Democracy alone will not lead to good governance

Regarding the commentary, “Does democracy lead to good governance?” (July 17), I would say that democracy alone will not lead to good governance.

There are two types of democracy: Western-style democracy and Eastern-style democracy. No matter which style they believe in and practise, goverments must be compassionate and take care of the country and its citizens.

At times, for the sake of the country’s and citizens’ future, governments must have the courage to implement practical policies, which could be considered harsh, instead of popular policies.

Democracy is a journey, never a destination. I am disappointed with Western governments and organisations because they force their style of democracy on others, especially Asian countries.

Non-Western countries can and should learn from the West and vice versa, but they cannot be like the West because of their different cultures, histories, mindsets, beliefs and so on.

Even Western countries are not the same in terms of history, culture, et cetera. And no country or government should dictate that others follow its style of democracy.