Much can be said about representative government and how it is adapted in different countries. In the US, the constitution was created by a congress of men who supposedly represented the will of their individual states, or colonies at that time. One must ask if they truly represented the wishes of their populations or simply what was best for them and their peer groups (sound familiar). That is the key question in representative democracy; whose voice is really heard?
I think the answer to that is plain. In the past eras of no polls, phones or instantaneous methods of communication it would be impossible to judge the overall wishes of the population and formulate a policy that represented the majority of the wants of the people. A lot was left up to the individual to decide for the better or worse for all. Wouldn't it be nice if in the electronic future every eligible citizen could and must vote via some device such as a cellphone, PC or similar.
In today's society, we expect more due to the ease of communication and ability of people to protest their demands. However, Chile is taking a giant step backwards in attempting to create a new constitution based on input from the people in a town hall format. This is not surprising given the socialist, communist cabal governing this country. This is why.
The existing constitution which was initiated during the Pinochet era and continuously modified over the years has served the country well and has steered Chile into the top tier category of countries to be recognized in South America. The continued quest for inclusion has, in the eyes of many, necessitated a rewriting of the constitution. But, as in all liberal socialist governments, every voice must be heard and catered to in the law, regardless of what it means to the overall population. The comparison to the damage that Allende caused with such a mentality is obvious; yet there is a statue of him on the main square.
Chile used to have required voting, of a sort. If you were a registered voter, you had to vote or face penalty. This was abolished in 2013 prior to the latest Bachelet election. As a result, voter participation in elections went way down (42%) and the majority of the voting population was from the lower economic levels; a group I will call the "give me" class. In other words the wealthy and mostly middle class, who were content with what they had and were not interested in what was going to happen, stayed home. The current administration was elected through a coalition of the give-me class political parties.
Today's television news said that the new constitution, which was promised by Bachelet as part of her election campaign, would be constructed by having town hall type meetings in each of the regions. This could be construed two ways, one bad and the other worse. The input from these meetings could be political circus to show that the government is truly listening to the wishes of the people and then following their own agenda, which is the norm in most governments, or they could incorporate the voices heard time and time again in each of the 15 regions into drafting a new constitution. There is real danger in the latter approach.
The growing Chilean mentality of "what's in it for me" could prevail in these meetings, prompting calls for more socialist giveaway programs and continued robbing the rich to give to the "poor". If there is an absence of representation by the middle and upper classes, similar to the election, this could severely distort and slant the future of the country. Socialism is great until you run out of other people's money.
So, we shall see what the outcome will be after these meetings. I would hope they are televised or the results published soon after as a means of transparency and maybe a wake up call. After all, no one but the give-me class ever demonstrates for change.
Something as important and far ranging as a new constitution should be examined and formulated by experts in economic development, finance and judicial experience for the good of the entire country and not just for the loudest voices.
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