Democracy and its defeat….
By: Shikhar Pathak
Tags: Education, Politics, Development, Democracy, Voting

Voting is Democracy, but democracy is more than just voting.

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute argument with an average voter.

Winston Churchill

The above words point out the problem of democracy in a very precise manner. This form of government gives huge power in the hands of people and who are often if not always not making rational choices based on data but they base their choices on emotions more often, emotions that appeal to some sort of chauvinism or hatred(diving people between ‘us’ and ‘them’), or hopes and aspirations and words of charismatic personalities even if the person happens to be a criminal.

Democracy is not just about choosing a few to rule and then go about doing your business, democracy is about appointing a few for a full-time job while the rest can keep an eye on them part-time while going about their business. Democracy is taking responsibility from a monarch and distributing it among people. But this distribution of responsibilities makes it difficult to identify who is actually responsible. It gets difficult to hold people accountable. For example, if there’s a normal theft who is that one person who can be held accountable?. The person who committed the theft, or the policeman who wasn’t patrolling, or the local politician who puts pressure on the police, or the teacher who taught that thief, or the robber’s parents or their economic status, which was not improved during his early childhood or the then government was responsible for not doing enough for economically disadvantaged or socially disadvantaged lot or the then people who elected a government of goons? Passing a judgment and holding someone accountable is easy but identifying who is actually responsible is the real difficult task.

Everyone living in a democracy is responsible for what happens around them, to the people, to the policies, to the economy, to the environment. It is these people who have to replace the appointed if they don’t work up to the mark. It is not just a once in a five-year job but an everyday task to evaluate what the appointed are doing.

It is the responsibility of everyone who understands economics to judge the economic policy of the appointed, and spread awareness.

It is the responsibility of every person who understands political thought to evaluate the work of the appointed regarding the policies that affect people across the spectrum.

It is everyone’s responsibility to become a better citizen and inform others and help them understand the importance thereof.

Democracy is highly idealistic in the sense that it requires the people of the country to be honest and active. Work together, help each other.

It requires teachers to work diligently and give their best to improve the educational status of the children, fully realizing the fact that it won’t just help them to lead a better life, but they will become better citizens. These children will grow up to be administrators and if they do,of what sort they would become.

It requires Doctors to help the poor at a low cost, spreading the importance of washing hands, drinking clean water and sanitation, using bed nets which can reduce malaria spread. They are not just responsible for treating those who reach them but also those who are unable to reach them. They need to understand that if the person they are treating gets healthy at a low cost he might invest more in children’s education, or if they are treating a kid, that kid might grow up to be a Minister or a Nobel laureate but for that to happen, he needs to understand that this child stays healthy.

Democracy is a very fragile political system, it needs a lot of watering and nutrition during its early years to get strong, but once it does it can sustain itself.

No one can defeat democracy except for the people living in it.

Image source- Pexels