Indian Express<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSyllabus<\/b>: GS 2 – Indian Constitution\u2014Historical Underpinnings, Evolution, Features, Amendments, Significant Provisions, and Basic Structure.<\/span><\/p>\nRelevance:<\/strong> This article highlights few examples that can turn a country in a failed democracy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSynopsis<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\nDemocracies die when democratically elected governments cease to be held accountable by a society weakened by poor health, low morale, and joblessness. In such a scenario, political leaders are prone to blindness and incompetence, they pay minor regard towards the promise of a dignified life for every citizen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBackground<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Global surveys are everywhere reporting dipping confidence in democracy and marked jumps in citizens\u2019 frustrations with government corruption and incompetence.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Most worrying are the survey findings for India, which is fast developing a reputation as the world\u2019s largest failing democracy.\u00a0<\/span>\n
\n- In its<\/span> Democracy Report 2020, <\/b>Sweden\u2019s V-Dem Institute noted that <\/span>India \u201chas almost lost its status as a democracy\u201d.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
- It ranked India below Sierra Leone, Guatemala, and Hungary<\/span>.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Understanding Democracy<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Democracy is much more than pressing a button or marking a box on a ballot paper. It is a whole way of life and involves<\/span> freedom from hunger, humiliation, and violence<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Democracy is saying <\/span>no to every form of human and non-human indignity<\/b>. <\/span>In a healthy democracy, citizens are not forced to travel in buses and trains like livestock, wade through dirty water from overrunning sewers or breathe poisonous air.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Democracy is <\/span>public and private respect for different ways of living<\/b>. It is a willingness to admit that impermanence renders all life vulnerable, that in the end nobody is invincible, and that <\/span>ordinary lives are never ordinary<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Political scientists have often pointed out that democracies fade in two connected ways. Some have suffered sudden death. But death by cuts is more common.<\/span><\/p>\nTwo Ways in which Democracy dies<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Military Coup:<\/b> Democide or military coup is usually a slow-motion and messy process. Wild rumours and talk of conspiracies flourish. Street protests and outbreaks of uncontrolled violence happen. Fears of civil unrest spread.\u00a0<\/span>\n
\n- The armed forces take control. The emergency rule is declared, but things eventually come to a boil.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- As the government weakens, the army moves from its barracks onto the streets to quell unrest and take control. Democracy is finally buried in a grave it slowly dug for itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- During the past generation, around three-quarters of democracies met their end in these ways. These include military coups against the elected governments of <\/span>Egypt (2013), Thailand (2014), Myanmar, and Tunisia<\/b> (<\/span>2021<\/b>).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Destruction by Social Emergencies<\/b>: The judiciary becomes vulnerable to cynicism, political meddling, and state capture. <\/span>Massive imbalances of wealth, chronic violence, famine, etc. destroy people\u2019s dignity.\u00a0<\/b>\n
\n- The victims stop believing themselves worthy of rights, or capable as citizens of fighting for their own entitlements, or for the rights of others.<\/span><\/li>\n
- This <\/span>social indignity undermines citizens\u2019 capacity<\/b> to take an active interest in public affairs and to check and humble the powerful.<\/span>\n
\n- Citizens are forced to put up with state and corporate restrictions on basic public freedoms.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- This makes them used to big money, surveillance, baton charges, preventive detentions, and police killings.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- But the scandal doesn\u2019t end there.<\/span> When millions of citizens are daily victimized by social indignities, the powerful are granted a license to rule arbitrarily<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- When this happens, <\/span>demagoguery <\/b>comes into season. It refers to political activity or practices that seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.<\/span><\/li>\n
- The leaders can even convince people that they can turn lead into gold. They make <\/span>careless, foolish, and incompetent decisions that reinforce social inequities.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>They license Big industry and government players to decide things, which in turn breeds corruption.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Finally, in the absence of redistributive public welfare policies that guarantee sufficient food, shelter, security, education, and health care <\/b>to the downtrodden; democracy morphs into a mere fa\u00e7ade.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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