is democracy a precious gem or an old stone?
... the minority, the wealthy, the men, or the military or even a single despot or dictator that was at the helm of governance. Democracy could bear fruit because the masses willed it. Democracy was designed to enrich the lives of those who were unrepresented and to create a balance or check on political power. The weakest of society, (who were often the poor those who were unable to participate in their governance,) were given a tool- democracy to enable them to temper the arrogance of their rulers and ensured accountability and responsibility to the majority South Africa is a modern example of the fight of the masses to gain control over their governance – that is why democracy is revered as a concept, as a value and an ideal within South Africa. Many other countries have faced the similar battles but occur in the reverse it is the minorities who are subjected to the rule of the majority In the USA , the ,majority of the population are Caucasians and they are in charge of governance over the years there have been much discord with Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans. In Canada the French Canadians are a minority whose interests are not best served .It is not the masses that are being exploited within these democratic giants of our time. It is not the majority who has been denied of their rights but rather the minority .The minority is unable to govern themselves, they lack the liberty to govern as part of the pure political model of democracy. Thus through democracy, the masses are being protected but not the minority. Have the tables turned and the minority no longer able to invoke their rights in some of the greatest of democratic institutions? Has democracy got a place in a society where the minority is exploited? Democracy was designed to overcome tyrannical rule over the masses .Its goals in relation to the masses has been on the most part achieved. Democracy in modern society is viewed as a fundamental tenant applied in many countries today and International Organizations as is seen by the actions of the World Bank and the UN, whence helping developing nations. The burning problem is how to incorporate a countermajoritinariasm principle that is to protect the worst and the weakest. Various countries have tried to do so, but not through political mechanisms, For example having an unelected judiciary to oversee that the minority’s position is protected in some way by the law and by creating a body separate from the legislature .Yet another mechanism is to have this protection entrenched in the constitution. Both these systems address the problem partially but nor entirely for the judiciary is often affected by politics and the wheels of justice are slow .The political regime should deal with the minority and not merely by the majority deciding how the minority should be governed. An acutely suitable model in the modern era is one that addresses the current problems of the world such as the issues relating to minorities, and the issues concerning indigenous peoples. Democracy, as a political model meets the needs of the majority of the population which is a noble feat and is probably a gem for that reason but it is problematic an old stone as it cannot address the pressing needs that are the root cause of most of the chaos, the civil strife and disputes that are rampant still in the modern age. Democracy’s goal was to emancipate the majority, now another model must and needs to be carved out of the bedrock already layed down as a foundation to give liberty to the minority – democracy as political model on its own is incapable of achieving that, hence it cannot be suited to modern civilization and it is therefore not the best model for our time. Thus democracy is a not a precious gem or stone that was cut for modern civilization. Is there a better model? Is democracy better than the other systems in our political age? However is there another better model that exists and that can outshine democracy or is democracy truly the best we have and should be accepted as that? I do not believe that democracy is the be all and end all I think that our progress and development over time does not end with democracy but with a new type of stone perhaps a more polished stone or perhaps a precious gem to be found in a more developed political system borrowing from different models creating a system better suited to our modern civilization .Certainly when juxtaposed against tyranny, oligarchy, dictatorship and even pluralism; democracy appears to be the better model, the best that there is, as it supposedly counteracts the arrogance of individuals and their quest for power. Are the basic tenants of democracy an enemy to democracy itself? Democracy has many variants that incorporate different elements and concentrates on different goals and protections .I will deal with participation mainly as it related directly to voting and the will to be governed in particular manner. The problem perhaps in, modern societies is that the system of democracy is impure both in form and in integrity. Are problems of democracy are with democracy itself as a political model or is it circumstances such as war, poor economies, and political discord. Would democracy work effectively if it was respected as a political model and applied religiously? Does it need to address these issues as a political model or is its purpose lodged in another area and that some other mechanism would adequately address economics and anarchy. Should democracy address these issues? Is anarchism and voter apathy interwoven with the ineffective system of democracy? I believe that it is a vicious cycle in that the people no longer striving for something they don’t have and now rather struggling for improvement. T...