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Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

The business of politics, the necessity of values -Mukulika Banerjee

-The Indian Express

Elections are short term contests, but the political project of democracy is a long game.

Democracy is not just a set of institutions but also a set of values. The institutions are, minimally speaking, free and fair elections, an elected Parliament containing an executive and an Opposition to hold it accountable, an independent judiciary, a nonpartisan bureaucracy, a free media, and security of existence for all citizens. Democratic values include the ability to accommodate a diverse range of viewpoints that requires civility of conduct, a commitment to egalitarian ideals, the idea of universal citizenship — encompassing rights but also duties, allowing all sections of the populace to be heard despite the louder voice of the majority, and, a general commitment to the common good over individual desires. The relationship between democratic institutions and democratic values is symbiotic: The former are there to safeguard the latter and to exemplify them in their own conduct. In turn, the foremost democratic value is respect for institutions. Thus, both institutions and values are essential for any country to be democratic.

Elections are a key indicator of the health of a democracy and are a complicated mechanism involving ratios of population size to the number of representatives, calendars, machines and processes. They are designed to safeguard against majoritarianism — this is why a referendum is not a democratic election through which popular representation can be established. Also, by making them free and fair, it allows ordinary people to experience and perform citizenship by participating in elections, when they are treated equally and with respect by a system that is transparent and well-ordered.

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