Democracy

DEMOCRACY

Basic Points:

I . Definition & History ( Para 1 ,2 )  

II.  Conditions & Political Parties ( Para 3 ,4 ) 

III. Merits & Demerits ( Para 5 ,6 )  

IV. Strong Objection ( Para 7 )  

V. Democracy in Pakistan & Conclusion ( Para 8, 9 , 10 )

   

   

 In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people.” It is a system of government in which the citizens exercise power directly or elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body. It gives opportunities to the people to control their leaders and to oust them without the need for a revolution. The term democracy has been derived from the Greek words “Demos” meaning “people: and “kratia” meaning “rule”. So, democracy as a whole means “rule of the commoners.” It may be either direct or indirect. It is the most popular and the most favourite type of system all over the world.

             “Democracy is when the people control the government.” 

  - Aung San Suu Kyi

   

    

     Democracy appeared as a political term for the first time in 508 -507 B.C., in the city-state of Athens, Greece. The Roman Republic (509-27 B.C.) was also a kind of democracy. Almost fourteen hundred years ago, Islam presented it in the form of “Caliphate” and gave a concept of “the Parliament” (Majlis-e-Shura) . It progressed in Europe in 17^th century when there was a renewed interest in Magna Carta. The first Parliament of Great Britain was established in 1707. Later, on the American frontier, democracy became a way of life, with more widespread social, economic and political equality. Today almost every country around the globe is a democratic country or on the way to become one.

                   “The human heart is the first home of democracy.”       

  –Terry Tempest Williams

   It is a type of government which is based on the willing consent of the public. In this system, every citizen is free to take part in affairs of the state. Public is not treated like “dumb cattle.” Rather they are provided with the right to speak and to criticize if the elected government is not performing its duties well. The force of the public is more than the will of the government in this system. Fair elections among political parties, a free press, and an independent judiciary are some of the important conditions for democracy. But like all other systems, it has some merits and some demerits.

                          

                   “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” 

                                                             -Benjamin Franklin

   

     Political parties play a very important role in democracy. These parties are like blood line in this system. These parties take part in elections and the public elects one of them to take the control of the state. The opposing parties exercise the check that is based on the criticism against the elected party. These checks perform the function of constructive building and also make the government realize its position and act for the good of the state.

           “Ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors of bullets.”

 –Abraham Lincoln

       Democracy has many merits. It impedes the rule of tyrants and vicious brutes. It prevents war. It tries to foster human development as it works for the better health of the masses. It generates opportunities for education. It takes solid steps to enhance human facilities and resources. It strives to provide the masses with opportunities to increase their personal income. It works for the betterment of the common man. It is based on equality. Every citizen is thought to be equal by law. Above all, it promotes political culture, democratic beliefs and values.

“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”

  –Abraham Lincoln

                         

                  Being popular and favourite is no guarantee for a thing to be asserted as appreciable. Therefore, democracy has some demerits also. It gives birth to party-politics which destroys the liberty and individuality of the people. Moral values are ignored in democracy. Everything is fair for winning the elections. Moreover, bribery and corruption are the common abuses of democracy. It brings about inequalities in economic and social resources. That’s why it was said:

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”

Sir Winston Churchill

   

     One strong objection that is leveled against democracy is that it is quantitative, and not qualitative. As a result of it, sober and cool minded politicians are elbowed out by fire brand orators, with fiery slogans and catchy-words. People make wrong choice and nations have paid heavy prices for their political blunders. In the Islamic concept of Democracy, authority lies in the Almighty. Moreover, quality and not quantity is given more importance in the selection of representatives.

               “A democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.” –Benjamin Franklin 

  

    Democracy in Pakistan, unfortunately, has never been successful. The real misfortune of Pakistan was the untimely demise of the Quaid-e-Azam. Those who followed him had their axes to grind. They were never loyal to the nation. Constitution plays its role as a back bone of a democratic country. But the First Constitution of Pakistan was implemented in 1956 and rejected by a military dictator in 1958. The second Constitution made in 1962 was also rejected. In 1971, the country was divided into two parts. Since then, martial law and democracy have been playing a game of hide-and-seek. Noticeably, our country made rapid progress under the military governments as compared to the elected ones because no elected government has been given the chance to run its affairs smoothly. It is rightly said:

                      “Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is fallacy.”

  -Benito Mussolini

  

      The main reasons for the failure of democracy in Pakistan are lack of education, lack of political sense, and interruption of non-political and non-democratic elements. Many more challenges like terrorism are here. We all need to be tolerant enough to regard the point of view of every man because difference in opinions is one of the essentials of democracy. Despite terrorism, brutality and corruption, we can make our country very successful only if every citizen comes forward by taking part in affairs of the state.

  “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.” 

–Pericles

     

All said for and against, democracy still remains the best choice in various systems of governments hither-to (until now) known to man. To quote Shakespeare: “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” Same is the case with democracy. It is a double-edged sword but its positive aspects seem to overrule the negative ones if properly implemented. The very idea that they have to seek fresh mandate from the people, keep the rulers in proper limits. To sum up, we can reform democracy as a system but can’t easily replace it.