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Defend our institutions
By Wan Saiful Wan Jan
"Thinking Liberally", The Star,
10 May 2016
The existence and functioning of institutions are
important for any democracy to flourish. The concept of ‘institutions’ is an
important one to understand.
In the academic circle, the definition of institutions
has been debated by many scholars. One of the most commonly cited opinion
belongs to Douglass North, a Nobel Laureate who published a seminal paper in
the early 1990s defining institutions as “the formal and informal rules that
organise social, political and economic relations”.
Since then several other scholars have examined North’s
work and provided further clarifications of the meaning of institutions. For
example, Geoffrey Hodgson of the University of Hertfordshire builds on North’s
definition by suggesting that institutions are “the systems of established and
prevalent social rules that structure social interactions”.
Without going too much into the scholarly debates, it can
be understood that when we talk about institutions, we are not necessarily just
talking about physical entities. Instead we are referring rules and systems
that may or may not be physical in nature.
For example, in a functioning democracy the institutions
can include things like the constitution, the executive, parliament as the
legislative body, a free press, independent judiciary, consistent application
of the laws, presence of check and balance mechanisms, respect for fundamental
liberties, and more.
The institutions can be an organisation, or it can be a
concept. But regardless of its form, it structures how we deal with one
another, how we deal with power, and how power deals with us.
When our country was formed, our founding fathers had the
wisdom to choose a system that respects individual liberty. They chose liberal
parliamentary democracy over illiberal autocracy.
A liberal parliamentary democracy is a system where the
people can choose. In its simplest sense, democracy is rule by the people
through elected representatives.
An illiberal autocracy is a system where people cannot
choose. In its simplest sense, autocracy is dictatorship by one person or one
group who holds a grip over the population.
Acknowledging that this nation has a history of autocracy
in the form of absolute monarchies, when the Constitution was drafted, our
Rulers had the wisdom to go for a constitutional monarchy. Our Rulers approved
the vision of having a country founded upon the principles of liberty and
justice, and their Royal Highnesses did not call for the return of rule by
monarchs.
It is that wisdom that enabled us to gradually evolve
into a modern society that we have today.
Britain has what is perhaps the most famous
constitutional monarchy that exists today. It is amazing to see how the Queen
functions in modern United Kingdom. She never make comments that can be
construed as partisan in nature, yet she does not in any way contradict the
elected government.
Throughout her reign the Queen has successfully adapted
to the changing time, while always respecting the separation of roles between
the monarch and the elected government.
More importantly, the British people too do not take
steps that could destroy the separation of powers that is so important in a
constitutional monarchy. They do not go to Buckingham Palace appealing for the
Queen to intervene in matters that should be resolved in the parliamentary
chambers.
They know that inviting the monarchy to intervene in day
to day politics is not just a step back towards the medieval age, but it is
also a dangerous slippery slope. Democracy might be messy when compared to the
seemingly smooth autocracy. But once democracy is eroded, getting it back is
not going to be easy.
They also know that if the British monarch does take side
in a political bout, the country will be divided on how to react to the
monarch’s partisanship and that may make the Queen lose the universal affection
that she enjoys today.
This is why I am very worried about the calls made by
some groups for our Rulers to intervene in our daily politics. Thankfully our
Rulers are wise enough to not respond to these calls. Neither do they claim
powers that can deny the right of our elected representatives to do their job.
It is such wisdom, allowing the elected legislators to legislate as they are
mandated, that will ensure the sustainability of the institution.
The institution of constitutional monarchy that we have
today is precious. It helps keep the balance of power and prevents the
executive from being overly powerful, while at the same time guaranteeing that
we do not slip back into an autocratic absolute monarchy.
We must resolve political and legislative issues within
the institutional frameworks of parliamentary democracy and constitutional
monarchy. To ensure the respective institutions are defended, every one should
honour the meaning of these concepts and keep to the drawn limits.
----------See also:
Pol. Ideology 62, Marx and Hayek on Property Rights, May 19, 2015
Pol. Ideology 63, Alternative Economic System, May 25, 2015
Pol. Ideology 65, Liberals and liberty, positive and negative freedom, January 06, 2016
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