Term 2 Blog: "Democracy creates stability in a society"

“Democracy creates stability in a society.”

Many countries around the world adopt democracy as their political ideology, with varying degrees of success. As such, democracy is a double edged sword, with its fair share of advantages and disadvantages.

What is meant by “democracy”? It is defined as a system of government in which everyone in the country has the right to vote and make decisions for the nation. A democratic nation allows its inhabitants freedom of speech – a democratic government does not censor the media and its people’s expression of ideas. A democracy will grant its people political power through methods such as voting and referendums.

To simplify things, a stable society shall be defined as one that is socially stable. A socially stable country is one that seldom has conflicts and riots, and is peaceful. Social stability leads to economic growth; foreign investors would prefer to put their money in a peaceful, safe country.

Now, does a “democracy” create a stable country? Let us first examine it using the first defining characteristic of democracy: freedom of speech. This is a means of showing respect to its citizens and their human rights, thus, it seems to do the country good.

Freedom of expression is important to achieving social stability in a country. Who would not want to express his views on the country and government? By letting citizens voice their concerns and novel ideas, the government will understand its citizens and have a wider range of viewpoints on how to govern the country. This will help the country achieve stability and keep its citizens satisfied and unrest at bay. On the contrary, the lack of freedom of expression would frustrate its citizens and create instability, as illustrated in the recent Tibetan riots.

Democracy can aid in creating social stability because it grants each citizen equal political power through voting and referendums. No doubt every citizen would like to have a say in the electing of their government. Thus, letting the people have equal right to make decisions for their country is certainly a fair method that can keep them happy. Conflicts between the government and its people will be minimised this way, because voting helps both government and citizens to settle on a decision made by both sides. In a way, both government and citizens are working together to help build a better nation. Therefore, democracy can help achieve social stability because it respects human rights and gives each and every citizen a fair opportunity to choose his government. Since the government is voted in by its people, chances are that it is the most capable group of people to rule the country, thus further helping the country to progress and achieve stability.

An example will be democratic Singapore. The government allows its citizens to vote for their desired parties during General Elections, showing that it acknowledges the rights of its people. As such, conflicts between the government and the people are minimised and social stability in this peaceful country is evident. This is unlike some communist nations where its people have no political rights, resulting in many uprisings and much unhappiness among the population.

However, democracy does not guarantee stability in a country. Take Taiwan for example. This country has been democratic since the lifting of martial law. However, the various political parties and their supporters have been at odds all these years. The country has absolute freedom of speech, but the freedom has also led to chaos and confusion among the population. This is because the right to freedom of speech has been abused by certain sections of its people, resulting in many conflicts and a stagnation in its economy. Thus, while freedom of speech appears to be fair to the people, it also can have a negative effect on the country, because differing ideas of its citizens can spark a conflict, leading to instability.

Granting voting rights to every citizen does not ensure stability. The people must use their voting rights responsibly and wisely. Sometimes, an undeserving party gets elected, often with bad consequences for the nation. For example, Bhutan has recently become a democracy, and its people voted for the first time. They had to be taught how to vote. Hopefully, they had elected the right government. Therefore, we can see that voting rights does not guarantee stability if the population is not well-informed and they may make the wrong decision. A decision made by the majority may not be the right one.

In conclusion, I feel the most important factor that can affects stability in a democracy is the citizens’ use of the rights that the democracy entrusts them with. In both criteria (freedom of speech and voting rights), if the people exercise these rights responsibly and wisely, the country will benefit and progress. If not, the result could be instability. Therefore, social stability in a democracy largely depends on its citizens; they decide how they want their nation to turn out.

After all, a democracy is one that gives power to its ordinary citizens. Thus, everyone plays a part in deciding the fate of their homeland.