Democracy – Merits and Demerits
Democracy is the government elected by the majority of the people. It is a governing structure where rule comes from the people instead of the military or state. It generates the citizens’ interest in the country’s politics by giving them the right to elect the members of the government. Democracies give people a chance to become personally involved with their government. It is important in a democratic system that the citizens of the country participate and are aware of the social issues and their right to vote. People can choose to vote in whatever way their morality dictates. There should be a sense of responsibility in people. The elections should be monitored impartially to ensure system integrity. Democracy is considered to be the best form of government these days. Most of the countries in the world have adopted it.
Some characteristics of democracy are legal equality, rule of law and political freedom. Democracy runs with the principle of majority rule. It is a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges. Under democracy, all eligible citizens have equal access to legislative processes and are equal before the law. All democracies are systems in which citizens freely make political decisions by majority rule. Vote by every eligible citizen is valuable and has equal weight. The rights and liberties of the citizens are protected by the constitution. The rights of minorities are protected because democratic laws and institutions protect the rights of all citizens. Democracy protects human rights through co-operation and coordination. The rights of minorities do not depend upon the goodwill of the majority and cannot be eliminated by majority vote. It offers diversity to represent all the communities. Equality lies at the heart of democracy.
Merits and Demerits of Democracy
Merits of Democracy: Democracy is the government of people as compared to the government of a single ruler or of a class of people. It gives voice to the citizens of the country in legislation and develops a sense of responsibility among them. In a democracy, everyone has one vote and every vote must have one and equal value. People elect the members of the government themselves in a democratic government so it gives the freedom of thought and speech. It allows citizens and the government to correct its own mistake.
Democracy has been defined as the government of the people, by the people and for the people. People have the right to elect their representatives by giving their valuable votes. These representatives represent the citizens in the legislature. If the citizens are not happy with their representatives then in the next elections they may not re-elect them. It enhances the dignity of citizens.
Demerits of Democracy: Democracy has its set of disadvantages as well and one of the biggest disadvantages is the rule of ignorance. Leaders keep changing in a democracy that leads to instability. People who are not educated or intelligent are likely to take the wrong decisions in the casting of votes and this can lead to the wrong choice of government leaders. It is all about political competition and power play, hence there is no scope for morality. In our country, people fail to make sound or independent decision. It leads to delays as it needs the approval of many departments and ministers. The corrupt politicians or those who lack skills but are famous personalities like actors often get elected due to the ignorance of people. Democracy leads to corruption as it is based on electoral competition.
