Democracy: How it inflicts retarding Forces on economic growth

Kanthar Balanathan Australia

DipEE(UK), Grad.Cert.(Rel. Eng-Monash) DipBusAdm(Finance-Massey), C.Eng., MIEE

Retired Director & Specialist Engineer Power & Control Systems

 

 

Democracy has become a retarding economic force in the 21^st century mostly in the third, developing world and in some of the developed countries. It’s purely because of the knowledge droopiness in the minds of the politicians and the citizens. What is democracy?

Excerpt from the writer’s book: Ref: Sri Lanka Sovereignty Democracy, & Terrorism by Kanthar Balanathan 2015

The US department of state’s definition of “Principles of Democracy” is Majority Rule, Minority Rights. US INFO Publications outlines the following as elements of the Principles of Democracy:  

 

1.      Majority Rule, Minority Rights   

2.      Civil–Military Relations   

3.      Political Parties   

4.      Citizen Responsibilities   

5.      A Free Press   

6.      Federalism   

7.      Rule of Law   

8.      Human Rights   

9.      Executive Power   

10.   Legislative Power   

11.   An Independent Judiciary   

12.   Constitutionalism  

13.   Freedom of Speech   

14.   Government Accountability   

15.   Free and Fair elections   

16.   Freedom of Religion   

17.   The rights of Women and Girls   

18.   Governing by Coalitions and Compromise   

19.   The role of non-governmental Organizations   

20.   Education and Democracy  

              

Principles of Democracy 

Dr. Jerry Dean Epps in his Democracy, Teachers Manual outlines 18 key principles of democracy. These 18 principles are outlined below.   Ref: http://www.teachdemocracy.org/pdf/Teachers_Manual_Democracy_Book.pdf  

Principle 1. Life is better in a liberty-valuing constitutional democracy. “People like to live in a democracy”   

 

Principle 2. All people are equal.  “All people are equal”   

  

Principle 3. Every person is important.  “Every person is important”   

 

Principle 4. If you don’t hurt others, you can live as you please.  “If you don’t hurt others, you can do what you want”   

 

Principle 5. Decisions are made by vote.  “We decide things by vote”   

 

Principle 6. All adults get one vote.  “One vote for EACH person” 

Principle 7. The majority vote rules.  “The majority rules.”   

  

Principle 8. Even those who do not like a law passed by a majority have to obey it. “EVERYONE has to obey laws passed by majority vote.”   

 

Principle 9. All people get to vote for the lawmakers and managers in the elections. “Lawmakers and managers are ELECTED by ALL of the people.”    

 

Principle 10. Lawmakers and managers are supposed to represent the people, not themselves. “Good lawmakers and managers care about the people. They want to hear from the people.”   

 

Principle 11. There are some basic rights guaranteed to every person. No majority vote can ever take away these rights from the people, even if the majority is very large and the minority is very small.  “Basic rights cannot be taken away.”   

 

Principle 12. Religions cannot say what is law—only the people can say what the law is.  

 

Principle 13. The right to choose the religion one wants to practice is guaranteed by the Supreme Law of the land. Lawmakers cannot tell 

people what religion to practice. “No one can tell you what religion to practice.”   

 

Principle 14. The military is under the direction of elected lawmakers and managers. “The people are in charge, not the military.”   

 

Principle 15. No person or group can make laws unless the people elect lawmakers. “Lawmakers serve at the pleasure of the people.”   

 

Principle 16. Private groups can have special practices if they are not against the Supreme Law of the land or the new laws. “Private groups can have special practices if they are not against the law.”    

 

Principle 17. Managers are elected to make decisions and run the operations of the country. They must do it by the Supreme Law of the land and any new laws made after the Supreme Law was made. Judges make sure managers go by the laws. “Judges make sure managers go by the laws.”   

 

Principle 18. Various political parties express differing political points of view. People support the party of their choice. “People play an active role in the party they like best.”   

 

What happens in Sri Lanka? The vote has become a commercial commodity. Politicians buy votes which refract the principles of democracy. The root cause of this lapse is the absence of knowledge and competency in both parties: i.e., politicians and voters.

Politicians’ assumption is that Power is everything. How do they get their funds for disposal to voters? This is where bribery and corruption infiltrate into the administration and governance.

The writer gives a reference for perusal: Ref:  Could the answer be: Power, Greed, Avidity, Wealth, Sex Drive, Eroticism, and Lust OR Paranoid Mind?  

Most of the Sri Lankan politicians have no background competent education and they have no lateral thinking but live in a narrow space like that of the frog in a well.

The writer’s understanding is that democracy in a preponderance illiterate country drives politicians and people to bribery and corruption. Why and how? Need money to win the election, via bribery and corruption. A typical example is the “Rajapaksa family”.

Secondly, an example is Mervin de Silva who is a labourer, who was apparently cleaning toilets and cooking for the Bandaranaike’s became a minister in the Mahinda Rajapaksa cabinet. This was an illustration of the foolish mind of the Sri Lankan majority and a shared cause of economic downfall.

Quote Ref: What is the literacy rate of Sri Lanka in 2022?

Literacy of population: According to our estimates 15,085,783 persons or 92.64% of the adult population (aged 15 years and above) in Sri Lanka can read and write.

 

Over the age of 15 people can read and write does not mean the literacy rate is achieved to practice democracy.

What is more required? ---Perception, Knowledge, Belief, Intelligence, Competency, Reality, and simulation.

The understanding of 50.1% to 49.9% of “Belief” contradicts reality, since “Democracy” embraces several dimensional elements of human life in a free country. 

To know a political party’s popularity among the people if a government wants to hold Local Government elections is a waste based on the country’s economic position.

Further Federalism can be allowed if the country can afford to maintain its income and expenditure.

The economic position of SL is very poor and cannot expect to waste money on a multitude of governing and administering structures, like Federalism, Provincial Councils etc. Why is that? Knowing the bribery and corruption level in the world state, Sri Lanka shall not dig itself to drive down to be under fancy structures and go bankrupt. A well-known reader wrote in Tribune in 2011 that ten provincial councils may drive the country to bankruptcy.

Hence the theory and implementation of the PCs shall be put on hold or deferred for the moment.

As of now the Provincial Council election or major discussion on the PCs is a waste. This is based on the economic drowsiness of Sri Lanka. What is required is to improve the economic status and find ways and means to improve the FOREX inflow.

Even, the Local Govt. elections should be put on hold if the Councils are functioning well to date effectively and efficiently. Some politicians are eager to determine their popularity level at the expense of the people's suffering.

The priority shall be to make the economic state of the country stable.

The total population in SL is 23,044,123 as per July 2022 census.

Sinhalese is 84.9%, SL Tamils 11.2 %, Moors 9.2%, Indian Tamils 4.2%, Others 0.5%

 

From the 84.9% of the Sinhalese, do we know

·       how many mothers are giving poison to their children to die? This because of the absence of money to feed them.

·       How many mothers have left the country (legally & illegally) to work in various jobs, for example, domestic work, prostitution, slavery etc?

·       How many children (girls) have engaged in prostitution locally to earn an income? It’s collateral.

·       How many children and women are starving and having maybe half a meal only per day?

·       How many people are looking for work?

·       Has the govt. got any knowledge of people and young ones’ weight.

·       Transport network has failed the people.

From the perspective of justice: Do we think that 84.9% of the Sinhala community should be neglected and ignored while giving priority to others for Provincial Councils and Local Government governance? We should not bring the “Rule of Law” into this as the Rule of Law is designed and referred to Justice only.

Tamils, if they have brains and knowledge should be magnanimous to defer the discussion and maybe even the local govt. elections, based on the non-availability of funds to pay salaries and inflation. Why not, even the GOSL should be cleaver to plan on this. They shall consult the advisory council.

Visit the site to see the Demography profile: https://www.indexmundi.com/sri_lanka/demographics_profile.html

The railway is under difficulty, Bus transport – is under difficulty, and Fuel and imports are stopped/restricted due to FOREX. However, GOSL cannot decide to maintain the 11.2 % of Tamils happy and contended through their pinchpenny selfishness. The economy should improve for everyone to be happy to discuss about elections, PCs, and local government elections.

Let the CB improve on the inflation rate(reduce), reduce the interest rate, and FOREX. First, everyone shall understand what inflation means. What is “Supply and Demand”?

How the imports and exports are managed. Improve on exports.

People shall train themselves on: Creativity, Innovation, motivation, flexibility, reliability, expertise, Asset Performance & Operations, Auditing Techniques, Investigation, Communication, Teamwork, Budgetary Control, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Methodical in their work, Initiative, Leadership, Decisive, Analytical skills, Eagerness to learn, self-discipline, and knowledge in the strategic initiative framework.

This is not the time to have elections, discuss PCs, Federalism, etc when SL has no money to pay salaries.

People shall not turn out to be megalomaniacs. Specially Tamils and the Rajapaksas.

God save Sri Lanka