Science Forums 2

[Boerseun]

Whatever given form of government comes under discussion, you'll always find staunch supporters and rabid protestors.

What irks me most about democracy, is that it doesn't leave much room to manoeuver for minorities. The Jews in 1930's Germany is a case in point. An elected government in Germany having a strong mandate decided to do away with its Jew minority, and there wasn't much the Jews could do about it.

Other examples are Zimbabwe, a democratically elected government which told its 5,000 white farmers that the State is now taking their land and it inserted an ammendement in their constitution deleting their right to have recourse to the law in case of illegal actions by the State. Black farmers can take the State to court, white farmers can't. It's 5,000 whites trying to protect their investments, possessions and source of income against the 16 million blacks who have decided democratically that it sees this racial prejudice as good and fitting in the circumstances. Those paltry few white farmers have made Zimbabwe a nett exporter of foodstuffs in the region, today they face famine. Democracy made it possible.

Another example is South Africa, where a 5 million-strong white minority have absolutely no say in a country of 45 million blacks. If the blacks decide to nationalise white property, so be it. They can get a very strong mandate from the electorate. Where does this leave minorities? Minority rights can be entrenched in any constitution, but with an overwhelming majority in parliament, the black majority can trample any guarantees given to whites as far as property rights, etc., goes.

Is democracy perfect?

Rwanda had a democracy.

Having the right to vote is a right few people appreciate. But it leaves the door wide open for abuses, especially in the case of huge majorities. On the other hand, having weak parties also retards growth programmes - current-day Germany being an example - none of the parties have a clear mandate to govern, which means they are in for another five years of coalition government with bickering and an inability to pass laws. Japan suffers from the same problem.

Democracy is riddled with flaws, but under the circumstances, it's probably the lesser of all the evils.