Democracy is a wonderful word and concept yet it's so often misused, misunderstood, and abused. I remembered a couple of times ago that I wrote a controversial post on the Philippines needing more democracy and not more discipline. I decided to update the post with newer content though I can't deny how the comments section became a warzone. I had to delete some comments, I stopped receiving Anonymous comments from "brave" netizens who have a high ego because of how the topic can be so controversial.
Let's do a review of what in the world is a democracy? Democracy's most basic definition is a rule of the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, and for the PEOPLE. The majority may win but it doesn't mean they have the right to bully the minority. Democracy itself is set by rules and regulations to maintain its health. A democracy without rules or constraints should already be considered anarchy. Anarchy is well-defined as a state of disorder due to the absence of authority. If you think that democracy means having a dysfunctional sense of freedom - you're not a democrat but an anarchist! It's because democracy is using the rule of law for the people, by the people, and for the people. That includes setting rules to protect democracy from spiraling out of control or prevent authority figures from doing as they please.
I recently read an article from Get Real Philippines that says some people think the Philippines has become "less democratic" under President Duterte. That article alone inspired me to write this one. I wonder what do the Yellowtards or the critics say has made the Philippines now "less democratic". Hmmm that just reminds me of a joke article I wrote that says Philippine democracy died last September 21, 2017. I chuckled and choked while writing that idiotic article to make fun of the wrong concept of democracy. Is it me or has the Philippines has a long history of people who think democracy equals anarchy? It's no wonder why some Filipinos have long considered progressive East Asian democracies as "dictatorships". One of them is Singapore is considered a tyranny even when it's still a democracy. Some people may think that the Philippines has become "less democratic" because President Duterte had added certain guidelines for peace and order. Again, when will it get into their heads that democracy and anarchy are not the same thing?
I was thinking about the number of times I actually got mad at democracy. It was because people around me tend to use democracy as an excuse for not following rules. I crossed the street wrongly and paid the fine. However, the next thing I knew was that somebody fought with the traffic aide because she thought democracy means no rules. Others also think that I'm just a Hitler wannabe because I insist on discipline. I didn't realize I was barking at the wrong tree because some strict countries I admire are still democracies. Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia are democratic countries. They implement strict discipline but they are within reason because they are democracies. Discipline is not the anti-thesis but the partner of democracy. Democracy minus discipline equals anarchy. That's what Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso understood well as he became the new mayor of Manila City. Hopefully, Mayor Domagoso will accept the need for constitutional reform to make his vision go farther. Democracy itself should never be a problem but the KIND of democracy that runs ANY country. U.S. isn't a chaotic country because of democracy but because of a lack of discipline.
Why did Filipinos for a long time have their lack of discipline after the Marcos era ended? It's because they simply went from one extreme to another. The Marcos years are marked with repression and a lack of freedom. The end of it didn't seek to balance freedom and discipline. They claimed that democracy was restored by the Aquinos. Unfortunately, the kind of democracy that kicked in after the Marcos years ended brought in a different theme. You can consider how martial law gets demonized in schools - never mind that even the Cory Constitution still allows it on CERTAIN circumstances. You have schools that talk about how curfews are bad in general rather than curfews gone wrong. You have schools that hardly discipline the students and wait only until they do something really bad before discipline is implemented. If you can't even discipline your citizens over non-criminal offenses (ex. letting people pay a reasonable fine for certain offenses) then how can you expect them not to break the law at a bigger level?
Why Singaporeans tend to have less crime rate is not just because of free markets. A free market without discipline (anarcho-capitalism) and constraint may soon let the black market compete legally. Singapore has a strict crackdown on crime which starts with implementing reasonable punishments for not following rules. The Philippines can learn from that example by upholding democracy while still being strict with discipline. Strict discipline helped in transforming Singaporeans from unruly, undisciplined people into better people. Why is traffic in Singapore so good? It's not just the limit of buying cars but also because people get reasonably fined every time they break the rules. They may be a democracy but they believe in rules. Get rid of rules and society spirals into chaos. Do you remember Pleasure Island from the story of Pinocchio? That place without rules is such a nightmare in reality. How most Singaporeans view democracy also contributes to their progress aside from their free markets and parliamentary system.
I believe the Philippines can do it. I believe Filipinos themselves can evolve beyond the negative stereotypes. Right now, #SeaGames2019 shows that Filipinos can evolve. However, what I want to focus on right now is to get Filipinos to stop thinking negatively about discipline. Instead, they should view discipline and democracy as partners in progress together with free markets and changing from presidential to parliamentary.
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