Democracy is defined as being the method that is applied by members of a given collective group to pass votes as a way of promoting equality among the members involved. In simple terms, democracy is a government of the people by the people for the people ( Christiano, 2015 ). Democracy can be practiced within a family, a firm or a state, mainly as a way of promoting equality by ensuring that all members involved are represented in the decision-making process. It is mainly a way of exercising the right to vote in order to elect leaders who are capable of leading citizens other members rationally and by providing the best leadership ( Christiano, 2015 ). Democracy is thus the best form of government because it ensures that citizens are morally responsible when making decisions to ensure that the needs of the majority are covered and by providing rational leaders based on the decisions of the people.
First and foremost, decision makers weigh the opinions of most people in the society before making the final decision. This way, the end result is usually a coverage of what the majority require. Unlike other forms of governing such as aristocracy and monarchy where the people have no say in how the government rules them, a democratic government is formed for the people by the people. In countries where democracy is practiced, voting is done to allow for people to willingly vote to decide who they want to be their leader and what laws they want to be passed. It thus enables them to choose a government that they consider to be right for them without being coerced.
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A government formed on the basis of democracy ensures that the leaders appointed to rule on behalf of the people through elections listen and respond to the needs of the poor in the society. This can be explained by the need for the leaders to want to be voted into government for more than one term of ruling and thus give incentives to the people by providing the people with what they need or lack in the society. This can be in the form of providing social amenities to the people such as building hospitals and make education available to the citizens. This helps the citizens to identify the most capable leaders who can be voted in, based on their abilities to serve the people and cater for their needs. Therefore, it can also be said that through observation and critical thinking, democracy helps individuals to make informed decisions when voting in their leaders. Citizens are able to identify good leaders without being confined by policies and laws as in monarchical government where the law states that the King’s heir is automatically the next ruler. This way, any leader elected into power is as a result of choice arrived at by the people. This thus creates the difference between democracy and other forms of government, other than being an advantage of a democratic government.
Democracy enhances equality and social responsibility of citizens since it allows them to listen to the opinions of others thus ensuring that everyone’s interest is put into consideration. Everyone is given a chance to support their decisions and even convince others that it is the best decision by providing facts. This allows everyone to air out their opinion and be heard, thus promoting fairness. It promotes fair competition as contesting leaders present their manifestos and await the decisions of the people, hence it relies on the expertise of a leader to convince people without a power play. Fair competition during voting is represented by the equal vale that each vote given out to every individual represents, regardless of the social situation of the person casting a vote. Social responsibility results in every member wanting to take part in forming a government that they consider good and beneficial to them by considering every individual. This way, people are able to make decisions based on the preferences of the majority whose needs have been put into consideration ( Christiano, 2015 ).
Democracy enhances the quality of rule and is accountable for transparency among chosen leaders. Since people are morally responsible when making decisions, it is highly likely that they are morally responsible when ruling the people. Leaders are expected to live to the expectations of the people by ensuring that they fulfill whatever duties are assigned to them by their citizens. It is also their duty to think critically about ways of solving any issues that may be affecting the politics in which they are involved and come up with solutions that are beneficial to the people and those that will improve the well-being of their citizens. Leaders chosen through democracy are able to account for their actions, hence promoting transparency in government. This is also a way of promoting social responsibility among citizens since those chosen to rule are able to show a sense of reliability to the people while promoting certain values such as justice and fairness, which are effective in ensuring that their legislation is beneficial to the majority of the people ( Christiano, 2015 ). Democracy also allows people to speak out in the event that they notice that those in authority are misusing their power or becoming exploitative by holding public protests. This ensures that the government is kept in check and that good quality of leadership is maintained.
Democracy promotes the right to liberty as people are allowed to air out their opinions during decision-making. This is an advantage that cannot be applied in other forms of government where those in authority forbid against protests by citizens or even a platform to express their views. Citizens are allowed to debate freely before coming up with the decision they deem best. Citizens are at liberty to support their decisions by coming up with relevant justifications to support their decisions. This promotes a sense of responsibility as every individual is able to consider the outcomes of their decision and based on their preferences and based on their cultural, economic, legal and social environment. This ensures that citizens are able to exercise power from the lowest level of administration and by having this sense of freedom to exercise self-government and this makes them fit to take part in democracy as they have been exposed to leadership experience and thus know what is required of them as leaders or as citizens.
Based on the analysis of how a democratic government works, it is evident that such a form a government works for the benefit of people and provides them with the ability to exercise their freedoms and rights. By participating fully in the political aspect of their lives, democracy allows citizens the chance exercise moral responsibility in decision-making by considering the views of others either through votes or through verbal expression and ensuring that they elect viable leaders into power for their own benefit.
References
Christiano, T (2015). Democracy. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2015/entries/democracy/.
