Democracy is a popular form of government. It is practised successfully in many countries of the world. In this form of government, people elect their own rulers. In a democratic country, there are usually many political parties.
They take part in elections. The party which wins by the majority of vote is declared successful. It is then called to form the government. The rest of the parties are supposed to sit on opposition benches. Important issues are debated and discussed by both the ruling party as well as the opposition party in the parliament. The decisions on different problems of the country are taken after much deliberation.
On the other hand, dictatorship is a system of government in which one person, usually a military man, rules the country. The entire power rests with him. In dictatorship no one can oppose the ruler. There are many restrictions on the freedom of people. The radio, the television, the newspaper and other mass media conceal facts. Their main business is to admire and praise the ruler.
In democracy there is full freedom of expressing public opinion. An individual enjoys full freedom to think, write and express his views. The press is completely free. The policies of government are debated and discussed freely in the newspapers as well as in the parliament. In democracy, a person enjoys respect and importance.
Democracy is linked with justice. Everybody has equal right in the eye of law. The voters can choose and remove their rules according to their own will. Democracy has not worked successfully in many of the Asian countries.
Democracy is a difficult system of government. Only the educated and sensible can understand and run it. In our country, most of the people are uneducated and backward. They cannot understand the real spirit and structure of democratic system of government. Most of the people in our country are poor. At the time of elections, the voters are bribed and tempted to give their votes in favour of irresponsible and uneducated candidates.
Democracy has many merits but it has many demerits also. It is known for its inefficiency and slowness. At the time of national emergencies, it fails to cope with the situation. It takes a long time to arrive at any decision. But still, the democracy in spite of its defects is still a popular form of government. It is far better than dictatorship.
AMAILA ZAHRA
Lahore
