BEING A DEMOCRACY OR AUTHORITARIAN SETUP DOESN'T SAY MUCH

… for there are different types of democracy and authoritarian regimes

Sometimes, whether a person or a country is regarded or categorized as having democracy or being democratic matters. On December 9&10, 2021, the United States virtually hosted The Summit for Democracy "to renew democracy at home and confront autocracies abroad" having three themes, i.e. defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and advancing respect for human rights. How or what it matters can be imagined from the scenarios if the current Ukrainian crisis or the Taiwan Strait dispute is not amicably resolved.

It is hard or difficult for a person having a philosophic nature to often exhibit authoritarian and corruptive behaviors and do not respect human rights much. One might be thus motivated to studywhat or how democracy or democratic means or is practiced.

For the purpose of discussions in this article, Merriam-Webster has a definition for "Democratic", 'relating to the idea that all people should be treated equally.' While this definition may be wonderful, although it is not easy to accurately define what "equal" means, it is not without defect. For example, if a voter is right in some policy or opinion, the policy or opinion can never be realized if he belongs to the minority. In another example, if a person does not belong to any pressure or interest group before the Congress, his benefits may never be taken care of. Nonetheless, let's assume this world will be like heaven if every country on earth is democratic for further discussion.

For simplicity, we only take the first definition for democracy in Merriam-Webster:

1a: government by the people, especially: rule of the majority

b: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

In order to equip ourselves with more sense about democracy, let us consult Wikipedia to know that "Democracy is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choose governing officials to do so ("representative democracy"). Who is considered part of "the people" and how authority is shared among or delegated by the people has changed over time and at different rates in different countries, but over time, more and more of a democratic country's inhabitants have generally been included. Cornerstones of democracy include freedom of assembly, association and speech, inclusiveness and equality, citizenship, consent of the governed, voting rights, freedom from unwarranted governmental deprivation of the right to life and liberty, and minority rights."

Suppose we have had enough knowledge about democracy with which let's connect the world historical reality with the following types:

1. Type I Democracy: The government is formed by the people at the time when the country at issue is not so advanced that officials have noble character to chase the benefits of all people;

2. Type II Democracy: After categorized as a democratic country having plural parties, the plural parties gentlemanly cooperate to pursue the interests of the country, which may not be identical to benefits of all people in the country;

3. Type III Democracy: Because the officials come from the election or are appointed by elected people, they are normally influenced by the pressure or interest groups which means that what they think or act is somehow biased for the groups;

4. Type IV Democracy: After the officials sense that they can have power only when they win the election, they think and act normally based on how they can win future votes rather than how the country or the people will become better;

5. Type V Democracy: After the officials fear or hate losing power, they try hard to eradicate the possibility that the opposite party will win the future election; and

6. Type VI Democracy: Congressmen of the opposite party try their best to tumble the ruling party.

In contrast therewith, the dictionary definesAuthoritarian as "of, relating to, or favoring a concentration of power in a leader or an elite not constitutionally responsible to the people." Let's briefly categorize it (or autocracy) as follows:

1. Type I Authoritarian: The leader purely pursues the national benefits;

2. Type II Authoritarian: Upon pursuing the national interests, the leader partially chases benefits of his party;

3. Type III Authoritarian: The leader majorly pursues the interests of his party;

4. Type IV Authoritarian: The leader majorly chases benefits of his family or his own.

It may not be so difficult to categorize a country as having one or the other type of democracy or authoritarian rule. For example, Taiwan under the current ruling party should be in Type V democracy. It should be easy to find out which type will benefit the country the most or explain away why and how a country is prosperous or fading away because it is in a specific type. The ensuing questions will be: Can the people choose in which type of country they should be? Why is a country in the current type? Is it possible to change the country between types? How can people choose among types? Is a good type sustainable? How can nationals push their country into a specific type? Is it possible under the current reality that a country can be put into an ideal type?

You should not be proud as soon as you get to know that your country has been classified as democratic because there are many types of democracies. While you should be congratulated if you live in a country of Type I Democracy or Authoritarian, their problems are that noble character is normally no criteria to survive for a successful politician nowadays while power inheritance may not be successful from a national viewpoint.

If you are brave and subtle enough, you may be plagued that a country of democracy may not be democratic and a democratic country may not necessarily be a better place for leading a life than that in an authoritarian one.

Disclaimer – The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author and are purely informative in nature.