Question

“Democracy stands much superior to any other form of government in promoting the dignity and freedom of the individual.” Support the statement with arguments.

“Democracy stands much superior to any other form of government in promoting the dignity and freedom of the individual.” Justify this statement.

Answer 1

Democracy today has emerged as the most popular form of government. There may be flaws in the actual practice of democracy. A democratic form of government has been questioned on various fronts: it leads to instability, it is about competition and power, it gives importance to numbers, and it leads to delays in the decision-making process. Even the track record of democracies in relation to economic development has been questioned. Nevertheless, democracy is the most preferred and better form of government than any other form, primarily because it ensures people’s participation and guarantees them basic rights that enhance their dignity.

Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens of a country in the following ways:

• Recognition of the principle of equality becomes easier for women to wage a struggle against what is now unacceptable legally and morally.
• Democracy in India has strengthened the claims of the disadvantaged and discriminated castes for equal status and equal opportunity. There are instances still of caste-based inequalities and atrocities, but these lack the moral and legal foundations. Perhaps it is the recognition that makes ordinary citizens value their democratic rights.
• A public expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of the democratic project: it transforms people from the status of a subject into that of a citizen. Most individuals today believe that their vote makes a difference to the way the government is run and to their self-interest.