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THELOGICDICTATES
DEMOCRACYvs.FEDERALISMPublished:October24,2016
Democracyandfederalismaretwotypesofgovernancewhereintheleadersofthegovernmenthavedifferentpowersandfunctions.Thesearetwodifferentformsofgovernment,differentstructures,differentwayofgoverningthepeople.Whatarethedifferencesbetweenthesetwoformsofgovernment?Whatarethedisadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthesetwoformsofgovernment?Whichisbetter?Whichismorebeneficialandmoreopentothepeople?Whichisthebestinupliftingthelivesofthepeopleespeciallythosewhoareunknowntothesociety,tothosewhoareburdenofthecountry?Whichofthesetwogivesmoreopportunitytopeople,opportunitytogetthelivesbetter,opportunitytohavejpbs,towork,opportunitytoparticipateinthegovernment,andopportunitytorisefromthedarkangfithinesswayofliving?Therearelotsofquestionsthatneedsananswer.Questionsthatmayhelptomakeoursocietya
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betterplaceforliving.Thesewillalsohelpthepeopletodecidewhichisbetteroptionforthegovernmenttotakeinto.Whichiswhich?
Democracy.Democracyhasnodefinitemeaning,itisabroadtermandsometimesthedefinitionsareambigious.Itisconfusing.Butwejaveherethedifferentmeaningoftheword.
OneofthefamousdefinitionthatIalwaysheardfrompeople,itisforthepeople,bythepeople,andofthepeople.Thesethreemainphrasesusuallyconstituestheword"democracy."Accordingtothatdefinition,"forthepeople"meansthatdemocracyisintendedforthepeopletobenefitsthem,itisnotintendedtomakethegovernmentofficialswealthyandricherandricherbutthemainpurposeofdemocracyistoupliftthelivesofthepeople.Itisintendedtobenefitsthepeoplenotthecentralgovernmentnorthegovernmentofficials.Thenextphraseis"bythepeople",itmeansthatdemocracyisauthoredbythepeoplenotthegovernment,thegovernmentshouldruninawaythatthepeoplewantittobe.Itshouldnotrunforitsownself,thepeopleshouldbetheonewhowilldecidewhatshouldbetheway.Thegovernmentofficialsshouldnotdecidebytheirownfreewillbutthewillofthepeopleshpuldbeheardandbefollowed.Thenthelastphrase"ofthepeople"meansthatdemocracyisofthewillofthepeoplenotintheofficialsinthepositionbutthewillofthepeopleshouldstandout.Italsomeansthatdemocracyisinfavortothepeoplegovernednottheleadersintheposition.
Accordingtomyresearchandfindingsoftheoriginoftheword,whenwelookdowntotheoriginoftheword"democracy",itcamefromthecapitalcityofGreecewhichiscalledAthens.DemocracycomesfromtheGreekwords"demos"whichmeanspeopleand"kratia"meansrule.TheAthenianscoinedthewordwhichrefersto"self-ruleandapricetheychosetopaytoprotecttheirfreedomaswellasanexpressionofthatfreedominitself."
Lookingdowntothehistoryandoriginoftheword"democracy"andwhytheAtheniansusedthatword,accordingtoGrolierEncyclopediaofKnowledge,itsays,thefirstdemocraticformsofgovernmentdevelopedwasinGreekcitystatesduringthe6thcenturyBC.InAthens,allcitizensparticipatedfullyingovernment;minors,women,slaves,andforeigners,however,perhaps90percentofthepopulationwerenotcitizens.
Today,mostofthestateshavecalledthemselvesdemocratic.Manysuchgovernments,however,ruleinthenameofthepeoplewithoutallowingpopularparticipation.
Itseemsthatthetruemeaningofdemocracyhaslongbeenforgottenbythepeople,ormadeunknownuntothem.Democracywasneverbeenfeltforthepastcentury.Itturnsout,itseemstobeawayforcommunistpeopletohidetheirownidentities.
Therefore,onemeaningoftheword"democracy"isthegivendefinitionabove,itisforthepeople,bythepeople,andofthepeople.Itisthetrueessenceoftheworddemocracy,thetruenatureofdemocracy.
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Now,thesecondone,somesaysitreferstofreedom.Freedomalsoliesinademocraticgovernment.Thestateofbeingfreeisthemainfeatureofdemocracy.Thisisthethingthatmadeunknowntopeople.Itistheforntpageofdemocracythatiswhypeoplearemoreattractivetoitbecauseofthefreedomthatthegovernmentaregivingtothem,butlittledidthepeopleknowthatthisfreedomhasalsoitsownlimitations.
Iffreedomisthemostprominentthingthatdemocracyoffers,thentherewillbenotyrannyatallhappeninginthosecountrieswhichclaimedtobedemocratic.
Accordingtothequotationbelow,
"Nooneisfreewhenothersareoppressed."-Anonymous
Rememberthatdemocracyisthestateofbeingfree,butwhatthepeopledidn'tknowwhatkindoffreedomisthatdemocracywastellingthemabout?Andwhatdoestheword"freedom"reallymeans?
AccordingtoMeriam-Webster'sLearner'sDictionary,itisdefinedas,
free·dom\̍frɭ-dəm\noun1:thequalityorstateofbeingfree:asa:theabsenceofnecessity,coercion,orconstraintinchoiceoractionb:liberationfromslaveryorrestraintorfromthepowerofanother:independencec:thequalityorstateofbeingexemptorreleasedusuallyfromsomethingonerous<freedomfromcare>d:ease,facility<spokethelanguagewithfreedom>e:thequalityofbeingfrank,open,oroutspoken<answeredwithfreedom>f:improperfamiliarityg:boldnessofconceptionorexecutionh:unrestricteduse<gavehimthefreedomoftheirhome>2a:apoliticalrightb:franchise,privilege
Synonyms:autonomy,independence,independency,liberty,self-determination,self-governance,self-government,sovereignty
Ifyouwouldstudythetruemeaningoftheword,ititsverylogicalsense,freedomtrulyreferstodemocracy.Accordingtoitssynonymouswords,thewordsself-governance,self-government,andsovereigntydirectlyreferstodemocracyandfreedom.ThesewordsagreedwiththeoriginaldefinitioncamefromtheAthenians.
Butaccordingtothepreviousquotation,
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"Nooneisfreewhenothersareoppressed."-Anonymous
Isdemocracyreallyfeltinmostcountrieswhichconsideredthemselvesasdemocratic?
Thetrueessenceofdemocracyisnopeopleareoppressed.Everyonehastherighttoenjoytheirfreedom---freefromoppressors.
Isthisreallyobserveinmostcountrieswhichcalledthemselvesdemocratic?
Thinkaboutit,however,thisalsoprovesthatdemocracyisthestateofbeingfree.
Theironyisthattheyclaimtobedemocraticbutmadelawsagainsttheirfreedom.
"Menfightforfreedom,thentheybegintoaccumulatelawstotakeitawayfromthemselves."-Anonymous
Thequotationiscorrectandevidentamongthesedemocraticcountries.Thisonlymeansthatbeingdemocraticisreallyaconfusing.Whenwereallyunderstandtheword,itseemslikeitisnotevidentinanycountryintheworld.Democracywasnotbeenfelteveninthepastcenturies,wedonotreallyexperiencedrealdemocracyinthecountryinthepastcenturies.Weonlyexperiencedalittleofit,justapartofit.Whatcnyousayaboutit?
Theveryinterestingthinginstudyingthisisthat,mostofthecountriesclaimedtobedemocraticandonlyelevennationsexerciseafederalismtypeofgovernment.Whydidthese11nationschosetobeafederalistratherthanademocraticone?Thisquestiontriggersourmind.Whyisitthatthereareonlymoreorless11countrieschosetobeafederalistratherthanademocraticoutof190countriesallinall?TheseareGermany,Mexico,Brazil,Argentina,Canada,Australia,India,theUnitedStates,Austria,Malaysia,andSwitzerland.Theydonothavethesamefederalsystem.Mostnationsintheworldtodayhaveunitarysystems,whereinalmostallpowerresidesinthecentralgovernment.
Now,whatisfederalismformofgovernment?
Federalismisaformofgovernmentwhichhasasystemofsharedpowerbetweentwoormoregovernmentswithauthorityoverthesamepeopleandgeographicalarea.Thereisadivisionofpowersbetweenthenationalgovernmentandtheregionalgovernments.
Afederalgovernmentdividesthecountryintofederalstates.Thesefederalstateshavethepowertoactindependentlyonpoliciesofregionalconcern.Thisincludestaxation,issuanceoflicenses,healthandeducationalprograms,economicdevelopmentplans,infrastructureprograms,etc.Theycanimplementprogramsthatwillsurelybenefit
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them.Eachstatehasitsownimplementingrulesandregulations.Theycandecideontheirown.Whilethenationalgovernment,foritspart,remainsresponsibleforsuchmattersasnationaldefenseandforeignpolicy,amongothercountry-wideconcerns.
TheverybestexampleofafederalgovernmentistheUnitedStates.FederalismhasexistedeversincetheAmericangovernmenthadjustbeganandworkedforover200yearsintheirsociety.Thereisacontinuousdevelopmentintheircountrythroughthisfederalismformofgovernance.
TheUnitedStatesiscomposedof50states.Eachstateissubdividedintocounties(provincesforthePhilippines)andeachcountyisalsosubdividedintocities.Eachcountyhasitsownpowerthesameasthecentralornationalgovernment.Theycanimplementlawsandprogramsthatisbestsuitableintheirregionorstate.EachstatehasitsowncongressandsupremecourtandinthenationalcongresstherewerethreesenatorsthatwillserveasrepresentativesforeachstateandithasalsoitsownSupremeCourtthatissuperiortoallsupremecourtsofthe50statesofAmerica.Evenifeachstatehasitsownlawsandpolicies,hasitsowncongressandsupremecourt,but,duringconflictsituations,thenationalgovernment,thenationalcongressandthenationalsupremecourtaresuperiorfromallofthestates.
Observetheeconomicdevelopmentofthecountrieswhichhasafederalistformofgovernment,especiallytheUnitedStates,itgrowandstillgrowsasthedaypassed.ThatiswhyUnitedStatesisoneoftherichestcountryintheworld.
Observethestateintermsoftheireconomytheothertencountrieswhichpracticefederalism.TheseareGermany,Mexico,Brazil,Argentina,Canada,Australia,India,theUnitedStates,Austria,Malaysia,andSwitzerland.Theyaremorerichercountriescomparedtodemocraticcountries.
But,thereisnoperfectformofgovernmentinthisworld,ineveryformofgovernment,evenhowgooditis,thereisstillaroomforimprovementbecausethereisalwaysaloopholeineveryformofgovernment.
Since,thereisnoperfecttypeofgovernment,atleastweshouldchoosethebestformofgovernmentwhichwillsuitinthecountry.
Comparingthetwoformsofgovernment,federalismanddemocracy,whichisabetterformofgovernment?Basedfromthwgivendefinitions,whichisbetterandwillsuitinthecountry?
Whatisyourbet?
WaitforournextblogtoknowmoreaboutfederalismandwhetherfederalismbestsuittothePhilippinesornot.
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References:
MerriamWebster'sDictionary
LivioEnglishDictionary
Grolier'sEncyclopediaofKnowledge
http://www.philstar.com/opinion/288961/democracy-and-federalism
http://classroom.synonym.com/definition-federalism-democracy-9289.html
https://www.ait.org.tw/infousa/zhtw/DOCS/Demopaper/dmpaper4.html
http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2016/08/04/1609913/federalism-and-democracy