Is
democracy the best form of government? The question is being
increasingly posed by common man in so-called democratic countries
worldwide. In the developed world, where most countries became
democratic only after their colonial era when they plundered and amassed
ill-gotten wealth from far off continents, the question is silent and
academic. But it is not so in the democratic countries of the developing
world. All of us want to see a just and happy society within our
lifetime and with democratic governments it is simply not happening.
Democracy promised the best form of representative rule but invariably
the actual power lands in the hands of few who wield it with no qualms.
In many of the bigger and populous nations, the system is tending to ‘democrazy’
or ‘demoncracy’. Coteries and collaborators unelected by the
common man are taking over reigns in many major democracies. Electoral
politics has brought down democracy from nobler echelons to the lowest
levels of probity.
Changing Definition
One of
the few American Presidents respected worldwide, Abraham Lincoln, had
defined democracy as a form of government of the people, by the people
and for the people in his famous Gettysburg Address, 1863. In those
days, people of a nation were not divided as majority and minorities as
of now. So when he said people, he meant a majority of all people. But
now it is the majority versus the minorities in all countries. The
definition of majority and minorities is more often based on religion
than anything else. Almost all nations have a majority and several
minorities. It would be interesting to see how democracy fits into this
era of religions. Substituting people with majority and minorities, we
can have several combinations for a new definition of democracy:
Of
By
For
Majority
Majority
Majority
Majority
Majority
Minorities
Majority
Minorities
Minorities
Minorities
Minorities
Majority
Minorities
Majority
Majority
Minorities
Majority
Minorities
Minorities
Minorities
Minorities
In the
above table, the definition of democracy takes a full circle between
majority-majority-majority to minorities-minorities-minorities. In a
secular democratic country with universal adult franchise, the ideal
situation would be a government of majority by majority equally for
majority and minorities. But our experience the world over proves that
it is not possible to have perfect conditions when imperfect humans are
involved. It will be either hijacked by the minorities or forcibly
usurped by the majority. Someone is bound to suffer and a fair and just
society never develops in a democratic environment. Re-definition of
democracy to suit the current conditions world over is long overdue if
democracy is to remain a meaningful option.
Checks and Balances
What is singularly lacking in any democratic form of governance is an
effective method of recalling elected representatives if they do not
perform. In the world’s largest democracy, it is field day for five
years for many from the day they get elected by fluke or crook. There
are several members who do not get up and speak even once in their five
years of tenure. Uneducated, unqualified and incapable candidates get
elected merely on the basis of their birth in a particular caste,
religion or place, all three of which are beyond anyone’s control.
Meaningful democracy rests on the foundation of meritorious candidates
getting elected only on the basis of declared policies of their
political parties. The whole purpose is defeated if there is no role for
any form of merit (except relative’s merit) in the complete election
process. And that is exactly what has come to in almost all democracies
in the developing world.
Another important factor that is making democracy ineffective is the
status quo mentality with regard to the constitution which is supposed
to make it work. All constitutions are man made and therefore perfect
only for the time being. What is good for the nation today need not be
good tomorrow, yet there is strange affinity for the rulers to keep it
unchanged. Amending the constitution for maintaining progress and
development of the society must be a natural process and not something
to be fought for. Elected members must be debating on how to amend the
laws of the land for progress and prosperity of the nation much before
there is a clamor from the laymen. To a large extent, death of democracy
is accelerated by the single fact that less than 10% time of any
parliament is spent on debating changes in laws and constitution.
Instead, most of the time it serves as an opera house in focus for
protests and pandemonium to highlight the success and failures of
government for maximum mileage in the next elections.
Looking for Options
If we are looking around for better options of governance, controlled
monarchy definitely emerges as a good substitute. There are many oldies
who argue that conventional monarchy was better because corruption was
limited to only one family. When we notice the extent of corruption in
the democratic countries worldwide, we cannot but accept the merit in
this apparently silly argument. Governance is must for sustaining a
civilized society and assigning the role to the best person and his
family seems to be the best option available. The only point to be noted
is the mechanism for dethroning the ruler when his will is totally
against those of his subjects. Approval of the ruler in a cycle of every
five years may be the best method to achieve this. Also, ascension
should not be automatic but subject to the approval of the people by
means of a democratic country wide election.
In any case, it is high time that the several institutes researching on
democracy started thinking unconventionally to evolve hybrid models of
governance if democracy is to survive in one form or another. Pure
conventional democracy with universal adult franchise has failed like
pure communism. Combining the best traits in monarchy and democracy
(call it monocracy) can work out systems of governance good for
the common man. Good men among us with in-built nationalism and natural
justice can definitely become our rulers. Perhaps that is the only way
to ensure that poverty, illiteracy and all sorts of misery are
eliminated in our society within the shortest time possible. Many of the
developing countries cannot survive without such revolutionary changes
in governance.
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