Every body has a dream to live in a free democratic world. It is only in democracy that people enjoy rights and duties because it is the rule of people themselves. Democracy protects individuals from despotism and arbitrary rule and is a system where every one has a say. Its institutions are committees of grievances. That’s why democracy has a special feature of accommodation in its ambit. This democracy as ideal is hardly found in the world. No doubt democracy means rule by the people but now it has become uncontrolled. Prevailing democracy is the worst form of the government including all other forms that have been tried from time to time. The flame of democracy instead of offering light, sometimes creates darkness. Now it is no longer a system of poor and disadvantaged. Under democracy society is based on equal opportunity and individual merit rather than hierarchy and privilege.
Plato has rightly said: “to become a carpenter, you need skill but to become a ruler a simple lot will done”. This was situation in Ancient Greece. Similar situation is what we face today. Yet the nature of selection has changed. At present, if voting does anything, it is replacing one ignorant and exploiter by another. Elections instead of ‘kicking the incompetent out, bring them in power’.
Democracy implies that in effect, people govern themselves-that they participate through their representatives in  making the crucial decisions that structure their lives and determine the fate of their society. It necessary involves that representatives should be experienced and should possess wisdom. Day by day people lose faith in representative democracy and shift their loyalties to armed forces and bureaucracy (though having problem of red-tapeism and corruption in it). People are now well familiar about efficiency, accountability and effectiveness. Education qualification is a pre-requisite to hold any office. Then selection  is made through examining ability and screening tests and interviews are conducted in order to make persons eligible for a job. Ability, capacity and experience are also looked to make fair selection.
But the selection of representatives shows the entire weakness of representation. The lack of training, experience, wisdom, and ability are central to the issue of representatives representing people. Representatives neither posses wisdom nor training to rule. Unfortunately no test is conducted on those who contest elections. Any ignorant, illiterate, and inexperienced person can come and contest election and rule over people –academics, engineers, doctors, lawyers etc. Need is to conduct a strong test of those who contest elections. The examination should be supervised by autonomous body like the Public Service Commission. After passing this examination the candidate should be allowed to contest election. The academic qualification for this examination should be doctorate degree with a good research and moral background. Persons with specialization, skill and ability should be made ministers for their area of specialization. A foreign affairs department can be run effectively a political scientist or international relations scholars rather than by physicists or mathematicians. Ministries like forestry, agriculture, power, finance and P.W.D and so on, can only be effectively run by those who have specialization in these fields. So specialization must be taken into account. However, if necessary  minimum qualification for MLAs or MLCs  or parliament members should be post-graduation. Any person who has doctors' degree should not be eligible to contest election until and unless he has passed the election examination. After passing the examination a candidate may or may not join the political party. Those who join party may contest from their party mandate and those who don’t may contest as independent candidates. No political party should be allowed to have its own symbol but there should be rotation of symbols after every election. It will enhance the process of political education which means greater responsibility on the shoulders of political parties to make publicity of its programmes, objectives and manifestos. In fact, it will end the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (means repeatedly doing anything or repeatedly in favour of anything) of people because symbols have a psychological and historical impression on people. Presently many people vote for symbols because of their historical and psychological importance. The system of succession (predecessor-successor system) should be ended in political parties. Only those persons should be eligible to become C.M or P.M who will receive majority of votes in election (means whose percentage of votes would be more than rest of the candidates). The persons who may be found guilty of any crime or corruption should be disqualified forever.
To prevent political decay, an urgent democratic need is to introduce negative voting and to make voting compulsory. Presently there is no effective political participation. People are bound to vote inefficiently. Sometimes people dislike all the candidates but they have no alternative than vote in his their favour or stay at home. So the need is that people should have right to ‘no vote’, which should be granted by the election law and the constitution of the state . Right to ‘no vote’ implies that there should be separate button in the electronic voting machine named “I reject all the candidates or ‘none of the above”. This should be termed as ‘no vote’. During counting, if the number of votes would be in majority, the election should be suspended  and a new bye-election with new candidates is to be held within 60 days. If the ‘no votes’ will be 1/3rd, all previous candidates should be banned forever. This will encourage voters to participate in a greater number and will enhance the vitality of democracy.

(Mudasir Nazar is from Hajin Sonawari)

Lastupdate on : Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST