There is a difficulty with democracy. A high proportion of the voters do not bother to vote, as they are struggling with their daily lives. It result in low voter turnout.
Some countries, like Singapore, make voting compulsory and impose penalty for citizens who failed to vote. But the disinterested voters may not vote wisely.
The lowly educated voters can be bribed by rich people to vote for their favored candidates.
In many countries, the democracy is "bought" by people with money. It is not a good system. It is corrupt.
What can be done to improve democracy?
I am in favor of a system where there is a test before a citizen has the right to vote. They must first be interested to vote. They register for that right.
They must pass a test to ensure that they understand their role as citizens. This test can be made quite easy.
We may end with, say, only 30% of the citizens are interested to vote. This will still be a significant number. The result of the voting can reflect the wisdom of the people.
Political parties can educate citizens and get them to register and pass the test. It is a good outcome.
If we have a smaller number of educated citizens, we can hold referendums on important issues. We should not leave these decisions to Parliament, as the MPs may be protecting vested interests. It is better to have these issues voted by the people, i.e. those who are interested.
Will this system disadvantage the poor and the lowly educated? Yes, it does to a small extent. But these groups are already disadvantaged under the current system anyway.
What do you think?
Some countries, like Singapore, make voting compulsory and impose penalty for citizens who failed to vote. But the disinterested voters may not vote wisely.
The lowly educated voters can be bribed by rich people to vote for their favored candidates.
In many countries, the democracy is "bought" by people with money. It is not a good system. It is corrupt.
What can be done to improve democracy?
I am in favor of a system where there is a test before a citizen has the right to vote. They must first be interested to vote. They register for that right.
They must pass a test to ensure that they understand their role as citizens. This test can be made quite easy.
We may end with, say, only 30% of the citizens are interested to vote. This will still be a significant number. The result of the voting can reflect the wisdom of the people.
Political parties can educate citizens and get them to register and pass the test. It is a good outcome.
If we have a smaller number of educated citizens, we can hold referendums on important issues. We should not leave these decisions to Parliament, as the MPs may be protecting vested interests. It is better to have these issues voted by the people, i.e. those who are interested.
Will this system disadvantage the poor and the lowly educated? Yes, it does to a small extent. But these groups are already disadvantaged under the current system anyway.
What do you think?
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