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By Chee Soon Juan
This opinion piece is part of the Silver Lining Series written by members of the Council of Liberals and Asian Democrats (CALD), an organization of liberal and democratic parties in Asia, to celebrate his 25th Anniversary this 2018.
For decades, the region's autocrats have used Asian values, under the guise of Confucianism, to dismiss critics, mostly Westerners, about their undemocratic methods.
His most astute proponents are former Singapore Prime Minister, late Lee Kuan Yew, and Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia during his first term as leader of the country
with the region under the yoke dictatorships – from Chung Hee Korean Park to the north. Suharto of Indonesia in the south – there seemed to be a seductive appeal to the uniqueness of Asian political culture.
But there is nothing like a few revolutions, mainly peaceful, to dismount the nodemoc.
Taiwan, the Philippines, South Korea, Indonesia, Myanmar, Mongolia and Thailand overcame repressive governments to establish democratic systems
. the example of Myanmar, or demoted, as in Thailand.
The most recent example is, of course, Malaysia where, after 61 years of single-party rule, the Malays organized their own revolt and sacked the Barisan Nasional government
. So, have the Asian people abandoned Asian values and adopted Western values? Of course not. Remember that for most of the last two centuries, much of Asia has worked under the yoke of Western colonialism where the concepts of freedom and universal suffrage were as foreign as the languages imposed on the natives [19659009]. from the part of the world that they inhabit, man has always sought to dominate his fellowmen. But it is just as inevitable that the masses rise up, at a given moment, to show despots to the boot and claim their liberties.
To avoid appearing simplistic, however, let me emphasize that the factors contributing to the disappearance of the regimes in Asia are varied. Unfavorable economic conditions in the Philippines and Indonesia contributed massively to the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos and Suharto. In Taiwan and South Korea, it is the bourgeois middle class and educated who has become intolerant towards oppressive military regimes.
However, these revolutions did not result from spontaneous combustion. There have been years of tireless campaigning and sacrifice from people who saw the need for change and, more importantly, who found the courage to stand up against the authoritarian cage.
Regional organizations like the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats. political parties (in power and opposition) committed to advancing democracy in Asia, have kept the agenda of freedoms in the limelight.
Let us return to the most recent case of Malaysia. Those who cried reformasi and fought against corruption and abuse of power did not only appear in this year's historic elections.
A struggle that lasted two decades, which saw harassing leaders and opposition activists. humiliated and imprisoned. In the end, as in other countries, the Democrats prevailed.
The mother of all ironies is that it was Dr. Mahathir, the leader of the insurgency who overthrew Mr. Najib Razak, who wrote in 1995 that the rejection of democracy by the 39 Asia came from the "way of thinking of the East".
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who does not want to or can not read the story, continues this charade. In a recent interview with Christiane Amanpour of CNN, he denies that his administration is repressive. Politics in Singapore, he insists, is what it is because Singaporeans voted for it.
Of course, he did not mention that he had to change the rules for the presidential elections so that only the candidate of his party qualifies as a candidate. . There are elections and there are free and fair elections.
The not-so-hidden message for autocrats and democrats is that the mood in Asia has irrevocably changed. The idea that democracy is ill suited to the Asian spirit has been exposed for the propaganda that it is.
It is no wonder that the fight for democracy is alive and well.
Chee Soon Juan is the secretary general of Singapore Democratic Party and former president of CALD. A vicious opponent of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) – which has held power since 1959 – it has been pursued and bankrupted by Singaporean prime ministers, past and present.
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