The Liberal Democratic State Shapes Society - Case Study Example

The Liberal democratic state shapes society, rather than simply responding to particular interests in society Liberal democracy was defined long back as a theory that the common people know what they want and they must get what they want as they deserve it. (Mencken, H.L., 1920) With the passage of time, it has often become a topic of debate, whether Liberal Democracy actually delivers what it was supposed to offer, i.e., shape the society as per the wishes of all the citizens. More often than not, it is felt that the elected representatives and the wealth controllers of the society, run it according to their own wishes. Thus, it is a mock representation that simple responds to particular interests in the society. This is a study to analyze and find the facts. Liberal democracy: The Principles The basic principles on which this form of government is based are: - The importance of the individual considering him moral and rational, the belief that human race has a natural tendency of growth and development; The belief that society is an association for mutual benefit, based on the desire for order and co-operation; Discouragement for concentration of power in individual, groups or governments; So, it has a high regard for the individual and his freedom and a high intolerance for concentration of power and encroachment on individual’s freedom.( Liberal Democracy, Wikipedia) When arguments like whether the Liberal Democracy responds to particular interests in the society, are raised we need to go back and check what actually is Liberal Democracy. The basic features of Liberal Democracy are: - It defends the civil liberties from being encroached by governments or institutions or any other powers. It also restricts government intervention in matters like moral, political or economical that may affect the citizens. In fact it regulates government’s intervention in the same. The demands made by vested interest groups are questioned and discouraged from seeking certain privileges. It’s an open society where citizens are rewarded on talent and merit and not on rank or status. It works on rules that are aimed for maximizing the well being of all the citizens.(Liberal Democracy, HomePage, australianpolitics.com) Liberal democracy is a form of government in which the elected representatives hold the powers of decision. At this point it is important to note that they need to follow a constitution, which is oriented towards protecting individual’s freedom. Right of property, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equality before law etc are the main features of this type of governance. Misconceptions The features of Liberal Democracy often lead people to think that it is driven by a few elected representatives of people and is driven according to their wish. Marx is quoted to say that the election process in a democracy is an opportunity given to the citizens to find who will ‘misrepresent’ them in the parliament. (Marx, K. 1871) There are certain debatable topics related to Liberal Democracy. Since it is governed by a small group of elected representatives, many people feel that it is not a fair system of providing maximum participation in governance. But when compared to other systems, this has the best representation of the people and in turn of the society. The people who are chosen, as representatives have to follow a given agenda that is announced during the election. In fact Liberal Democracy is a unique combination of freedom and regulations. Constitution People have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to vote and choose their representatives. These representatives have to work within the framework of the constitution, which is the foundation of the Liberal Democracy. The constitution is designed to give a direction to the nation. Constitution has been defined in various ways explaining how it establishes the character and basic principles of the government. It is also called the Fundamental law of a nation, or rules and regulations of an organization. New Jersey government defines constitution as “A written instrument defining and limiting the duties and powers of a government and guaranteeing certain rights to the people who are subject to that government’s laws.” (Official Website, New Jersey) All these definitions very clearly mention that the Liberal Democratic government is bound to follow the directives of the constitution and hence it has to shape the society according to the fundamentals laid down in the constitution and not goes berserk. Modification of the Constitution The constitution is subject to change as per the requirement of the society. This provision itself goes in favour of the liberal democracy working for society. The changes cannot be done on the sole will of the minority of representatives but it has to gain the confidence of the supermajority. A super majority is a specific majority exceeding the simple majority. For example in European Union Council of Ministers, a ‘qualified majority system is used to balance the interest off all the states that may vary in numbers. Each member state is allotted a fixed number of votes. This is proportionate to its population. The passing number of votes for qualified majority is 74%. It should be backed by a majority of member states. Qualified majority is required to pass certain legislations but other sensitive issues need to be decided unanimously, like tax, social policies, foreign policies etc. The United State Senate requires 60% majority to pass a bill and it requires a supermajority of two-thirds of both houses of Congress to ‘propose’ an amendment in the constitution and a three-quarters supermajority of the state legislatures for final adoption any amendment..(Dunn, J. 2006, p 131) This shows that the constitution is open for modification as per the requirements of the society but it cannot be done in a casual manner, thus protecting individual’s rights. Capitalistic orientation Another point that is raised very often is that it is an extension of capitalism and is class based and not fully democratic. It is supposed to favour the rich. This allegation is mainly towards the power of the limited rich to win the election. Steven Levitt, the economist from US, says that campaign spending is no guarantee of electoral success. (Steven, L. 2005). He has studied the campaigning of the candidates in United States Congressional elections where there was a variation in the spending level. A candidate increases his share of votes by just 1% if he increases his campaign budget by 50 %. So, it is not his power of money that can ensure winning the election and the few rich people to favour their interests cannot govern it. Ownership of the media Ownership of media is also looked upon as a distortion of the electoral process. It is said to be the voice of the limited group of owners and is guided by them. Although it is correct up to the extent that it is owned either by the government or some private parties, but it has to be viable commercially and cater to people. Liberal democracy is based on capitalism that follows the principle of demand and supply. Therefore, the state-owned or privately owned media cannot run it without keeping the demands of the society in mind. It has to keep in mind the benefit of the society at large as well. For example it has played an important role in the campaign against smoking and tobacco consumption. (Martin, 1995, p 6). This is a glaring example as the tobacco companies are owned privately and are always looking for their own interests. Thus the allegation that the media follows some particular interests is baseless. Freedom of speech The most important feature that makes the liberal democracy a fair system is the freedom of speech. The freedom of speech gives an opportunity to everyone to voice his or her opinions. And who so ever may own the media, the coverage reflects public preferences and not censorship. (Building Sustainable democracies) Diversity & Discrimination There may be different divisions in society like ethnic, linguistic, religious, cultural etc. and there may be hostility among the groups. Sometimes the liberal democracy is criticized for supporting some groups and being hostile to others. But actually the other systems have set worse examples of discriminatory behaviour like apartheid in South Africa and Nazi Germany.( Richard, E.F. 2005, p 152) In fact, Liberal democracy has the least examples of such discrimination led by a group. Since the power to choose rests in the hands of the people, such authoritarian behaviour does not get public support. Populism that is to defend the interest of the common people or the society in general against few self-serving elite leads Liberal Democracy.( Holmes, S. 1997) The focus of Liberal Democracy on the society is highlighted when we look at the fall of Soviet Union and Communism. It shows the inclination of people for democracy and it would not have happened if this form of government simply responded to some particular interests in society. Special interest groups’ influence on democracy is nullified when we see the practical examples like prohibition of pornography or restrictions on use of Recreational drugs which is legalized or allowed to the degree that the society find acceptable. Just because it is a liberal democracy, the benefit of the society cannot be ignored. Liberal democracy shapes the society with gradual changes, as they are needed. For example earlier the treatment of homosexuals was almost like criminals but gradually over a period of time it has changed and people attitudes towards them has also changed. Tax structure It is perceived that the Liberal Democracy is led by a minority of people who dictate the terms for majority of people. But if it were true, the minority (government) would not have agreed to keep higher tax rates for the minority (wealthy). (Liberal Democracy, Majoritanism, Wikipedia)The tax structure itself is a proof of the dominance of majority in liberal democracy that gives it the required shape and does not simply respond to the particular interests of some people. Freedom of information Freedom of information is a feature of the liberal democracy that is important for accountability and transparency. For example, the Indian Right to information act has enlightened the masses, bringing the corrupt bureaucracy to its knees and changing power equations.(Right to Information Act, govt of India) Liberal democracy is often criticized for slowness and complex process of decision making owing to the bureaucracy. But it cannot imply that it works for some particular interests. With the right to information, the society can exercise its power to know every detail and actually force the government to stick to the path that favours the majority of the society. It is many times referred to as the tyranny of majority. Tyranny of majority is better than tyranny of minority. ( Natan, S. 2006)And in the context of this essay it contradicts the scope of any existence of the tyranny of minority when the argument proposes that it works according to the particular interests, which are always in a minority in the society. Conclusion To sum up the above discussion, we can say that Liberal democracy is not at all in the hands of few vested interest minorities. In liberal democracy power is not concentrated. Public gets a regular chance to change who are in power or change policies with which they disagree. Through a written constitution, power of government is defined and put within limits. The power is distributed by separating the legislative, executive and judicial powers.(Ross, H. 1993, p 54) The government needs a mandate of people to come into power. It requires a high degree of support from people. Power to vote and choose rests with the people and they can exercise their power of franchise frequently through elections. To come into power, the representatives have to serve people according to the conditions laid down by the people. It is based on equal justice for all regardless of class, religion or any other such demarcation, providing a free and fair atmosphere where all citizens can live amicably with dignity and respect without intruding on each other’s liberty. No special privileges are specified for any specific group. The freedom to make decisions, gives the freedom to exist according to individual’s choice and also own the responsibilities for taking right or wrong decisions. This helps people to develop their capacity to choose the right alternatives. This is the base for the system of election and for the Liberal Democracy to give the right shape to the society.( Liberal Democracy) The framework of law keeps people within boundaries. This is important for the benefit of society as a whole. Although there are some differences on the degree of regulations and intervention, but it is definitely not in the hands of few privileged people who can call the shots just because they were chosen as the representatives to rule the country or because they have the wealth in their hands so the command of the society is also transferred to them. According to nineteenth-century theorist John Stuart Mill, the representative government who runs the democracy, acts on three conditions that the people should be willing to accept it and they should be willing and able to preserve it and “ they should also be able to fulfil the duties and discharge the functions that it poses on them.”(Mill, 1991, p 17) In view of the above discussion it stands well established that a Liberal Democratic state shapes society and not responds to particular interests in society. Reference: 1. Carson, L. Building Sustainable democracies; Paper presented at ‘Now we the People Conference’, University of Technology, Sydney, 24 August, 2003 http://www.activedemocracy.net/articles/ 2. Constitution,< http://www.Njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/glossary/> Retrieved on May 9, 2007 3. Dunn, J. Democracy A History; 2006, p 131 4. Right to Information Act, 2005, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions(2005-12-10) Retrieved on May 9,2007 5. Holmes, S. Passions and Constraint: On the theory of Liberal Democracy, 1997,http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ Retrieved on 9 May, 2007 6. Karl Marx, The civil war in France, 1871, Online version, Marx/Engels Internet Archive(Marxist.org) 1993,2000. 7. Liberal Democracy; Homepage, http://australianpolitics.com/ Retrieved on May 9, 2007 8. Martin, S.E. 1995, Effects of the mass media on the use & abuse of alcohol, p 6 9. Mencken, H.L., 1920 Liberal Democracy, http://www.australianpolitics.com/ Retreived on 9May 2007 10. Mill, J. S.,On Liberty and Other Essays(New York: Oxford University Press) p.17 11. Natan, S. The case for Democracy, 2006, http://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/ Retreived on 9 May 2007 12. Richard, E.F. Pluralism and Liberal Democracy, 2005, Book reviews, http://www.people.vanderbilt.edu/ p.152 13. Ross, H. Democracy, 1993,p.54 14. Salvadori, M. Liberal Democracy, 1908, p 11. 15. Steven Levitt, Freakonomics 2005, Retrieved on May 9, 2007 Read More