[22-I5] ‘Checks on power are necessary for good governance.’ Comment. by Kajal Kaur Khaira https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl In pairs, come up with a paragraph in response to the question :) Please indicate your names in the title! en-us 2023-03-19 14:45:06 UTC 2025-11-16 22:14:52 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/2696.png fao geng vkan jerry 2022zhangruijie https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528133118 Checks on power are necessary for good governance as it keeps corruption at bay, allowing the government to truly achieve its goals of development. The goal of all governments is to maximise societal welfare for its citizens, most crucially by maintaining a strong and reliable economy. By showing that the government is reliable and trustworthy by having low corruption rates, foreign investors are more likely to be attracted to do business in Singapore. A nation with low corruption gives equal opportunitie for all to do business and keeps the economy free and fair. When corruption exists in government, politicians will act in their own interest by favouring certain firms and embezelling state funds that were put aside for economic development. This forgoes societal welfare and puts the nation in a worse off position to achieve its goals of equity, efficiency and economic growth. A prime example that drives this point home is the 1MDB scandal in Malaysia, where billions of dollars that were set aside for economic growth were embzelled by corrupt politicians and other individuals. This scandal cost the Malaysian government 4.5 billion US dollars in losses and put them in heavy debt, shaking the financial world. This also significantly lowered the trust of their citizens and foreign investors in the government, which further stunted Malaysia's economic growth. With better checks and balances on power in place, these scandals would have been prevented as there will be more scrutiny towards the actions of politicians and government agencies, ensuring a lower level of corruption and building trust in the government as a whole. Therefore, checks on power are crucial for good governance.]]> 2023-03-23 02:44:49 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528133118 Paxson and Mingxuan https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528135930 Checks on power are necessary for good governance as it ensures that freedom of rights and liberties is preserved and that people are not bounded by the chains of power hungry governments. Around the world, different countries have their own special way of governance, with many of them following the Americanised way of democracy. Yet, even though the ideals of democracy accentuates freedom of expression, this is often not the case with the draconian laws imposed upon the average citizen by dictators or strict governments, so as to consolidate power or to project their own vision. This has led to rampant oppression with people being unable to project themselves, losing their basic rights such as simply against the  ideals of the governments. For example, countries such as North Korea has always been known for adopting inhumane punishments for their citizens when they do not conform to the set goals and policies put in place by their ‘Supreme Leader’ Kim Jung Un. Another country in a similar situation would be Russia, with Putin imprisoning citizens and journalists during a protest against the Russian-Ukraine War. As seen, checks of power are definitely required as too much power possessed by the government can lead to detrimental repercussions to citizens’ lives as their livelihood and civil liberties are robbed from them. Therefore, checks in power are necessary for good governance.]]> 2023-03-23 02:46:59 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528135930 Yiyang darius kendice https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528137772 Checks on power are necessary to give citizens the assurance and confidence to support their government. Regular checks on power are needed so that citizens are kept up to date on government plans in different areas such as the economy and healthcare. Citizens will feel more involved in government decisions for the country and can make sure that they do not abuse their power for their own personal good but instead is for the citizens good. Finland is the top country for most well distributed political power rating and the citizens are also the happiest. ]]> 2023-03-23 02:48:36 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528137772 Jules and Kar Win https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528138122 Checks on power are necessary to ensure that there is little to no corruption within a country which could lead an inefficient government. The 1MDB scandal in Malaysia showed how corruption within the government can lead to economic troubles for a country. The scandal caused Malaysia to go into debt which hindered their progress and development. If governments powers are not kept in check, leaders would be able to exploit their positions for personal gain which leads to poor governance of the country. It is necessary for checks of power to be put in place in order to ensure transparency of what countries’ leaders are doing and ensure that they continue to run the country smoothly and efficiently. Policies should be put in place to limit what leaders are able to do with their powers and ensure that citizens are well informed on the government’s budget. Corruption is a rampant problem in many countries around the world and detrimental effects on the countries citizens are very evident. It is important for governments to kept in check to ensure the wellbeing of the countries citizens. ]]> 2023-03-23 02:48:49 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528138122 Chloe Rebecca https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528138670 Checks and Balances in a country can help the people ensure that their government is fully serving them in the direction of their interest, and not taking any chances to exploit the trust the people put in them. Different governments of different countries have their own ways of managing the country and ensuring the welfare of people, since the government is established to support its people. Ideally, governments‘ priorities should always be in line with people’s interest but in reality, this is often not the case. This is where external checks and balances on the government are necessary for good governance in the direction of public interest. An example will be that of Pakistan, which did not start with democracy at first. The people of Pakistan want democracy, but the history of military rule makes it hard for the country to change its governance to democracy. Pakistanis want the government to focus resources on improving their lives yet a military influence would mean that a large portion of resources would go to war funds. In this case, a militaristic government would not be in line with the peoples interest. A governance that does not act in line with the people’s interest is not really a good government.

]]> 2023-03-23 02:49:20 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528138670 Alethea, Fran https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528139060 Checks on power is necessary as it ensures the government upholds its duty responsibly and do not abuse it's power and authority for his or her own selfish uses. This also helps maintain the trust between citizens and the government, allowing governance to be run smoothly without as much accusations and controversy. Citizens do not have to fear of a corrupt government that is not prioritising their welfare. Having a relationship based on trust will help both the government and citizens to work together to move forward economically, politically and socially and not having to doubt the government's responsibility. This can be seen from the 1MDB scandal where the Wall Street Journal exposed Malaysia's former prime minister, Najib's, embezzlement of over 8 billion in state funds. This check on power helped to end Najib's party's 61 year rule over Malaysia ensuring that the country was no longer run by a corrupt government. This helped to improve the welfare of Malaysian citizens, giving them a better standard of living. Hence, checks on power are necessary for good governance.]]> 2023-03-23 02:49:41 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528139060 dawn and adhithi https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528140941 Checks on power helps to challenge the government into thinking about ways to improve processes in society, hence improving efficiency in bringing about change.
we define checks on power as limiting the power one party can hold and we define a good government as one that constantly aims to provide more for their citizens. the checks enable the government to be more aware of where they’re lacking in terms of freedom of speech and better lifestyles for citizens. when they are made more aware, they are also more likely to enact change to counter this deficit, hence improving these aspects for citizens. ]]> 2023-03-23 02:50:56 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528140941 emi sun https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528141077 Checks on power are necessary for good governance because ultimately those with titles holding concentrated powers are humans too, who desire lucrative income. To prevent major corruption and to promote democracy within the state, checks on power are necessary. To further define this, the point of checks and balances is to make sure no one branch or group of people would be able to control too much power, answering their thirst for power and monetary gains at the expense of detrimental effects affecting the country and the citizens in the long run. 

An apt example is the decentralisation of power through having different groups of people holding different powers to carry out checks and balances. This prevents corruption as no one man has the possibility to influence the policy the country undertakes. According to the statistics provided by The Economists, Denmark is ranked the world’s most democratic countries in 2022. The politics of Denmark take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. This highlights that the decentralisation of power and allocating different functions to each group acts as different stages of how a policy is being vetted by different people. 

Furthermore, in the 2020 EIU democracy index, Singapore is at the bottom of the list of ‘flawed democracies’. Singapore is also known as a hybrid regime with little corruption, where there is no concentrated power in a specific stakeholder group. Countries like Singapore can hence ensure that their government is not power hungry, and places great importance on the welfare of the state, rather than seeking greater income. This emphasises that the separation of powers within various groups in a country is necessary for promoting democracy and incorruption in a state. 

]]> 2023-03-23 02:51:03 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528141077 sophie and yuchan https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528141634 Checks on power are necessary as they increase the transparency of the government, which pressures the government to make decisions prioritizing citizens’ social welfare. This thus prevents them from falling into corruption. For example in the United States, the legislative wing of the government in America gets the power to create laws. The president has the power to veto those laws. Likewise, the judicial can declare those laws unconstitutional. Also, the legislature can overturn the president’s veto using majority votes to pass those laws. Hence, no one individual or group of individuals have full power over the country’s matters. This in turn helps the government to gain the citizens’ trust.]]> 2023-03-23 02:51:28 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528141634 millicent, jiahao https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528147367 Checks on power are necessary for good governance as it prevents concentration of power so that the government is able to represent the interest of its citizens instead of abusing the power for their own agenda. Checks on power can be conducted within the government to ensure the voice representing the citizens are trustworthy and will maximise their needs. One example of checks on powers can be the branching of government into legislative, executive and judiciary parts in democratic countries such as the USA. The legislative branch is only able to make laws but not able to make it constitutional and enforce it.
This essentially prevents the situation that the government can use the legislative power to pass any law that only meets the government’s interest instead of civilians’.]]> 2023-03-23 02:55:47 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528147367 https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528148012 It is necessary to guard against tyranny by ensuring that no branch would grab too much power. A good governance should meet the needs of its citizens so if a single branch has too much power, they may be make decisions that reflect the best interests of the citizens. An example would be the Pakistan government, which the military has been in charge for half of its 74-year long history. The military has most if not all of the power, and this is shown when Pakistan first came under military rule when General Ayub Khan seized the presidency from Iskandar Mirza. This led to many disadvantages for citizens such as the lack of freedom of speech and no civilian control in any services or institutions.]]> 2023-03-23 02:56:18 UTC https://padlet.com/eunoiapadlet/wb0jv1sbqi3pnlkl/wish/2528148012