country.