PrologueEpisode IEpisode IIEpisode IIIEpisode IVEpisode VEpisode VI

Let’s Talk

Democracy and Hong Kong’s Constitutional Reform

 

An Imaginary Dialogue between Two Hong Kong Citizens

 

Episode III

On Justifying Democracy

 

Pragmatist Hong:          I am confused!!

 

Visionary Kong:              Pardon me! What is confusing you? Is my explanation of democracy too confusing? My apologies. Which part do you not understand? Tell me. Let me elaborate further.

 

Pragmatist Hong:            No! No! Your explanation is lucid and excellent. I now have a very clear understanding of what democracy is. Democracy sounds a lot simpler than I originally thought!

 

Basically, democracy is about political equality, meaning that every citizen has an equal right to participate in the decision-making of government. Is my understanding correct?

 

If this is correct, since everyone has the right to participate equally in policy making processes, can I infer that democracy also requires that each one’s interests ought also to be given equal consideration in choosing the laws and policies of a society?

 

Visionary Kong:              Yes, the idea of democracy is pretty simple, though I must emphasize that establishing the necessary and sufficient conditions for democracy is far from simple. It requires a lot of theoretical and empirical research.

 

Yes, both your understanding and your inference are correct. Political equality logically entails the principle of equal consideration of interests.

 

Put it another way, democracy and the value of political equality are founded on the principle of equal consideration of interests – i.e. democracy is justified on the ground of equal consideration of interests.[1] Thomas Rainsborough once observed that “the poorest he that is in England has a life to live as the greatest he”.[2] What he means is that everyone in society is equally important or intrinsically equal in the moral sense. Because of this, the interests of every member of society ought to be given due consideration in collective decisions. To enable equal consideration of the interests of each citizen in collective decision-making, we need democracy!

 

Of course, equal consideration of interests is only one of many justifications of democracy. Other justifications include liberty, self-government ……

 

Oh, sorry! I am too indulging in talking about democracy. So, what confuses you?

 

To be continued….