Democracy: the privilege of exercising your right to vote

On May 20th 2024, my city Mumbai goes to the polls to elect their choice of candidate for the Lok Sabha. As I saw the signs and the campaigning, on TV, on the roads and in the news, it occurred to me that I had very little prior knowledge about the Indian governing system, so I decided to do some research. The Lok Sabha is the lower-house of parliament where the members are elected representatives of the people. In very simple terms, it is the primary legislative assembly of the Indian parliamentary system - laws and legislations are proposed, discussed and passed here. The solid functioning of the Lok Sabha is key to the governance of our nation. The political party with the majority member seats in the Lok Sabha gets to nominate a prime minister for India. The prime minister in turn appoints his cabinet - these ministers are given important portfolios, e.g. defence, foreign affairs etc. 

Democracy is a system of government where laws, policies, leadership, and major undertakings are decided by the people directly or indirectly (through a government of their choosing). Democracy in literal terms means “rule by the people” the word comes from the Ancient Greek word dēmokratia which derived from the words dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”). In the context of today, people when it comes to democracy means almost all, or all adult citizens. 

The earliest known principles of democracy were noted in Ancient Greece.  Aristotle, a very famous philosopher, is often credited for being the founder of democracy. Some form of democracy was seen later in Ancient Rome where the senate was represented by elected officials. Much later, in some parts of Italy, such as Florence and Venice, the idea of people’s representatives was prevalent. The principle of modern democracies can be traced back to the 18th century.

2024 is a major election year worldwide. Countries like the United States of America, Great Britain, Pakistan and Indonesia are also going through the electoral process this year. In total there are more than 50 nations who are getting ready for elections this year or have already begun holding them. It is predicted that around 49% of the world’s population (according to Time magazine) is electing this year. The results of the elections this year have the potential to have a major impact on the globe, especially as we all know, with the USA. 

The US is a P5 nation which means that they have a say in almost all political discussions. We saw the effects of a decision made by a United States president when Joe Biden decided to withdraw the US troops stationed in Afghanistan on August 30th 2021 and the Taliban entered the nation. Decisions made by one president can be overturned by another with massive consequences for the world. A case in point is when President Trump decided to withdraw from the agreement with Iran that Barack Obama had negotiated.

A democratically elected government that is, at least in theory, meant to execute the will of the people is, I believe, far superior to a government led by a monarch who is leader by birth rather than ability or a dictatorship where there is no accountability and only excessive power. As they say, power corrupts and absolute power, corrupts absolutely. In a democracy, there is inclusivity, transparency and accountability.

Of course, all of this assumes that elections are held in a free and fair manner. There are many instances in recent history where elections are believed to be rigged. Sometimes, certain leaders or political parties are so powerful in their country that they can prevent a free election.

Despite this, in my opinion, in a democracy, a leader may make unpopular or even erroneous decisions, but, the onus of the poor policies is on the people who did not elect a suitable leader. This means that a wrong decision is not brought upon a nation by one person, it is done by a host of people who chose to elect the person who represents their will in government. And that they can correct their mistakes in the election by exercising their vote.

After thinking about all of this, I have come to this conclusion - your right to vote is extremely important. As a member of society, as a citizen of your country, it is your duty to make an informed decision while voting. I, for one, look forward to the day I can vote.

Finally, I believe that the concept of democracy can help create a fair and just ruling of a nation. Democracy helps ensure that when the power shifts, those who are elected are the people's choice. They are deemed to be worthy of the position by the people, and the decisions made by the person in charge will affect the people who elected them. Democracy works because those in charge are: of the people, for the people, and by the people.