Michelle Bachelet, Pres. of Chile, on Democracy

On Monday, I had the privilege and honor of hearing Michelle Bachelet, Chile’s first woman president, speak on the meaning of Democracy in Chile, Latin America, and the world.  She presented her remarks at the World Leaders Forum.  In an attempt to increase the accessibility and reach of these kinds of lectures, I thought I would briefly summarize President Bachelet’s most salient points:

• In order to achieve democracy, we should focus more on the outputs rather than the inputs of politics.  In other words, instead of focusing all of our time and energy on political parties and campaigns, we should be more concerned about policies and their outcomes.
• True democracy can only be achieved through popular representation, not through indirect representation of the people via political parties, congresses, or electoral colleges.
• Economic growth is not enough to decrease poverty.  We must also tackle social and economic inequality to achieve this goal.  In addition, we should strive to implement social policies that counter the negative effects of the liberal economic market in the areas of health care, education, and income assistance.  Along the same lines, economic growth needs to be paired with social equity and social justice initiatives in order to decrease poverty and achieve true democracy.
• The weariness and disenchantment of youth towards politics is a direct threat to democracy.  It is essential to include youth in the political process in order to ensure true democracy.
• It is not enough to just be concerned with “implementing” democracy.  We must also be concerned with improving its quality.  For example, we must tackle social inequality (e.g., gender and racial inequality) in order to guarantee that the benefits of economic growth reach all citizens.  In additon, we should strive to build consensus among parties of differing social, economic, and political interests in order to create win-win situations for all.  The process of concensus building will in turn ensure the greater sustainability of social policies.
• Lastly, representative democracy is not enough.  We need to actively build a culture of democracy that values diversity, equity, human rights, and social justice and includes the voice of all people.

For more on women world leaders: http://www.terra.es/personal2/monolith/00women2.htm.

For more on democracy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy.

For social commentary on U.S. democracy: http://www.logosjournal.com/west.htm.

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