Climate Tricks 22: Typhoon Haiyan due to Man-Made CC?

The strongest typhoon this year in the planet, storm "Haiyan" (renamed as "Yolanda" by PAGASA) has left the country after it rammed through central Philippines, affecting many provinces like Leyte, Samar, Cebu, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Palawan. As of this morning, casualties have topped 100 dead people, mostly in Taclocan, Leyte.

Some groups naturally seize on this story to say that "man-made climate change" is to blame. When there are less rain and less storms, it's due to "man-made global warming" or "man-made CC". When there are lots of rains, more storms, it's also due to "man-made GW/CC". So the public must send more money to the UN -- IPCC, FCCC, UNEP, WMO, UNDP, etc. The public should also donate more money to Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and other big international environmentalist groups.

A friend posted today that "Dr. CP David (UP National Institute of Geological Sciences or NIGS) goes against Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientists and remains a climate change skeptic on GMA News TV today."

I commented that he's a real David, son of my former boss, Prof. Randy David also of UP. CP has shown independence of mind and not swallowed by a corrupt UN, at least in climate and energy policies. 

CC is true, global warming was true. CC is purely cyclical and natural, warming-cooling-warming-cooling, with or without humans and their SUVs or bicycles. Nothing to be alarmed except alarmism itself. It is wrong to say that there is only global warming and there is no global cooling.

The head of UP Biology Department, Dr. Perry Ong, delivered a "centennial lecture" in UP in 2008, attacking AGW and "man-made GW/CC" by the UN IPCC. Another friend, Fidel Nemenzo of UP Math Department, once told me that there are many UP natural scientists who are laughing at the IPCC reports. Problem is that they don't get oodles of UN money, also WB, ADB, USAID, etc. money to "save the planet."

When people say Haiyan is the "strongest storm in RECORDED HISTORY", when did they start counting with such history? 20 yrs ago? 50? 100? 1,000, 1 million yrs ago? Chances are they don't know. Just a sound bite, to keep climate alarmism remain alarmist.

And UN IPCC is NOT a scientific body. It is a government and political body. That is why it is "Inter-governmental Panel on CC" and not "Inter-scientists Panel on CC".  The head of IPCC was never a scientist. Its head for many years now, Rajendra Pachauri, is a an Indian transport economist or engineer.  

The Sun-GCRs-climate link theory is a harder nut to crack, than CO2-climate hypothesis. Like Henryk Svensmark (Denmark) theory,
Svensmark’s Cosmic Jackpot: “Evidence of nearby supernovae affecting life on Earth", April 24, 2012.

A recent critique of IPCC 2013 report, 

Scientific Critique of IPCC’s 2013 ‘Summary for Policymakers’

by Craig D. Idso, Robert M. Carter, S. Fred Singer, and Willie Soon*, October 19, 2013

Anthropogenic GW (AGW) is religion. In religion, people do not need hard graphs, charts, satellite photos. Ok, they need graphs too, but only those that cater to the belief. If certain scientfic graphs stare them in the face and these data say the allegation is wrong, well, people close their eyes to contrary data and keep believing. That is why it is religion and faith-based. 

http://www.drroyspencer.com/2013/06/still-epic-fail-73-climate-models-vs-measurements-running-5-year-means/

That's why Dr. CP David, Dr. Perry Ong, others from UP natural science community have more sence and independence of mind than the UN paid hacks, plus Greenpeace, WWF, other treehuggers. But another friend suggested that skepticism is "crackpotism". Hehehe, product of emotionalism and religionism courtesy of UN's decades-long deception.

Freedom Run 2013, I will Run the 10K

Tomorrow, I will join the Freedom Run 2013 to be held in Quezon City. Like the Freedom Run 2012, I will run the 10K, even if did not join any other run this year. So my legs, be ready to be hammered tomorrow. That means terrible pain in the legs 2-3 days after November 10 :-)

At the Freedom Run facebook page, there was one discussion last Sunday, November 02, if this "freedom from corruption" run is pro-abolition of pork barrel, or simply keep but reform pork barrel. I joined that thread.

I said that the organizer of the Freedom Run is the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) Manila office. That FNF is one of the German political foundation with an office in the country, along with Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAF), Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FEF) Hans Seidel Foundation (HSF), etc. 

FNF I think does not take any position on the pork barrel debate, whether to reform it or abolish it. And I don't think any foreign political foundation should take that position. It is funded by German taxpayers, not Filipino taxpayers, and the goal of each political foundations is to propagate their respective  philosophy at the general level, not taking into specific details of policy debates in the country where they have an office.

So if people feel so strongly about a particular stand, that pork barrel should be scrapped, or be reformed, then they might be disappointed that FNF will not take a specific position. If your participation in the Freedom Run is pre-conditioned on such scrap or reform pork, black or white position, then they might be disappointed as FNF has no stand.

I suggested that they join the run and get a running shirt which says at the back, "We believe in the power of freedom and the responsibility of citizens, and a strong commitment to the strengthening of democratic institutions, human rights, transparency,…”

The shirt in Freedom Run 2011 has this message, “We support the liberal values of freedom and individual responsibility, democracy and the rule of law, respect for human rights and tolerance."

All the German political foundations -- FNF, FEF, KAF, HSF, etc. -- do not display their pol philosophy in each of their activities. KAF is affiliated with CDU-CSU of Angela Merkel, FNF is affiliated with FDP (Free democratic party), FEF is affiliated with the Social Democrats. These foundations do not always advertise their party affiliation in Germany. They just focus on their pol philosophy. So FNF is focused on individual freedom and personal responsibility, rule of law, economic freedom, human rights.

So the Freedom Run is under one of its philosophies -- to promote more individual freedom, apart from collective or national freedom.

So join the Run and set aside the debate on abolish or reform the pork barrel as it won't be tackled there. It is not a symposium or seminar, it is a run but there are a few speakers and performers after the run who will discuss what "freedom" means to them. We may agree or disagree with their own definitions of what freedom is, but overall, the event is to celebrate, or advance and insist, that we people should advance our individual freedom. We may have been too engrossed with the politicians, whether they are pro-abolish or pro-reform the pork. Some of us may define freedom as less politics, less government, less interventionism, like I do.

I join the annual Freedom Run because as one of the local friends of the FNF, my personal philosophy of less government, more free market, is consistent with the FNF philosophy more than KAF, FEF, etc.

Some people may insist and accuse that "FNF is supportive of the Liberal Party. Hence, it is supportive of the administration and 'reform the pork' side."

The first sentence is correct because FDP, the party affiliation of FNF, is sort of the "liberal party" of Germany, its philosophy is liberalism. So LP Philippines and Free (liberal) Democratic Party Germany are ideological allies. Beyond that, similarities may end. Thus, the second sentence is wrong. FNF takes no side on whether to abolish or keep/reform the pork barrel. FNF works not only with pol parties and politicians, it also works with civil society and non-politicians, like us in Minimal Government Thinkers, Inc.

I know the FNF Manila people, they are very professional, they know their mandate and their limit. They are accountable to the FDP and German taxpayers, not to the LP or UNA or any other Filipino pol parties and politicians, or the Filipino taxpayers. They are here to help advance the ideas of liberalism and individual freedom, rule of law, tolerance of social diversity and respect of human rights. So they are selling an idea, not politicians or a political party.

Freedom Run. It is the only run in this country with clear political message printed on the running shirt itself like “individual/citizen freedom and responsibility”, “human rights and rule of law.” Beyond the nation, beyond the collective, there is need to remind ourselves the value and primacy of the individual.

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See also:
Freedom Run 2011, November 28, 2011 
Freedom Run 2011 and 2012, November 03, 2013

EFN Asia 32: Day 2 of Conference 2013 in Bangkok

* This is my article yesterday at the EFN website. Karthik Chandra of the Foundation for Democratic Reforms and Lok Satta (People Power), India, helped in filling up some gaps in my original article. Thanks Karthik.
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Day 2 of the Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia 2013 Conference started with a presentation by Fred McMahon of Fraser Institute in Canada, of the results of the Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) 2013 Report. Before presenting the numbers, he reiterated the definition of “economic freedom” as fundamental rights. Without these basic rights, no political or civil freedom can prosper.

The results of the latest EFW report showed once again, that more freedom means, more growth, less poverty. It also means less corruption, higher life satisfaction, life expectancy, more prosperity. For Asia, Economic freedom has been following global average or trend. The full EFW Report can be accessed at  http://www.freetheworld.com , http://fraserinstitute.org .

FNF Regional Director for SouthEast and East Asia, Rainer Adam discussed the work of FNF in Asia, then explained that they invited some Thai incumbent government officials, they all declined, so they invited the opposition, former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajiva. (Photo from left: Rainer, Abhisit, Fred.) 

Hon. Vejajiva said that Thailand’s high growth in past decades was due to dynamic private sector subject to competition. Government’s monetary policy helped without compromising inflationary pressure. The administration is buying Thai farmers’ rice at 50 percent higher than market rice. The farmers are richer but public finance suffered, also global rice prices rose.

He added that low wages, natural resources extraction can not sustain growth. Needed are more innovations to escape middle income trap. It is not how small or how big the government is, but to properly identify the sectors that government should come and support, and which sectors the government should get out. When markets are distorted, corruption goes up.

Economic freedom can be improved, Abhisit added, by identifying sectors where government can engage and solve inequality. Populist policies and authoritarian government feed each other, but .they can be tackled with democratic and good Governance. Thailand is successful In attracting various car producers and has no national car. An economy improves its competitiveness by gradual opening up.

Discussions in Panel 4 followed with 6 speakers from 6 countries, to talk about different experiences in dealing with middle income trap. Adinda Muchtar from the Indonesian Institute moderated the panel. Photo below, from left: Adinda (Indonesia), Wan saiful (Malaysia), Xingyuan (China), Set (Myanmar), Nguyen (Vietnam), Barun (India), and Hiroshi (Japan).

EFN Asia 31. Friends in the Asian Free Market Movement

* Note: this is a revised and expanded version of my posting last November 04. I added two photos, me and Barun, 2004 vs. 2013. Also expanded some stories.

During the Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia 2013 conference in Bangkok last October 21-22, two friends from the Japanese for Tax Reforms (JTR) came, Marc Abela and Hiroshi Yoshida. A third and young participant from JTR joined them.

Hiroshi is a long time friend since 2005, during the Atlas-FNF round table discussion on Hayek's “The Constitution of Liberty”. Hiroshi came with Mr. You then, the President of JTR. After that one-day event, the EFN Asia 2005 conference started, same hotel in Phuket, Thailand.  

It was my first time to meet Marc, who has been a friend since several years ago in facebook and ARBM Phuket yahoogroups.  I had a debate with him before re anarchy vs monarchy, friendly debate. I didn’t know that he’s a cool, always smiling guy.

Marc is also the convenor of the Mises Study Group in Tokyo. He's Canadian but has been working in Japan for about two decades now. And good news, he's planning to help organize a regional or international forum of free marketers in Tokyo soon.

Our photo, with (from left) Yo Kwong, formerly VP for Institute Relations of Atlas, Mr. You and Hiroshi Yoshida of JTR. During the Atlas Liberty Forum in Atlanta, Georgia, May 2008.

I miss Jo, really cool, warm and friendly lady. Last time I saw her was in November 2009, during the Atlas celebration of 20 years collapse of the Berlin Wall. She raised the funds for my trips during Atlas events in the US. She has resigned from Atlas in 2010.

In China, I have several friends there, from the Unirule Institute of Economics and CIPA in Beijing. Like Feng Xingyuan, Mao Shoulong, Liu Junning, Zhao Xu, others.

In India, many friends there too but the more prominent ones are Barun Mitra and Mohit Satyanand of the Liberty Institute in Delhi. Then Parth Shah of the Center for Civil Society (CCS), Bibek Debroy.

From S. Korea, great and cool friend, Chung-ho Kim, of the newly-formed Freedom Factory Ltd., a new think tank, came. He teaches Economics at Yonsei Univ. in Seoul. He used to be the President of the Center for Free Enterprise (CFE).

Photo, LRI Reading Club Salon 2013, October 19, Hong Kong.

After the farewell dinner of the Reading Salon, I have a photo with Andrew Work, the first Exec Director of the  Lion Rock Institute. Andrew and I were friends way back in 2004, first met him at the Mackinac Center in Michigan, leadership conference with Larry Reed. I was sponsored by Atlas then, along with Ellen Cain of FEF. Parth Shah and his wife, Mana Shah was also in that Mackinac conference.

Then we went to Chicago for the Heritage conference, then the Atlas conference.

First time I met Barun Mitra, April 2004 -- in my hotel room. We were roommates then. I did not have any idea who Barun Mitra was, only at the Atlas conference did I realize that he was a giant in the Asian free market movement. He has been in the free market movement for 2+ decades already, while I was in the international movement for only 1 month then.

So Andrew and Barun were among my early friends in the free market movement. I met them again that year in Hong Kong during the EFN Asia 2004 Conference. We are still around until now. The way we manage our life, it seems we are stuck in this passion until we grow old, for the long haul :-)

Now compare our faces, October 2013, at the Hong Kong airport. I told Madhu, Barun's wife and my friend in facebook, that I saw him 3x in 3 countries this year, she laughed and said all she saw were photos.

Barun and Xingyuan also have their own photo. In Asia, perhaps the oldest or the pioneer in the movement is Barun Mitra. Followed perhaps by Xingyuan, who started working with FNF Beijing under Rainer Adam, for about 7 years in the 90s. So Barun has been around for 3+ decades, Xingyuan for 2+ decades, me and Andrew and Simon Lee, LRI co-founder, for almost 1 decade.

I know that Parth Shah, Bibek Debroy, have been around ahead of us, maybe contemporary with Xingyuan. I miss Mohit Satyanand, a tall guy, frank and no-nonsense speaker and moderator. He was a panel moderator of EFN conferences from 2004-2006. I also saw him in 2005 during the IPN’s “Global Development Network” conference in London.

I met Feng and Barun 3x this year in 3 countries. First in S. Korea last May, in Seoul then Jeju, for the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity where EFN Asia was a panel sponsor. Then I met them in Hong Kong last Oct 18-19, for the Reading Club Salon 2013 by the Lion Rock Institute. Then met them again in Bangkok, for the 3rd time this year.

Photo, Barun, me, Xingyuan, and Shoulong, inside the taxi from our hotel in HK to the HK Airport, to take our flight to Bangkok.

Wan Saiful Wan Jan is "new" in the Asia free market movement because he just moved in about 3 or 4 years ago from London where he worked for almost 18 years and was involved with the Conservative movement there. But IDEAS is the biggest, most dynamic free market think tank in the whole ASEAN. Or perhaps comparable in size with Freedom Institute in Jakarta, though I think IDEAS is more known globally than Freedom Institute.

I saw Wan 3x this year too. First in Korea along with Barun and Xingyuan, then in Manila two months ago when he attended a conference at De La Salle University (DLSU) and I dragged him to give an evening talk at my rotary club, where 4 other free marketers here in Manila came. Then met him again in Bangkok.

I am glad that Tricia Yeoh has migrated to IDEAS too, from Rakyat Institut. Tricia is a very articulate and intelligent lady, so IDEAS is being packed with more brains. Young and dynamic brains.

Another good friend from Pakistan is Zubair Malik whom I met in Hong Kong during the EFN Asia 2004 Conference. I would see him in all EFN conferences that I have attended. Zubair is also the President of the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, elected last year. He travels a lot internationally, also within Pakistan, 

Another good friend from Pakistan is Khalil Ahmad of the Alternate Solutions Institute, a free market think tank based in Lahore. After the EFN 2006 conference in KL, I did not see him in other EFN conferences. Last time I saw him was in 2010 in Sydney, during the 4th Pacific Rim Policy Exchange sponsored by the Americans for Tax Reforms (ATR), PRA, IPA and IPN. 

There are many other friends from Asia that I did not mention above. I did mention about them in my previous articles on EFN Asia.

Meanwhile, I will see Rainer Adam and other key FNF officials next week here in Manila. FNF has lots of big, high profile events from November 7 to 11. I will join in some of these, including the Freedom Run on Nov. 10 morning, then the Freedom Awards that evening.

FNF has done a great job in spreading freedom in Asia. For many of us in the movement, if we look back a decade or so from now, FNF will appear as the great partner to many of us.  Also the LRI. Thanks again to Peter Wong, Exec. Director of LRI, for inviting me to the two Reading Club Salon of LRI, last year and this year.

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See also:

EFN Asia 27: Escaping Middle Income Trap via Economic Freedom, October 08, 2013

Business 360 11: Avoiding Middle Income Trap, September 19, 2013 

EFN Asia 28: Program of the 2013 Conference in Bangkok, October 17, 2013 

EFN Asia 29: Speakers in Day 1, Conference 2013 in Bangkok, October 21, 2013 

EFN Asia 30: Conference 2013, Day 1, October 23, 2013

Freedom Run 2011 and 2012

This coming November 10, 2013, an estimated 4,000 people will participate in Freedom Run 2013 to be held at Quezon Circle, Quezon City. The annual event that was started in the Freedom Run 2011 at UP Diliman, is principally sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) Philippine Office.

The first run in 2011 was composed of only two categories, 3K and 6K. I ran the 6K despite not having run for the past 10 or 12 years before that. My legs were hellish for the next 5 days then.

I like the political message of the running shirt that year. It summarizes the political philosophy being championed by the FNF in its many offices worldwide.

FNF Country Director, Jules Maaten, took this photo that day, Thanks Jules.

Last year, I joined Freedom Run 2012, Start-Finish at the municpality of Taytay, Rizal, passing through one side of Laguna Lake. I ran the 10K and covered the distance in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The municipal government of Taytay, the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) were among the co-sponsors of the event.

A big number of participants in last year's run in Taytay. FNF also held a Freedom Run last year in Bicol, Naga City, I think, then another one in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte.

The two rubber bracelets that I have collected in the Freedom Run 2011 and 2012.  Next week, I will collect my 3rd bracelet.

I agree with this statement.

See also FNF Freedom Run 2011, November 28, 2011

Pol. Ideology 52: What is the Main Purpose of Government?

* This is my article today in thelobbyist.biz. Quotes below are not part of the original article, I just added them here.
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There are several theories and opinions on the role of government in society and the citizens. This column takes the classic liberal philosophy that the main function of government, its raison d'etre or reason for existence, is to promulgate the rule of law. The law against murder and aggression, the law against stealing and destruction of property, the law protecting individual liberty and freedom of expression.

When people get more private security to protect themselves, their houses and offices, schools and shops, from aggressors and killers, thieves and vandals, then there is clear and widespread government failure. This article discusses that more people now in the Philippines are hiring private security guards in their homes.

Securing peace and order in society is supposedly a government function and responsibility, especially in dealing with organized and armed criminals, or sophisticated ponzi schemes that rob hundreds or thousands of people big time. That is why there is a huge phalanx of armed policemen, investigators and  soldiers. But how come that peace and order is mainly implemented by private security agencies? That peace and order has been implicitly privatized when the budget and personnel of those armed agencies keep rising?

The bigger the number of private security agencies, the bigger is the distrust of the people in government to ensure law and order in society. The bigger the government failure.

If there is widespread government failure in maintaining peace and order, in protecting lives and private properties, why has government expanded into many non-core, non-essential functions? Like running banks and casinos, universities and specialty hospitals, monopolizing pension and social security, extending forever, no timetable welfare and subsidies.

Government failure in its core function should not be exacerbated by another government failure in its non-core functions. The corruption and plunder scandals in various agencies from various administrations are additional proof to this government failure in its non-core functions.

If people spend more on hiring private security agencies, then they are over-taxed. They pay various taxes and fees that sustain the huge bureaucracies at DILG-PNP, DND-AFP, DOJ-NBI, LGUs-barangay tanods. Then they pay extra to hire private security agencies as these guards are not cheap.

The government should be terribly ashamed of this situation, especially when people have to hire private guards to protect their homes, on top of having private guards protecting the village gates. By extension, the NGOs and civil society leaders, media people, foreign aid, etc. who demand ever-expanding government bureaucracies, subsidies and taxes when there is clear and explicit government failure in promulgating the rule of law, should  rethink their advocacies.

Of what value to the poor that they get endless, forever, no timetable subsidies in healthcare, education, agriculture credit and seeds, condoms, etc., but their kids can be abducted and even raped easily, their small investments like a cow or tractor or tricycle can be stolen somewhere, their small plot of land can be land grabbed by some politically influential people?

Where there is peace and order, where the government is truly doing its work in protecting the citizens' right to life, right to private property, right to liberty, enforcing contracts, people will become productive. They can work from morning till midnight if they want, knowing that their family and house are secure. Where people are hard working and have peace of mind that their business contracts, big or small, are respected and enforced, plus civil society support, they can get out of poverty on their own.

A friend, Steve Cutler, suggested that since private guards and drivers and so on are dirt cheap in the Philippines for many rich people, the affluent acquire them as a way of ensuring people know how important and rich they are. There may well be some kind of "threat" but it can also be a fashion accessory.

That angle is highly possible. But having private guards in many shops, schools, cash collections by gas stations, convenience stores, etc. transported by armed vans, speaks of something, that there is grave government failure in tracking and going after the real criminals in society, if not suspicion that some members of government armed forces themselves are actively involved in criminality, like protecting drug lords and organized hold uppers.

If people recognize this big government failure in fulfilling its core function, they should also recognize that government functions and intervention in other sectors should shrink or be discontinued as such government failure will only be replicated elsewhere. The pork barrel scandal is testament to such massive wastes and cheating in government.

Another friend posted this quote from Benjamin Constant (1767-1830), Swiss-born French politician and writer who argued that liberty was essential to moral development.

"Every time the government attempts to handle our affairs, it costs more and the results are worse than if we had handled them ourselves."

This belief is widespread among liberty-oriented people especially the anarchists. Minarchists give government some favor by recognizing certain role for it, ike enforcing the rule of law and contracts between and among people through the justice system, the police and a few other agencies. When government becomes inefficient and wasteful in almost anything it dips its hands on, government credibility as an institution to protect law and order keeps dipping.

Steve Cutler made another comment, that “the guards that work in the vast majority of establishments give a false sense of security, which is an unrecognized issue. They are there only to open doors, clean tables, and so on. Or to raise a bar to allow vehicles to pass through. But they will not really protect people. You're on your own if shots start to fly. Protecting you is not part of the contract. They are there only/only to protect the property of the contracting party...the guy who pays the contract. Unless that's you, don't expect any help from a guard.”

The private guards function somehow as deterrent to petty criminals like shoplifters who may have guns to use when cornered. Such deterrence function helps reduce the possibility of shots flying inside malls. The guards with long firearms in vans are deterrent to organized criminals.

These criminals, petty or organized, can be tracked down at the barangay or street levels, if the LGUs and the police are doing their work seriously, and if government is not distracted from providing so many non-core functions.

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See also: 

Pol. Ideology 48: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Social Contract Theory, September 09, 2013 

Pol. Ideology 49: Machiavelli, The Prince, Liberality and Meanness, September 11, 2013 

Pol. Ideology 50: Plato, The Republic and Pork Barrel, September 14, 2013 

Pol. Ideology 51: Liberalism is Not Welfarism, September 17, 2013

Business 360 12: Optimum Size of Government, October 13, 2013 

IDEAS 5: Who is a Liberal? What is Limited Government?, October 15, 2013 

Inequality 16: Inclusive Growth and Central Planning, October 21, 2013

Lion Rock 11: Barun Mitra on Democracy, Reading Salon 2013

I still have to write my reflection paper on the Reading Club Salon 2013 of the Lion Rock Institute (LRI) on "Democracy -- Past, Present and Future" held in Harbour Grand Hong Kong last October 19, 2013. It's good that good friend Barun Mitra, Founder and Director of Liberty Institute in India, sent us today his reflection paper about the event. Short and well-argued points by Barun, reposting it below. 

Our group photo after the whole day round table discussion. Barun is 4th from left standing. To his left is Peter Wong, Executive Director of LRI, and to Barun's right (3rd from left) is Simon Lee, LRI co-founder and moderator of the Reading Salon. To my left, 2nd from right sitting, is Andrew Work, co-founder and first Executive Director of LRI. 

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My take home points from the 2013 Salon.

The idea of democracy as the critical political institution has clearly been established. Just over two hundred years ago, the founding fathers of the United States of America, were concerned about the majoritarian aspects of democracy. The debate was encapsulated in the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. In the Federalist Papers, the authors underscore the need for a strong central government in order to hold the states together in a nascent country. In the Ant-Federalist paper, many leaders from the states argue the case for strengthening the lower tiers of government, so that a strong people would together strengthen the nation. Two hundred years later, James Buchanan, Nobel prize winning economist, wrote his classic text "Calculus of Consent", where he explored a whole range of ways to restrain the majoritarian threats on the one hand, and prevent capture of state agencies by vested interests on the other hand. These three books, were in the list of readings selected by for this year's salon on democracy.

A number of key points that emerged from the discussions at the salon, underscored the essential features of democratic politics.

Democracy is not about majority rule, but about recognition of and respect for minority opinions. So that the minority view of today, may enjoy the freedom to peacefully persuade others, and could become a majority opinion of tomorrow. This is why democracy requires consent of the governed, so that the diverse minorities do not feel so aggrieved as to try and revolt or secede from the rest.

For democracy to survive in large communities and countries, where only representative democracy is possible and practical, democracy has to be minimal, so that it does not offend or alienate too many people. Secondly, as societies become complex, there is a need to recognise the challenges of centralised government, and devolve greater political authority and autonomy to lower tiers of government and local communities. Because only at such community level, with shared values, can there be a realistic prospect for widest consensus on such complex issues.

Threats to democracy arise from the majoritarian perspective which is reflected in centralisation of decision making. This invariably leads to populism and patronage. Consequent spread of corruption, triggers cynicism, and undermines the legitimacy of democratic polity. Growing illegitimacy provides an incentive for demagogues and dictators to seize the levers of power by promising to solve all the ills of society. And democracy collapses in to despotism.

Democracy and markets are analogous. Democracy empowers the citizens with choices in the political domain. While markets empowers the consumers with choice in the economic domain. Adam Smith had warned about the tendency of businessmen and traders, to collude, seek special protection and privileges from the state, at the cost of the consumers. And others have warned about the special protection and privileges that many politicians seek, in the name of the public, but actually endangering the political freedoms of the citizens. This is why economic competition and open market are critical in keeping businesses focussed on delivering better goods and services in order to win the customers. So too does political competition in a vibrant democracy, ensures that politicians offer a diverse range of political options to the citizens to choose from.

In a competitive democratic environment, politicians could either be businessmen, offering the conventional political ideas and operate within the prevailing political paradigm, or they could be like entrepreneurs, offering radical ideas, in a manner that would be understood and accepted by the people, thereby shifting the centre of political discourse, itself.

Economic and political freedoms go together. All the developed and rich countries are democracies. Even the small principalities and city states, which are rich, people enjoy a very high degree of economic freedom, and share the basic elements of participatory politics, that is democracy.  On the other hand, poor and less developed countries, are much lower on the economic and political freedom scores.

Barun Mitra

Liberty Institute, New Delhi

www.InDefenceofLiberty.org 

www.EmpoweringIndia.org 

www.RighttoProperty.org  

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See also 
Lion Rock 7: Reading Club Salon 2013, Hong Kong, September 17, 2013 

Lion Rock 8: On Opposition, Factions and James Madison, October 01, 2013 

Lion Rock 9: Federalism, Decentralization and George Clinton, October 07, 2013 

Business 360 12: Optimum Size of Government, October 13, 2013 

Lion Rock 10: On Having Centralized or Self-Government, October 17, 2013

Healthy Aging 3: GCOA-EMHN Policy Dialogue in Bangkok

Yesterday morning, the Emerging Markets Health Network (EMHN) and the Global Coalition On Aging (GCOA) jointly sponsored a "Policy Dialogue on Aging", here at Plaza Athenee Bangkok. There were 16 of us from 8 countries  -- China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines (me), Canada and USA. The forum was led and moderated by Cathy Windels, the President of The Policy Workshop in New York, who represented GCOA, and Wan Saiful Wan Jan, CEO of IDEAS in Malaysia, which handles the EMHN project.

Six participants from five countries: Barun from India, Chris and Cathy from the US, Harsha from Sri Lanka, Shoulong from China, Marc from Japan.

Hiroshi Yoshida also from Japan, speaking.

After Cathy's introduction, the resource speaker, Dr. Anindya Mishra, from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) presented a paper on Social and Economic Challenges of Ageing in Asia: Special Focus on India.

I will make a report about the meeting soon.

It was just a half day meeting and sharing of ideas on the issue of rising aging population in Asia and the rest of the world. The healthcare, public finance and civil society responsibility issues are big.
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See also:
Healthy Ageing 1: The Caregiver Village, February 13, 2012 
Healthy Ageing 2: World Congress on Healthy Ageing, March 08, 2012 
EMHN 10: Forum on Asia's Ageing Societies, Bangkok, October 08, 2013