| *What is wrong with democracy?
Voting for parties (or independents) is a fault in the democracy. By voting for a party or
a group, practically, we accept all their policies. What if we support some policies from
one and some policies from others. A lot of good policies might be rejected due to one
unwanted policy (like GST policy of the coalition partners in Australia was seen as a
cause to the election defeat in 1993).
Instead of getting best policies in every area, we get the policies of the most popular
party (even worse with coalitions).
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Parties are usually the representatives of certain groups (religious, ethnic, workers,
farmers). It is divisive. A lot of people would vote for their party regardless of the
policies.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Prearranged coalition (like in Australia) means a compromise from policies to find a
common ground. If the party you intend to vote has the policies you support, those
policies could simply be frozen due to the partnership with another party. It means we
have no alternative to bring those policies into being.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
If a minor party forms a government due to an unexpected win, then it is expected that
some inexperienced (or unsatisfactorily qualified) MPs would get the job (ministries). In
case of coalitions, this would more likely to happen to get the right number in the
parliament.
There is no job description for ministers.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
As long as the numbers are right (i.e. majority) in the parliament, there is no way to
change the governments (peacefully).
If a company declares loss at the end of a financial year, it is expected that the
shareholders would have a say.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
How many people can vote by their conscience in elections, especially mandatory ones?
Weakness in the system is so obvious by just looking at the opinion polls; it changes day
by day during the election campaign. Not many people are aware of the detail policies or
interested in the overall picture. It is very easy to turn to another party for a simple
mistake during the leader's interview.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
There is no real offering against violence. It is hard to draw line between terrorism
and the human rights. Especially when there are sharp cultural (or religious and likewise)
differences in a country, there is no mechanism to solve the conflicts.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
People will say that we are not advanced enough as a species to enjoy the exercise of
thought, creativity and reason. That democracy, as we know it, is as far as we are going
to get in evolution for the foreseeable future. These people are simply conspiring with
the ideas of government, justice, education and reason handed down from the Greeks and
Romans. Great memes in their time, which inhibit development of balanced power between
government and people. Not quite sufficient for a future in which we can all roast in the
UV let irradiate the Earth by careless chemistry.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*"What is Wrong with Democracy?"
The greatest fault is that mankind view "Democracy" as the ultimate Goal in
life, not a Process towards a more fundamental Goal based on sound Values, Principles and
Vision that can benefit all people and society.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Institutions copy the parent democratic parlimentary system. When a school board brings
in an update to education methods for students benefit, for example, it will normally
throw out the old ideas: baby, bathwater and the tub! There appears to be an identity of
the 'Good new idea' with the authority that introduced it. No real consideration is given
to merit in some old ideas that need to be kept to maintain balance, because they are not
identified with the present school board whose primary motive is to consolidate power.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Lotus squashed Paper Bag Software, for copying the menu and command pattern of 1-2-3,
though not the code; by using the tactics of superior legal representation. Later, Apple
tried to follow this precedent in a battle to protect its intellectual property from
Microsoft. The precedent meant nothing in the face of Microsoft's ability to pay for
lobbying and legal protection. We are prevented from enjoying the benefits of free
competition by a legal system that is set up to protect the democratic government and
friends in power, first. We are all short changed in the end when our browser freezes.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
When the people are fooled by electioneering tactics they come to realise it, sooner or
later. They know emotionally, kinesthetically and intuitively. Powerful knowledge leading
to dangerous mistrust and resentment which can only be countered by an external threat -
The Falklands or Gulf An internal threat - 'Commies'; Internet pornography. etraining for
the unemployed. This cannot last forever so a great war or revolution happens; something
that shows that our leaders do not really control their destiny.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
The initial guiding principles of Democracy are canonised: Eg. Every person gets a
vote.
Then the constituency borders are revised in a way that helps the ruling party. The unfair
borders are held in as great reverence as the principle of enfranchisement. There is
little discrimination between fair application of the law and unfair application. Because
- the motive for the establishment of Democracy in the beginning was not to be fair but to
send a smokescreen over injustice; to set up a system that could be manipulated. New laws
are written and misused in the same way.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*The democracies have neither the will, power nor foresight to control their own
destinies; singly or in concert. They are so caught up in the maintainance of present
power, that they cannot foresee real catastrophe for civilization, in the near future.
Business poisons our air, water and food, carelessly. Even the elite get heart disease
& cancer.
Business and governments profit from arms sales. Silly wars cause more destruction of the
environment.
There is not a reasonable balance between the knowledge and will of the mass of ordinary
people and the very small number of people who hold power.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Democracy is not so much defective as that it has not been taken to its logical
conclusion.
Insecure leaders prevent enfranchised people from learning thinking skills that they do
not already posses, themselves.
Any new world wide medium of communication, such as Radio, TV and now, Internet is rapidly
subverted and taken over by the 'professionals' to sanitise and trivialise it so that it
shall not be the means of improving the minds of masses of people - at the cost of the
power of the present rulers.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Health care systems:
As a microcosm of the general democratic societies in which they flourish these
beaurocracies start by providing health care; build up a gigantic bureaucracy that is
supported by a combination of taxes and gigantic drug companies with physicians
associtiations.
I am grateful for a system forcing a new idea to prove itself. However, when a new and
promising technology such as chiropracty; acupuncture; hypnosis; nutrition or NLP comes
along: said technology is perceived as a threat to the bureaucracy and to established
physicians and hospitals. The technology as such does get considered.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*Only a minority, often less than half, of the population actually participates
fully in a democracy. In most democracies the majority of the people are not interested in
participatig actively in public affairs, i.e. in contributing their voice opinions, and
consequently their vote. This is partly due to lack of appropriate education, laziness,
time constraints to studying complex issues, and/ or general ignorance.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*'Democracy' is about confrontation - again like supporting a soccer team; 'we'
are 'right' you are wrong; selective use of statistics to 'win' the argument; to quote
"the peculiarity and wastefulness of the Western habit of argument and clash the
demented jeers of your team's supporters following the 'scoring' of a goal in a political
debate; the apparent need to continually ridicule your opponents and taunt their 'fans';
the inability to be constructive, to say to the opposition's centre forward 'well done
that was a great goal'; the fear of appearing weak and not in control;
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*'Democracy' is arrogant - it attempts to produce citizens in its own image; -
it has an unquestioning belief in itself, in it being right; hence the only good
(ideologically sound) ideas come from within, and other points of view are scorned Those
in power appear to close their minds to different (outside) influences and ideas, which
surely blocks creativity;
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
'Democracy' appears uncaring - obsessed with financial targets, forgetting that it is
about 'people', ie. real lives, and is in fact in power to serve all of its people, not
just the few that put it in power; 'Democracy' needs to 'involve' its citizens and make
them feel they are 'part' of the team, 'us' and not 'them' (no exclusions) in order to
harness 'their' creative potential.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
If everything is in the argument mode issues are not fully explored. This means that
decisions are made bearing little or no relation to actual circumstances. Consequently
there is no convergence of good sense and no control of direction.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
'Democracy' breeds prejudice - against single mothers who 'become' pregnant to exploit
the state; or the unemployed who 'choose' to remain unemployed to exploit the state; or
the homeless;
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*'Democracy' is divisive - like supporting a soccer team, you're one of 'us' or
one of 'them'; their is no inbetween, no middle ground; the electorate are forced to
subscribe to the whole package, there is no options that allow the best parts each parties
package to be chosen; 'our' options are always better than 'theirs';
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
'Democracy' suppresses thought - it makes decisions on 'our' behalf and in 'our' best
interests believing that 'issues' are often too complex for its citizens to be able to
grasp/understand and make rational decisions about; - it releases selective information
and suppresses other information in order to control actions and protect us from ourselves
- 'Democaracy' is afraid to trust its own citizens and consequently fails to involve them
fully;
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Within the party system a change of mind is seen as weakness. So even if a government
is wrong it can't admit it for fear of being made to appear incompetent. Additionally
there is a fear that people will lose confidence in the whole idea of government
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*In most democracies the electorate have no ongoing influence and are not
involved in any of the decisions which directly affect them except the electing of
government. Once they have voted they can be ignored until the run up to the next
election.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*In the party political system each party has to create policies which must
appear to differ from those of the other parties, otherwise there will be agreement
(anathema in an adversarial system) and a loss of party identity. A government may have to
do the opposite of what is necessary in order to be seen to disagree with the opposition.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
In general governments only directly address the public during election year, and even
then there is no attempt at an objective discussion of issues since political parties are
motivated by the overriding desire to either gain power or retain it. So many important
issues are never explored, or even put on the agenda, unless they are perceived as vote
winners.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997 |
Go to top