What is the issue?
The system of democracy invented in the West and exported to the rest is failing in the West.
How are democracies functioning at present?
- Democratically elected governments are in office, but not in power.
- Many countries in Europe cannot form stable governments because the largest party does not command a majority.
- Coalitions are becoming unstable.
- Consequently, Parliaments are unable to pass laws.
- India - Compared to the above, democracy is relatively shining in India.
- With a strong government at the Centre, Parliament has passed a range of big laws recently.
What are the key drawbacks of democracy?
- A democratic government with a majority, especially a large one, can become as authoritarian as a dictatorial one.
- The problem with a majoritarian democracy is that it is not designed to find solutions for complex problems with many points of view.
- It can deny minorities their rights for their views to be considered while framing laws and resolving contentious issues.
- Those dissatisfied with the governments’ decisions go to courts wherever courts are independent, like in India.
- However, courts are not set up to find policy solutions to complex problems and must interpret the laws as written.
- In India, there is a concern that courts are venturing into matters of governance that they should not.
- However, this is a key indicator for the fact that something is missing in India’s democracy.
- Referendums too at times turn out to be ineffective as a small majority determines how all must go.
- E.g. 52% wanted Britain to leave the European Union versus 48% that did not
- So, referendums too become yet another example of the problem with a majoritarian democracy rather than a good solution.
- Some institutions help establish democracy and some others work to ensure it’s proper and consistent functioning.
- In other words, some institutions provide the vertical pillars and others provide the lateral binders, giving strength and stability to the democratic structure.
- In reality, too much attention has been given to the vertical institutions required for people to elect their leaders.
- The lateral institutions required to create harmony amongst people are largely ignored.
What would constitute a healthy democracy?
- Democracy consists of much more than elections and passage of laws.
- India has a great Constitution. It conducts free and fair elections. Its Parliament has passed many landmark laws since Independence.
- However, failures of governance and democracy in India can be seen on the ground, in so-called ‘backward areas’ of the country.
- Democracies need an architecture of institutions; healthy democracies need three vibrant layers of institutions.
- At the bottom is the public space and the media in which people must be free to speak up if they want to.
- On the top is the layer of constitutional institutions - parliaments, courts, etc.
- Social media has enlarged the public space enormously; many more people are speaking up and many issues are being raised.
- It provides a good platform for opposing views, but is certainly incompetent at reconciling them; it is increasingly playing a divisive role.
- Therefore, more problems require the attention of constitutional institutions above, but they have overloading tasks.
What is the need for caution in India?
- When democratic governance is struck, it is generally attempted to close down the public space at the bottom or to impose a majoritarian view from above to strengthen the government.
- There is thus a fear that India may be slipping down this path, which may strengthen government on the ground and limit democratic governance.
What does this call for?
- The solution for strengthening governance and democracy at the same time is to strengthen the middle layer of institutions within democracies.
- This is the one that lies between the open public sphere and formal government institutions.
- These are spaces where citizens with diverse views can listen to each other, and understand the whole system of which they are only parts.
- Neither elected assemblies nor social media provide such spaces.
- It is thus imperative for India to build intermediate level, unofficial or semi-official institutions for non-partisan deliberation amongst citizens concerned.
Source: The Hindu
