THE VOTE IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE

14 Mar 1994

Dear Editor

THE VOTE IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE

        I refer to the letter "Should all people really be given one vote 
each?" by Mr George Wong Seow Choon (ST, 14 Mar).
        I reject Mr Wong's thesis that the vote is a privilege rather than 
a fundamental right. The vote is recognition that sovereignty rests with 
the people. It is, therefore, a fundamental right. To claim that it is a 
privilege - thereby implying that someone, or some group, will bestow 
that privilege - is to claim sovereign power for an elite.
        Mr Wong should not have used the extreme case of a person 
who was born mentally deficient to support his argument that more 
votes be given to a person based on his ability to make sound 
judgements or his contributions to society. Most of us may not be 
Einsteins but our ability to judge and to choose our leaders is not so 
severely impaired as to warrant restriction.
        Mr Wong will safeguard the principle of equal rights for all by 
giving each person one vote at birth. However, giving out "extra" votes 
later will make a mockery of that principle.
        The apparent weakness of democratic governments worldwide 
is certainly cause for concern but providing more votes to the elite is not 
the solution. The problems of democratic governments stem in part 
from citizens unwilling to sacrifice for the common good. The fatal 
assumption in Mr Wong's "solution" is that the elite will be able to rise 
above its selfish interests. Why should it? Altruism has never been a 
common characteristic of Man.
        Introducing unequal voting power will sow the seed of a more 
rigidly stratified society wherein those who have "arrived" will seek to 
protect and enhance their privileges.  They will have the means to do so 
because or their "extra" votes. Worse still, the logical conclusion of Mr 
Wong's line of reasoning is a tyranny by a privileged few.
        It is true that modern government is extremely complex and 
that the average person is often puzzled by the intricacies of public 
policy-making. However, the temptation to surrender control of our 
destiny to an elite must be firmly resisted. We should seek instead to 
educate the people better, create a civic society and insist that 
government be more transparent and accountable. It may be a slower 
process but far too much has already been sacrificed at the altar of 
Efficiency.
        We must never forget that sovereign power rests with the 
people. History has shown that peoples who forgot this principle 
eventually regretted it. Those who wield power are stewards, not 
masters. Mr Wong's proposal will turn the stewards into masters. It is 
unacceptable.