Democracy Has a Future, Liberals Argue

In a geo-political region which “seems to have curved steeply towards authoritarianism”, does democracy have a future?

“(O)f the eleven countries that constitute Southeast Asia, majority can be classified as enduring authoritarian regimes, while the rest may be described as democracies”, observed Butch Abad, former budget secretary of the Philippines. “Put together, the political diagnosis for the region is of democratic fragility–a pre-existing political malaise that a pandemic may aggravate.”

Former Prime Minister of Thailand, Abhisit Vejjajiva, agreed with Abad on the negative implications of the health crisis for liberal democracy; while also recognizing that democratic recession has already been happening even before the onslaught of the pandemic. However, he argued that Liberals and Democrats could still take actions to reverse the trend. He specifically recommended the following:

• Ensure that as restrictions are eased, there is balance. People should not have this impression that liberalism or democracy means inefficiency or inability to deal with the pandemic, and to deny whatever power or authority that governments may need; 
• Foster multilateral cooperation to guarantee that not all the countries slip into protectionism and nationalism;
• Make sure that liberal and democratic governments respond to the economic and social needs that follow from this pandemic; and
• Clarify what kind of rules should apply, as far as technology is concerned, in handling data and in dealing with fake news.