SERIOUS PROBLEMS FACED BY DEMOCRACY
Do you remember the chapters of your Political Science textbook of Class IX? There we tracked the expansion of democracy all over the world. Our reading thereafter has confirmed our initial impression: democracy is the dominant form of government in the contemporary world. It does not face a serious challenger or rival. Yet our exploration of the various dimensions of democratic politics has shown us something else as well. The promise of democracy is far from realised anywhere in the world. Democracy does not have a challenger, but that does not mean that it does not face any challenges.
At different points in this tour of democracy, we have noted the serious challenges that democracy faces all over the world. A challenge is not just any problem. We usually call only those difficulties a ‘challenge’ which are significant and which can be overcome. A challenge is a difficulty that carries within it an opportunity for progress. Once we overcome a challenge we go up to a higher level than before.
Different countries face different kinds of challenges. At least one-fourth of the globe is still not under a democratic government. The challenge for democracy in these parts of the world is very stark. These countries face the foundational challenge of making the transition to democracy and then instituting a democratic government. This involves bringing down the existing non-democratic regime, keeping the military away from controlling the government and establishing a sovereign and functional state.
Most of the established democracies face the challenge of expansion. This involves applying the basic principle of democratic government across all the regions, different social groups, and various institutions. Ensuring greater power to local governments, the extension of the federal principle to all the units of the federation, the inclusion of women and minority groups, etc., falls under this challenge. This also means that less and less decisions should remain outside the arena of democratic control. Most countries including India and other democracies like the US face this challenge.
The third challenge of deepening of democracy is faced by every democracy in one form or another. This involves the strengthening of the institutions and practices of democracy. This should happen in such a way that people can realise their expectations of democracy. But ordinary people have different expectations from democracy in different societies. Therefore, this challenge takes different meanings and paths in different parts of the world. In general terms, it usually means strengthening those institutions that help people’s participation and control. This requires an attempt to bring down the control and influence of the rich and powerful people in making governmental decisions.
We have noted or hinted at these challenges in all the various examples and stories that we studied in our textbook of Class IX and in the earlier chapters of this book. Let us go back to all the major stops in our tour of democracy, refresh our memory and note down the challenges that democracy faces in each of these.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK