International Human rights respect,International Human rights respect

People power!

People say democracy is the best political system, though W. Churchill suggested otherwise. What is democracy? As the Oxford dictionary describes it- "government by all the people, usually through elected representatives". As the Greek words DEMOS and Krateein mean PEOPLE and RULE. So it shall mean that all the human beings of a certain area have equal rights to live as they wish! But how do we declare this theory, which we find in the Webster's Dictionary-" a theory of government which in its purest form, holds that the state should be controlled by all the people, each sharing equally in privileges, duties and responsibilities and each participating in person in the government as in the city-states of ancient Greece. In practice, control is vested in elective officers as representatives who may be upheld or removed by the people." As Plato has said the country should be governed by wise aristocrats, and not by poor people. Today we proclaim other ideas, which are imbedded in the UN Declaration of human rights and one suggests to exercise through the European Convention on Human Rights (Articles 10,11), but act similarly to the ancient thoughts. Nowadays we hear more often the word people power-- in Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan) people are outplayed by the government and in the end it causes to massive protests and demonstrations/clashes, which sometimes lead to resignation of several officials (Estrada, Suharto etc.). We may also face demonstrations in Latin America, but usually it does not have any political effect. The Western world there are demonstrations too, but they are mainly on environmental, economic or anti-* demonstrations. Sometimes they are commemorative (holocaust) or averness raising (youth against xenophobia, youth for a united Europe etc.). The latest is the better, because you are free to act as you wish, to say what you are willing to and not punished for it. Also in such democracy you should understand that other people do possess similar rights so some compromise have to be found. Again in political demonstration there is a key element of majority. If some overwhelmingly elected official faces a small insignificant 'mob' no result should be expected, but also the 'mob' should have the right to express in public their attitude and require acts by their belief (maybe they were the ones who did not vote for the certain official). But to rule means to make decisions, but how can a great many of people make rational, mutually beneficial decisions. So humanity established public office, which is a transformation of 'rights' of the community to certain elected individuals (the equality is lost or "democratic equilibrium" emerged). Today we call these people - in power! Why? As the dictionary describes it-- the ability to act. We emphasize-- to ACT. Or from Latin -possum (to be able), as the Great Classics (Cicero, Livius, Horatius) have said: Potis Sum (or I am able). And if we look at the ancient world (on its morality) we realize that being at the helm was an honor and is mainly related to noble deeds. We suggest that it did not mean absolute strength or control, but rather the capability to pardon. Nevertheless power is understood today mainly as “capacity to exercise control” and strength, although these are only the second and third meanings of the word. Why is it so important? Because there could not be people power (democracy) where power is control and ability to prohibit. It is the people who controls! When public office was established it was not designed for certain individual, so public officer should also not act as if he owns something but rather than uses. Uses the Vested rights of the people, which they (people) have the right to take back (recapture?). But that is theory and dictionary language, which remains far from the daily lives of millions of oppressed and abused.