Are Democracies Bad?

Living in the biggest democracy in this world, we as Indians know a lot about how this type of government works. We vote, we elect our leaders, they disappoint us, and then we elect some other leaders again. This cycle keeps going on and never ends. Looking at several other countries that have the same problems, one thought grew in my mind — Are Democracies Bad?

A lot of countries claim to be the first ones to adopt democracy. But this concept of electing your leaders does not date back more than 1000 years. Before that, for tens of thousands of years, humans never knew the concept of democracy. Therefore, it can be considered a new type of government. Some historians and social scientists claim that democracy is not sustainable, and in another 500–800 years, democracy will have vanished from this planet.

But what is the problem with democracy? Well, democracy’s main goal is to provide the people with what they want. But since different humans want different things, it is not wise to let them choose what they want. If you have 7 children, and you ask them what they want to have for breakfast, chances are, they would be able to figure it out for the entire day. They would end up arguing, fighting, crying, and staying hungry. The better option is to feed them what you think is healthy for them. One thing is for sure, we humans can never live in peace because fighting and conflict are wired deep inside our brains and psychology.

Talking about more modern problems of democracy, it has been accused of providing too little political stability. Because governments are frequently elected and withdrawn, the policies of democracies often change domestically and internationally. Even when a party remains in power, loud protests and harsh criticism from the mainstream media are often enough to force sudden, unexpected policy changes. Frequent policy changes related to business and immigration can hinder investment and thus economic growth. For this reason, many argue that democracy is not desirable in developing countries where economic growth and poverty reduction are paramount.

Dictatorship or Monarchy is not always tyrannical! Look at Dubai, that country was nothing 40 years ago, and today, it is a dream destination for each one of us. Everybody who visits Dubai is happy, everybody who lives there is happy, and no one fights on political issues, because everyone knows there is one king, and they cannot change a single thing no matter how much they argue. Therefore, they accept and move ahead.

Would India prosper if we gota king or a dictator instead of a democratically elected leader? Comment your views below.