Of the people, for the people, by the people… That has been the most popular definition of democracy since Abraham Lincoln said it in 1863. And that process of governance has captured the imagination of the world ever since, after centuries of monarchy before it.
It gives or is supposed to give people the feeling of power. If you don’t like something you get an inalienable right to have it changed… If the majority wants. Even a republic where the constitution defines the restrictions on a government of what it can do, can be changed if generally 3/4th majority agree to change it.
It is hence a rule of the masses. Unlike monarchy or autocracy, where rebelling and civil war is the only option… Democracy gives a non-voilent legal option to the majority to change direction to their liking.
And the biggest shortcoming of democracy is that it is based on mass appeal. Whatever and whoever can appeal to the masses gets the power. Perception and impressions @ mass level is hence the seat of power in democracy. Not ability, morality, wisdom, truth, justice, appropriateness… Its what the crowd percieves that is the most important.
There is an inherent control though… Which is based on the saying that you can fool some of the peope all of the time, all of the people some of the time… But you cannot fool all of the people all of the time… So someone creating false impressions can only conjure up temporary control in democracy… They will be replaced eventually…
However, the reality has been that short term memory of people has proven the adage “in the long run we are all dead” to be more relevant in the functioning of democracy… The lack of credible alternative for someone fooling the masses is also because creating credibility takes lots of patience, sacrifices and taking decisions that may not be popular at a certain time… Why would anyone bother when the masses only refer to their last experience before making their choice. The ex girlfriend / boyfriend no matter how bad starts looking like a credible option compared to the current painful relationship… Mass amnesia is a curse for effective democracy.
Hence in democracy, the route to power is by controlling and capturing the narrative in people’s mind with popular positions on current affairs… Irrespective of one’s own idealogy, belief or whether the position are sustainable, appropriate or good for the country in the long run.
At mass level most of us are generally followers… we need to have a defined set of rules and regulations… We need to have someone who sets direction… At mass level emotions and feelings generally override rationality and long term vision…
That is hence the issue with democracy… It gives a system of choice to masses who at crowd level are not long term vision oriented… And people who are experts in manipulating mass psychology via being good orators, skillful brand strategists, shrewd media controllers… Ones who control the masses data feeds… They become the rulers… Because as a mass we believe what we hear often…
The alternative though is even worse… That of monarchy… For dynastic rule brings leaders who don’t even have that political shrewdness that democratic leaders have…
I believe the old Indian system of having a rishi mandal… A circle of saints who would set direction, make course corrections, provide strategic vision… Was brillant… Let the king be the COO/CEO… But the chairman are this saints… Devoid of the ability to amass wealth… Have family… With only knowledge being the criteria and source of their power… Is a brillant system…
Only those who feel the pursuit of knowledge as an ultimate objective would become a saint… And with no inheritance and guaranteed position for their kin without knowledge, the dynastic corruption is eliminated at that level…
Not that it is perfect.. for even that system was corrupted and failed to survive… But seems to be a more viable alternative than the comedy (or rather tragedy) that democracies cause today…
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