Democracy: An ideal form of government

By: Asfa Hanif

 Democracy: An ideal form of government

1. Introduction:
2. Distinctiveness of an ideal form of government:
 Freedom of speech and expression
 Vibrant civil society
 Functional governance
 Supremacy of constitution
 Legitimacy of elected government
3. Indispensability of the aliment of democracy:
 Ensures progressive decisions
 Wipes Out the malaises of social evils
 Promotes national integration
 Fosters the effectiveness of institutions
 Brings political stability
 Provides conducive milieu for development
4. Constituents behind derailment of democracy:
 Benighted societal attitude
 Ignition of micro powers
 Irrationality in policy making
 Political dynasty
 Franchised globalization
5. Getting democracy right:
 Robust constitution
 Fortify all features of democracy
 Revitalization of democratic features
 Instigation of “Sunset Provision”
 Delegation of power sparingly
 Formulation of “think long” policy
6. Conclusion:

The human beings characteristics are consisted of ideas, rationality, individuality, ego-
identification, novelty and personal allegiance. These are beautiful aspects of being human, but
problematic of(for) being politicians in the modern age of democracy (unclear). Democracy let’s
people speak through their minds and shape their own and their next generations’ future. Now a
days, democracy is about a small community where politics are about power and authority. But
democracy is an ideal form of government, when it gives right to speak, right to participation,
right to ask questions to the politicians and good governance.

The fundamental characteristics of a democratic state is the existence of freedom of

speech and expressions. It includes the freedom to hold options, and to receive and impart
information and ideas without any interference by the authority. It is a core and broad human
right standard that is why encoded in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

“Everyone has a right to freedom of opinion and expression…”.

So media, individuals, organizations, corporations, even politicians(organize start from

individuals and move to higher level) all have the right to speak, publish and express opinions.
The state should not limit that right unnecessarily. The limits and propriety of freedom vary in
democracies, such as France prohibits rhetoric oratory, Germany limits the propagation of Nazi
ideology and bans parties espousing Nazism. Electoral democracies like Turkey and Pakistan
have blasphemy laws forbidding the mockery of their religion.(add a concluding line that says
yes democracy is good but there are certain limits)

A vibrant civil society aids democratic counties not only to recover disasters, but
to support transformation of democratic politics. John Stuart Mill argues;

“Involving people in politics would positively impact their moral and intellectual virtue,
making them more concerned about the common good.”

In the democracies where participation of people is prohibited by the governments became

corrupt and morally weak, participation in politics is much more than just voting. It drives the
ability to take part in public affairs, the opportunity to register as a candidate, to campaign to be
elected and to hold office in case of victory. For example, in the USA the public participation is
typically mandatory for rule promulgation by executive agencies of the U.S government.

Similarly a functional governance is the essence of democracy. A democracy

makes the politicians and peoples accountable, for example, in the Panama Leaks scandal the
people of Iceland forced the premier to resign and made him accountable. (add a linking
sentence) Rule of law in a society is basic element of governance that ensures democracy. In
democracy, the rule of law protects the rights of citizens and ensures that all people are equal
before the law. But the use of arbitrary power is anathema to the rule of law. In the current
scenario ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Mayanmar is an example of the breakdown of the rule of
law in a democratic state.( also can say that democracy says inclusivity of all in Myanmar case
its not happening)
 Another essential ingredient of the democracy is the ( add the separation of
powers of institute here and than move it to constitution… its natural flow of information)
supremacy of constitution, constitutional principles reflect the ideology and identity of the state.
The three tiers of the government, i.e. the legislature, the executive and the judiciary observe and
perform their individual role as enshrined in the constitution for betterment of the people on one
hand and for the sustenance of democracy on the other hand. Many democratic states like
Pakistan, Nigeria, the USA and South Africa envisage supremacy of constitution but there are
many loopholes, when they implement the supremacy some pillars are failed fail to work
efficiently, for example in case of Pakistan(give some other example) parliamentarians amend
the laws for their vested interests, people do not respect the judicial verdict and protest against it.
Such acts make a democracy vulnerable.(reiterating that democracy is ideal and also vulnerable
as you are taking things sie by side)

Likewise, in the democratic states, the legitimacy of the elected government is

more important because people with the majority elect them and give them power of decision for
their future. But there are many treaties and rules on the world that argue if the regime is abusive
or irresponsible, then it is not able to have legitimate authority. In French constitution that
declared in 1973 stated

“… The most sacred of rights and the most indispensable of duties… the violation of the
rights of people by the government”.

Although such steps weaken the democratic system, but id the elected government is doing
something against the democratic laws its mean it is not a true democratic government. There are
many examples that ensure this ingredient of democracy such as failed attempts of the military
coup in Turkey provide the legitimacy of the elected government.

In any democratic state if the above mentioned distinctive features are absent or
weak, then there will be no democracy(democracy will not be) in its ideal form. But the question
is that why the democracy is considered indispensable? Indeed, there are many reasons for
indispensability of the aliment of democracy (if you think its indespensible are you sure to call it
an ailment… vague connotation) such as; democracy ensures the progress of a state by making
strong decisions of the Democratic leaders. Such leaders take decisions in the interest of their
nations and for the sovereignty of their states. For example, the bold decision or Brexit by the
British government for its nation and for nationalism( in context of refendum taking opinion of
the people it is good too) is one of the good examples of democratic decisions.

Whenever there is democracy in its true sense it wipes out the malaises social
evils like corruption, bribery, terrorism, poverty etc. when people are accountable and make their
leaders also accountable there would be no corruption in a society. Denmark is the least corrupt
country, according to the Corruption Perception Index 2016, because they strengthened core
institutions of democratic society such as political parties, parliament, administrations, and the
judiciary is (which) systematically worked for its nation and try(tried) to cease the corruption.
Some other social evils nepotism, bribery, injustice are due to corruption in society and the
democratic state wipes out these malaises acts. The uneasiness due to poverty and unemployment
can be covered up with the democratic system because, democracy provides all basic necessities
to the nation or society(also example here). Similarly, terrorism can be curbed when there is a
strong democracy in the world. People will get their basic rights so no one will be terrorized and
the current terrorism can be dealt with effective policies of the government.

Democracy not only curbs the social evils, but promotes the national integration.
It is very important for the sovereignty of many states like Pakistan, where there is widespread
diversity in culture, people of different races and ethnicities are living there. If all of them did not
get their rights and unable to fulfil their needs, there will be Chaos in the country. That is why
democracy is very essential for its sustainability. There are many other countries like India, the
USA that are diverse in their culture, but they are sovereign only because of the democratic
system.

The democracies always work for effectiveness of all pillars of the state and make
them strong, effective and independent in their policy making such as democracy of the USA
strengthens the executive parliament and judiciary as well. All these institutes are effective, on
the other hand, in Pakistan these institutes are feeble and frail, so they are not effective and not
working in their true meanings the reason is a weak democratic system.

Besides this, democracy brings stability in political as well as in the social system.
Arab spring is the example of political unrest, in Arabian countries due to the absence of
democracy. In similar manners, the uprising of Catalonia in France is an example of weak
democracy, on the other hand Switzerland is one of the most democratic state because there is
political stability and it confirms all essential ingredient of democracy at its best level.

Democracies in the world provide the conducive milieu for growth and
development through new schemes and innovative policies. According to resolution of United
Nations General Assembly 66/288

“Democracy, good governance and rule of law at the national and international level are
essential for sustainable development, including sustained and inclusive economic
growth…’’

Brazil is one of the democratic and developed country of the world and its growth and
development because of democracy.

Point to ponder is that when democracy is the ideal form of government it is

implicated with all its essence, then which constituents derail it? So the forces that weaken
democracy are as follows; the most crucial factor behind its derailment is benighted societal
attitude, people are unaware of their basic right as well as the responsibilities of government.
When they are unlettered then government take advantage and run away from their
responsibilities, especially in Pakistan politicians are irresponsible and there is a lack of true
democracy due to ignorance of people.

In the world of globalization the most powerful challenge for democracy is

ignition of “Micro Powers”. The interference of other states, NGOs and the lobbyists make the
states weaker. When the states are democratically weak the issues will raise as the Catalan the
Scots, from Indian states, and from American city mayors all are trying to reclaim power from
their national governments. Similarly propaganda of super powers in other states, making life
harder for democratic leaders.vague …link leaders first than bring it to democracy

The biggest reason of derailment is neither unconsciousness of society, nor stir up

micro power, but the irrationality of politicians in decision making. The democratic governments
are taken to run big structural deficit as a matter of course. They borrow short term matters from
the voters and neglect long term investments. France and Italy have not balanced their budgets
for more than 30 years. Similarly in Pakistan financial crises are strongly exposed the
unsustainability to cover up the financial gap, the politicians take loans from international banks
and put the burden to the next government and the state is derailed.

Political dynasty is another factor of weakening democracy. Although, there is

democracy, but with limited choice. The political system is captured by interest groups of
different sectors and undermined by the Democractic habits. So these groups use political
systems for their benefit. Even, the capitalist elite of India constantly complains that Indi’s
chaotic democracy produces rotten infrastructure while China’s authoritarian system generates
highways, gleaming airports and speedy trains. Similarly, in Pakistan feudal lord culture is
derived from the democratic dynasty. Every political party when came into power develop the
sector, which is beneficial for their own interests.

(link to democracy…otherwise why write it)In the modern age, globalization has changed
the national politics. National politicians have surrendered ever more powers, for example, to
global markets and supranational bodies. Thus, they find themselves unable to keep promises
that they made to voters. International organizations like Internationl Monetary Funds, World
Trade Organizations and European Union have extended their influence. No single country can
compel it. It is an international phenomena. National politicians try to inhibit the influence of the
globalization but they fail to do. Then they hand over their powers to the technocrats in some
areas. The number of central banks, for example, has increased from 20 to 160 today.

The problem of weakening of democracy has been grave not for a single state, but for the
whole all states of the world also. So there is time to take democracy on the right track. In
current scenario the democracy is a powerful but imperfect mechanism(state this in the intro as
well). So the imperfection can be cured by effective remedies such as; Robust constitution, not
only for long term stability, but reducing likelihood also that evoke the minorities against the
elected government. It also blosters the struggle against all social evils like corruption, that is
bane of developing countries. Conversely the first sign of pang democracy that will be calm and
repose when elected rulers try to erode constraints on their power often in the name of majority
rules. Several African countries, for example, are engaged in crude majoritarianism.

Another reason of failing democracy as discussed earlier is putting too much emphasize
on election and too little on other essentials of democracy like, rule of law, right to speech, good
governance, strong, effective institutions and, political stability etc. The power of the state needs
to be checked and must be granted all the accessories of democracy. The most successful
democracies have worked on all these ingredients of democracy to make a perfect recipe. India
has survived since 1947 and Brazil from 1980s for much of the reasons; both put limits on the
government’s power and ensure features of democracy.

The features of democracy are looked update due to technological revolution and
globalization so there is a dire need to revitalize them. Some countries like America has already
embarked upon the process. Pakistan should start intra-party elections and accountability of their
politicians as well as all institutions. The European parliament should ask their PMs to present
with their receipts of their expenses. Italy’s parliamentarians, who paid well and two equally
powerful chambers, which make it difficult to get anything done.

By other means, governments can exercise self-restraint in several ways. (how is this
related to democracy??? Make a relevance tp ideal form of government )They can adopt tight
fiscal rules as the Swedish government done by pledging the expenses to balance the budget over
the economic cycle. They introduce “Sunset Provision” that force the politicians to renew the
laws after specific tenure and the existing laws are nullified after a time period. They also
welcome non-partisans to propose long term policies. So the developing countries where
democracy is under siege, can adopt such strategies.

The most effective strategy to strengthen the democracy is the delegation of powers
sparingly among governmental institutions. The power of the federation must be balanced by the
power of provinces or states and the issues of lower levels are solved by giving the authority to
the concerned local bodies. This trick not only harness the globalization on the international
level, but also control the rise of micro powers, lobbying and propagandas. It will reinforce the
democracy, rather than undermine it.

Last but not the least solution specifically for the developing countries can be a policy
like “Think Long” committee of California. This committee develops comprehensive approaches
to repair the broken system of the governance of California, while evaluating policies and
institutions vital for the state’s long term future. This system is helping the state to balance its
budget and to achieve the surreal success.(good example but again relate it to how it makes them
an ideal govt. for the people)
 Thus the democracy is an ideal form of government since the 20 th century, but the
condition of being ideal is to ensure right to speech and participation along with all fundamental
human rights, functional governance system and robust institutions. All such ingredients made
the democracy an ideal form of government, when it was nascent. The deterioration of
democracy in the modern age is due because of its narrow implication. But if the democracy
would be an ideal form of government again, it must be both nutrified when it is young and
carefully maintained when it is mature.(a good line to end)

A lot of repetition …clarity and focus on sentence arrangement and organization of

thought is needed… if this is a first attempt it is fair enough…