Saturday, February 16, 2019
Q#8: What are the flaws of representative democracy?
Flaw #1: The people elect their representatives by casting their votes on a symbol, usually that of a political party. This is based on two assumptions viz. political parties are inevitable in a Democracy and that the common people/illiterates need a symbol to facilitate their voting. The second assumption presumes that the common people cannot judge the candidates on their own, thus underestimating the average voter's wisdom.
Flaw #2: The political parties have thrived on this dependency of Democracy on them and have also found the method of voting on a symbol, convenient to woo the voters and develop 'vote-banks'. Vote banks are largely responsible for perpetuating the polarization of the society on caste, class, communal and racial lines.
Flaw #3: The voter is not forced to individually evaluate the candidate he or she is going to vote for. Following the herd and voting on a symbol without knowing the candidate has become the norm. This enables election campaigns based on glam and rhetoric to become all powerful.
Flaw #4: The candidates need not rely on their individual merits for getting votes. There is always the party symbol and the party leaders to bank upon at the time of elections.
Flaw #5: Political success is determined by skills of dubious nature like capacity for background manipulations. Honesty and true merit do not make much electoral sense in a party-based political system.
Flaw #6: The stability of the government depends on the ruling party/alliance holding together its members. Dissent based on rational argument is discouraged. Issuing a whip to the members at the time of voting in the elected house is the most blatant evidence for this.
Flaw #7: The elected representative need not apply himself to solving the problems of the people of his constituency to retain their goodwill; of more importance is whether he is able to please the superiors in the party and be in tune with the party-line of thinking.
Every one of these flaws is rectified in a party-less system of governance.
Flaw #2: The political parties have thrived on this dependency of Democracy on them and have also found the method of voting on a symbol, convenient to woo the voters and develop 'vote-banks'. Vote banks are largely responsible for perpetuating the polarization of the society on caste, class, communal and racial lines.
Flaw #3: The voter is not forced to individually evaluate the candidate he or she is going to vote for. Following the herd and voting on a symbol without knowing the candidate has become the norm. This enables election campaigns based on glam and rhetoric to become all powerful.
Flaw #4: The candidates need not rely on their individual merits for getting votes. There is always the party symbol and the party leaders to bank upon at the time of elections.
Flaw #5: Political success is determined by skills of dubious nature like capacity for background manipulations. Honesty and true merit do not make much electoral sense in a party-based political system.
Flaw #6: The stability of the government depends on the ruling party/alliance holding together its members. Dissent based on rational argument is discouraged. Issuing a whip to the members at the time of voting in the elected house is the most blatant evidence for this.
Flaw #7: The elected representative need not apply himself to solving the problems of the people of his constituency to retain their goodwill; of more importance is whether he is able to please the superiors in the party and be in tune with the party-line of thinking.
Every one of these flaws is rectified in a party-less system of governance.
Q#7: Can Democracy flourish in a party-less system?
Party-less governance (or political system) implies that within the elected house, the people’s representatives are independents not bound by the diktat of the political party which sponsored them. A constitutional amendment can enforce this. This is not inconceivable since every representative belongs to a religion, but within the elected house religions have no role in the political process (of secular nations).
Once the elected house meets for the first time, the speaker is elected and then the leader of the house, who will be the prime minister/chief minister. The leader, who is expected to be non-partisan, then chooses the members of the cabinet and council of ministers from any of the members and forms the government. The individual representative’s past performance and reputation will matter at every level. There will not be any other consideration.
Bills can be passed and decisions taken based on the merit of the case. Nobody needs to please anyone else. Outside the house, the representatives may have political affiliation but within the elected house political parties will have no role. In case the PM/CM or a minister does not fulfil the expectation of the house and behaves in a partisan manner, a mechanism can be worked out to replace him.
Thus every representative of the people will be focused on the needs of his/her constituency and would strive to fulfil them by bringing it to the notice of the elected house. He need not please any party forum to take up the matters pertaining to his constituency. Political parties can provide the forum to bring people’s issues to focus. They can advice the elected representatives affiliated to them, but it will not be binding on the representative.
In such a setup independent candidates can contest election without any political backing. All that matters is the goodwill of the people. The true merit of the candidate will matter and not his affiliation to a political party. A mechanism to recall the elected representative by the people of that constituency can be evolved if his performance is not satisfactory. Elections will be simple matter-of-fact affairs. Wasteful expenditure to impress the electorate by the political parties will be curbed.
Thus a party-less political system can flourish and make democracy more meaningful and successful. It has taken several centuries for people to start thinking independent of religion. Similarly it will take time for people to think independent of political parties. It is human nature to identify oneself with a group or way of thinking. But that need not stop them from rising above such considerations within the elected house.
Once the elected house meets for the first time, the speaker is elected and then the leader of the house, who will be the prime minister/chief minister. The leader, who is expected to be non-partisan, then chooses the members of the cabinet and council of ministers from any of the members and forms the government. The individual representative’s past performance and reputation will matter at every level. There will not be any other consideration.
Bills can be passed and decisions taken based on the merit of the case. Nobody needs to please anyone else. Outside the house, the representatives may have political affiliation but within the elected house political parties will have no role. In case the PM/CM or a minister does not fulfil the expectation of the house and behaves in a partisan manner, a mechanism can be worked out to replace him.
Thus every representative of the people will be focused on the needs of his/her constituency and would strive to fulfil them by bringing it to the notice of the elected house. He need not please any party forum to take up the matters pertaining to his constituency. Political parties can provide the forum to bring people’s issues to focus. They can advice the elected representatives affiliated to them, but it will not be binding on the representative.
In such a setup independent candidates can contest election without any political backing. All that matters is the goodwill of the people. The true merit of the candidate will matter and not his affiliation to a political party. A mechanism to recall the elected representative by the people of that constituency can be evolved if his performance is not satisfactory. Elections will be simple matter-of-fact affairs. Wasteful expenditure to impress the electorate by the political parties will be curbed.
Thus a party-less political system can flourish and make democracy more meaningful and successful. It has taken several centuries for people to start thinking independent of religion. Similarly it will take time for people to think independent of political parties. It is human nature to identify oneself with a group or way of thinking. But that need not stop them from rising above such considerations within the elected house.
