Democracy
is most often defined as a system of government by a people or all the eligible
members of a state, typically through elected representatives. In other words, democracy
is a form of government in which power ultimately comes from the people who are
governed, either through direct voting or through elected representatives. A
democracy can thus range from Liberal Direct Democracy to an Illiberal Totalitarian
Democracy. Furthermore, democracy comes as a form of government wherein every
individual ought to be free and able to exercise his/her rights even with some paroxysm
because democracy is said to protect the minority and most especially the
vulnerable.
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| Ngwa Che Rufus II |
In
a democracy therefore, the “majority” has the obligation to protect the “minority”
even if they share deferring viewpoints. If this is not the case, it might be
considered as “suppression”. We often come across words like latter when
democracy is concerned and as a result, one cannot but notice that democracy in
its true nature is filled with corruption, racism, and capitalism etc. A case
in point is when we observe individuals and or governments sending
companies/industries to poor countries in the name of industrial development
and causing people of these countries to work and at what cost and wage? In effect,
these multi-million companies are in search of cheap or free labour and human
capital. Man’s constant search for the easiest way to survive and most often to
satisfy his needs or his search for Utopia becomes useless given that the
employer who comes in the name of democracy that has opened the borders for foreign
investment are all but blood suckers on poorer and weaker nations.We
must not be scared of any “ism” (capitalism, socialism, imperialism, etc) which
within the realms of Democracy because they are most often schemes to subject the
human mind to mediocrity and exploitation in the name of international
cooperation. These issues must be probed by our leaders and their shortcomings
that stand against the development of their nations and people must be
condemned with virulence. This not to say there is nothing good about these
issues and or terms but it is to warn that our leaders must be skilled enough
to see beyond them and decipher what is best for their various countries.
When
we talk of democracy, we are invariably insinuating that there is freedom and equality,
why then does every democratic society have ghettos as well as the high and
mighty of society who live in segregated well paved streets of the same towns? This
may sound banal but it is undisputed inequality. Most people when they pursue
power in democratic societies, it's not for service but rather for self-service.
They look forward to satisfying themselves and careless about those they ought
to serve or those who put them in power. The downtrodden and proletariat class is but an afterthought in the minds of
such leaders, be them elected, appointed or mere elites who have gain
recognition for their societal statuses. Democracy is a “freedom experiment” or
as i would call it, “the perfect prenuptial agreement”. It encapsulates the pre-set
conditions that should make everything work accordingly on the surface rather
than making the appropriate decisions which will ensure a transparent and sustainable
form of government. This is because man believes he is too smart but, we
keep falling in the same traps and committing the same mistakes. The democratic ideal is pursuing personal
freedom but in our societies we witness prejudice, jealousy, and envy etc. We
have failed!!. If Democracy is the best we have come up with because it hasn't
prevented wars, poverty, terrorism and other ills that are now still eating up
the world and especially the African continent. What next will man come up
with? Shall we now device another “ism” that we will erroneously deify as the
panacea for our African malaise?
With
the on-going rapid for change in the world in terms of governance, we can observe a
form of “Democratic Dictatorship”. A democratic dictatorship is that which
paints itself as a full-fledged democracy. Hence, it is that form of democracy
which gives off the impression that the state, no matter how authoritarian it
is, it is there to serve the people. This form of democracy can be widely
observed most especially in our African continent where leaders use dark
methods to rule the people yet portray themselves are angels. Cases abound and
it is not for me to call names of such countries and or their leaders for
obvious reasons. Democracy focuses on how societies select who will hold power,
while the rule of law is concerned with how political power is exercised but
who makes the laws? This is the million Francs Question…We've become imprisoned
by our own personal needs that we tend to forget the real essence of life and
living together. We often ask ourselves questions like: What route are you using? How do you get to
your destination? The human question should be: What are we searching for rather than what route are we taking. It is not just what you search, it is what you need.
If you can identify what you are searching for, you will know what you need to
achieve what you are searching for.
Has
Democracy solved our problems or has it brought in more problems for us to
bear?
ORIGINAL
WRITE UP BY NGWA CHE RUFUS II
Remodelled
By Jude Bame 4 KWATA VIBES
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