Why we are failing in our governance?
Firstly, we never fully understood what democracy is all about save for the casting of votes during election. Even in the exercise of our suffrage we are failing too. We see election as an opportunity to make money. This is a tell tale sign of our failure.
Secondly, aside from the conduct of free and fair elections, democratic governance is about the "Rule of Law", protection of human rights of all citizens and active participation of people in politics as well as in civic life [1].
Look around and how unfair the law is applied, goons and criminals freely roaming around; and the law enforcers having second thought apprehending them because the former are allegedly cuddled by our politicos. Look at how justice often favors the moneyed and the powerful.
Look at how politicos and bureaucrats steal from government coffers while flaunting their ill-gotten wealth through cars, vacation trips, mansions and estates and similar displays. As public service suffers, they get wealthier and powerful. While they enrich themselves, children die of preventable diseases, children growing up ignorant and unemployable, parents with no access to employment, families squalor in poverty.... Where is the protection of human rights of all citizens?
Thirdly, where are the people in political and civic life? Engagement in civic life is not for professional "civil society"; just as political engagement is not for professional policy makers. If we leave the shaping of public policy and governance to these professionals, we have just by our own doing, shut out ourselves from public life. There is a common misconception that the only way to participate is to run for election and become a politico; such is the outcome of long neglect on the importance of citizenship and civic education.
Fourthly, how well do we hold our leaders accountable to public trust? Are they not our public SERVANTS? When we are afraid of our public servants, we have only our collective selves to blame. We elected them in the first place!
Fifthly, if we can't work together to clean our neighborhood, how well do you think we can run a huge regional government?
Finally, while our political structure is based on democratic principles; our insight about governance is traditional, parochial and autocratic.
Source:[1] What is democracy - http://www.stanford.edu/~ldiamond/iraq/WhaIsDemocracy012004.htm
