EDITORIAL - Flawed democracy

Filipinos are aware of the imperfections of democracy in this country. Still, it»s good to be reminded that Philippine democracy is “flawed,” as described by the London-based think tank Economic Intelligence Unit in its Democracy Index.

From 54th place last year, the Philippines slipped to 55th spot in the latest Democracy Index, staying in the category of “flawed” democracies. The global rankings in 2020 were influenced by government responses to the COVID pandemic, with many resorting to lockdowns and other restrictions to contain virus transmission.

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranked behind Malaysia (39th place) and Timor Leste (44th) but ahead of Indonesia (64th), Thailand (73rd), Singapore (74th), Myanmar (135th), Vietnam (137th) and Laos (161st).

Last year, the think tank observed that while basic civil liberties are respected and free elections are held in the Philippines, there are “significant weaknesses” in other aspects of democracy. These include “problems in governance, an underdeveloped political culture and low levels of political participation.”

As in previous years, European countries continued to dominate the “full democracy” category. Norway topped the global index, followed by Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Finland. The Economist Intelligence Unit noted that only 8.4 percent of the global population live in full democracies, while more than a third live under authoritarian rule.

The 2020 average global score of 5.37 was the lowest since the Democracy Index first came out in 2006. That was a year that saw governments also restricting civil liberties to contain the avian flu pandemic.

Pandemic-related restrictions, however, aren’t the only factors that placed the Philippines in the category of flawed democracies. The country’s democratic institutions have long called for strengthening. Governance and the rule of law need a great deal of improvement. Last year, as the pandemic raged, Congress shut down the country’s largest broadcast network, with those responsible unabashedly citing personal grudges for voting against a fresh franchise for ABS-CBN. Law enforcement is marked by violent short cuts that are prone to abuse.

Democracy, as many have pointed out, is a difficult system, but it has been linked to quality of life and happiness levels. With resolve, flaws in the system can be corrected.