Question

Explain any four consequences on which democracy has failed

Answer 1

ESPAÑOLA recent editorial column here at the PanAm Post spoke of the failures of the opposition parties in Venezuela and their culpability in the collapse of their country. The article raises some very important questions about democracy itself. Democracy, after all, is a very good system, and can produce some very positive results.

However, it is also a system fraught with incredible danger. Democracy represents the will of the people, but it also represents their whims, their fears, and their prejudices.

The Historical Legacy: False Promises, Division, Failure

It was democracy that created the Jim Crow segregation laws of the south, and democracy that later repealed them, with a lot of help from the courts. It was democracy that created prohibition, and then repealed the ban on alcohol in the United States. Democracy created the war on drugs, and it continues to this day.

It was democracy that made smokers the lepers of today’s society, based on false and misleading scientific data; if true, it would have resulted in a ban on automobiles and the internal combustion engine decades ago. Democracy bans sodas of a certain size, allows the passage of constitutional amendments that prohibit certain people from getting married, and establishes criminal and anti-terror laws based entirely on fear.

Democracy promises free money, no-consequence social programs, and crisis management based on diversion of responsibility. Democracy promises equal housing and equal benefits — socialist programs sold as good business that eventually lead directly to financial crisis and collapse. The blame for the poor economy then rests on Wall Street bankers, who did exactly as the democratically elected politicians asked, and even helped these same politicians make millions for themselves.

Answer 2

Democratic form of government has been questioned on many fronts. There are number of flaws associated with it, the biggest however could be :

a. Democracy is all about numbers, it gives more importance to quantity than quality. In order to form the government, political parties try to muster support, so as to get maximum support and to have numbers by their side. Thus, they exploit social divisions, like caste, religion for narrow political gains and use muscle and money power to come to power.

b. Democratic governments are characterized by political instability, if the government loses majority it falls.

c.Its a form of government which involves delays, red tapism , corruption in the decision making process.

d. It is associated with slow economic growth, it has failed to counter poverty, to reduce economic disparities.