The Defects of Democracy

1. Democracies are slow, inefficient, and corrupt:

This is one of the most common points that opponents of democracy use. For years of deliberation and discussion all that democracies have to show is a few pieces of paper which become irrelevant by that time. Little change comes out of all those dreams of removing inequalities, welfare programs, greater rights and the like. And as for money the democratic system is like a funnel in which you put in a thousand coins but only fifty come out the other end. Corruption is as common as justice is rare in democracy.

2. Chaos and Confusion:

In democracy there is no certainty. The people who vote for governments frequently and rapidly change their minds between ideologies and standpoints, and political parties have proven especially adept at changing sides, allies and ideologies in their quest for power. Policies and laws are riddled with ambiguities and confusion. There are always questions of power and authority. A democratic system cannot guarantee stability and fixed outcomes.

3. Dirty politics:

Democratic politics has earned immense notoriety as an ugly contest involving deceit, fraud, mobilization, extremism, personal attacks on others, corruption, intimidation and even violence. Few people in the world are not disillusioned with the democratic system. Democracy has not turned out the bunch of roses it was shown as. Where do we see a healthy debate and competition in politics?

4. Reinforces identity structures:

Society is divided into a multitude of artificial and imaginary identity structures like ethnic groups, races, nationalities etc. Democratic politics, far from uniting people and letting go of identities, involves mobilization based on them. It calls upon people to behave according to their identity and appeals to it, such as when a black candidate is put up to woo black voters. Identity supersedes merit as the differentiating factor of humanity.

5. Lack of continuity and short-term focus:

In a democracy, governments change within short time periods and are always focused on how to stay in power. So they act with short-term interests in mind—just enough to win them the next election. Besides that, with the change of governments and popular sentiment there are frequent shifts in policy and government action. So over the long run these add up to little or no progress at all.

6. Majority rule, not rule by all:

Democracy is founded on the principle of rule by the majority, whether based on identity or opinion. The latter stifles the dissenting minority and leads to a one-way society, while the former degenerates into supremacist majoritarianism. Either way, democracy does not take into account people’s different needs and interests. It only favours the majority of people, which is permanent in case of identity.

7. Representative democracy does not express the will of the people:

Democracy is not rule by the people, but rule by representatives in the name of the people. But in choosing the representatives it is found that instead of a free and fair competition with a variety of ideologies there is in fact little choice. Political systems heavily favour a few large parties which are the only ones with a chance of forming the government (see 9). Instead of having many parties with different visions, most parties are largely the same with no well-defined ideology. They only play on populism. It is not political visions or ideologies that matter so much as how established the party is and the candidate’s personality cult.

8. No real freedoms and rights:

Democracy is just as oppressive as other forms of government when it comes to rights. Whether hidden in legal language, using states of emergency or invoking the name of the nation, democracies have provisions to take away rights and freedoms. Democracy gives an illusion of government accountability due to which the people are misled into thinking there is freedom, but curbs do exist on freedom of speech, movement, association etc. along with widespread inequality and injustice.

9. Democracy is a de facto oligarchy:

Everyone knows that free and open political competition is a mirage. As mentioned earlier it is only a few major parties which dominate the system and form the government. Within the parties also it is a few individuals at the top who have all the authority and power. The only choice is to choose between them, and even then there is no real difference. Top political leaders form a separate class in themselves from which common people are excluded. If a few individuals in a few selected parties are the only one with true political power, it amounts to true oligarchy.

10. The common people are not fit to rule:

Until now it may seem that these defects can be somehow overcome by democratic reforms, by having a more active and aware citizenry. But the vast majority is unqualified for, and does not deserve, political power. The common person, with a million other things to do, does not fully understand political structures and government. The common person cannot see behind the rhetoric of politicians and is easily swayed by extremism. The common person does not have the knowledge to make an informed political decision or opinion. The common person is partly or mis-informed, yet his or her vote can alter the lives of millions. The people live in a state of ignorance and politicians like it that way. They distort information to whip up public sentiment; governments tell only partial truths to retain support. Yet the people, busy with their normal lives, are trapped in the illusions of true people’s government, government accountability, healthy political competition, the existence of rights and unity.