Is Democracy Overrated?

Born and brought up in the world’s largest democracy, immigrated to the world’s oldest democracy, I might not be the right person to question it, but considering what are the stakes, I feel obligated.

Is Democracy Overrated?

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, democracy "is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system." The more popular phrase coined by Abraham Lincoln, Democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

My personal feeling is that the way democratic system stands today it has become a ‘version’ of original democratic values. It has become Capitalistic Democracy. Every one is on there own once the elections are exercised. Following are the two great examples of democratic society, one oldest and one largest.

In the most mature of the democracies, United States, you have the ‘lobbying groups’ on K Street that has tremendous influence on the elected officials. All the election promises must pass through the K street officials. Not that I am in its favor but the most powerful person on earth, can’t abolish the comparatively small amount of $4b aid given out to the oil industry. Reason: some of the member of congress who are sitting on the Ways & Means committee and Budget committee are been ‘advised’ by the K street not to approve the bill. The road from Capital Hill leads to the K Street. Most of the lobbyists are former congressmen or have a family member in the congress. One of the election promises of President Obama was to break all the White house ties to the K Street, but it seems that some changes are too hard to come by!!

India is the epitome of the ‘capitalist’ approach of the present day democracy. India might not have implemented pure capitalist laws in the economic sector, but it sure has in the political sector. Democracy is only witnessed 2-3 months prior to the elections; the rest four & a half year is a dictatorship of the majority party. Common people can’t do much but flip the news channels for the latest corruption news or watch elected officials changing the party lines during some crucial vote in the parliament. If death & taxes are the surest of the things, I will definitely add, Indian politicians becoming millionaires within days of there election victory, in the list of sure things. 

I am not against the democratic society, but I don’t approve the current capitalist version also. Some one rightly said if Campaigning is a Beautiful Poetry then running the government is a Sad Prose.