Mahathir: Democracy must have limits

Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad warns the Philippines that democracy must have limits.  “When people think only of the freedoms of democracy and know nothing about the implied responsibilities, democracy will not bring the goodness that it promises,” Mahathir said at a lecture at the University of Santo Tomas.  “Instead, it will result only in instability, and instability will not permit development to take place for the people to enjoy benefits of freedom and the rights that democracy promises.”  Mahathir was Malaysia’s longest-serving leader and has often been criticized as a strong-man ruler.  This is the second time the Philippines has heard words like this from a Southeast Asian leader.  The first was in the early 90’s from Singapore’s architect, Lee Kuan Yew.  Both men led their countries to impressive growth, defining a more centralized form of democracy than the Philippines’ free-wheeling system.

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