2nd Insight Series 2010

Democracy in a brave new world

A summary of the event:

I attended the seminar entitled “Democracy in a brave new world” some time ago. It was a seminar about democracy in our world and how different political parties campaign for support to govern a country. Mr Baey, the MP for Tanjong Pagar gave his speech first, followed by Dr Cherian George. Both talked about their views and perspectives about politics and democracy in governing a country. Mr Baey stated that a government should be fair to all citizens and treat everyone equally. Minorities should also be represented in parliament so as for them to have a say in a country. A government should also promote racial harmony in a country so as to avoid social segregation but instead forge unity between peoples of different races. Dr George stated that politics is not as simple as it seems, but rather the government has to do a lot to govern a people well. One of these ways would be to have a revolution. Another would be justice and democracy. The event was interesting and it finally came to a close when the guests of -honors left.

My personal views and reflections:

I feel that democracy is very important in today’s modern and fast-changing world. In order for a nation to progress, change must take place. And in order for change to take place, there must be democracy. In a capitalist and materialistic world today, we constantly seek to improve and progress forward. In order for a country to progress, new people must have new ideas on how to lead it. Democracy is something rather new to the 21^st century. In the past, there were monarchies and dictators who wielded absolute power in a country. Although they were not entirely bad, an autocratic ruler would not let as country progress like a democracy would. For new initiatives to be passed, the ruler must first accept it. This means that the country would only improve if the ruler puts plans into actions. Everyone relies on a single person or a small group of people to make decisions for the country. In contrary, democracy offers an equal chance for all to suggest their ideas to improve a country. The country would not only be ruled by a single person or a royal family, but by a parliament of people elected by the common people. This therefore gives a chance for the common citizens to express their views by supporting a political party. If a particular party is ineffective, it would most probably be out-voted in the next elections and therefore change in a country will occur. In conclusion, democracy is important for change to take place.

I felt that it was a meaningful experience for me to attend the seminar. I have indeed gained a lot more knowledge about politics and the idea of democracy from this experience. This seminar has also broadened by views on politics and the importance of democracy in order for a country to progress. Overall, I feel that it was indeed an eye-opening experience.