Democracy is supposed to be a great model for governance, but its criticism has been persistent since the days of Plato. Nepotism, money power, oratory as a useful weapon, the rise of mediocrity to the top, the wise staying away from elections, and the abnormal belief that equality in one respect (like law) translates into equality in all respects (like the capacity to govern) were some of the major criticisms of Greek philosophers. These stand true even after two thousand years. The two-party democracy in the USA is a disaster, with two warring factions (Republicans and Democrats) standing on each side of the fence and slugging it out. There is no ‘essence’ in either one of them, even as stances on various issues have flipped dramatically on both sides. It is only through group identification with a ‘tribe’ that one compellingly supports a party while demeaning the other. In India, multiparty democracy is worse. The only thing that drives a so-called leader is power. Jumping from one party to another just for the sake of power or to protect oneself from the onslaught of government machineries makes a joke of political ‘ideology’ and any political visions for the country. The exceptions do exist, and they only prove the rule.
The jumping of political leaders from one party to another, especially just before any elections, is a strong argument against democracy in India. A particular vision developed in the party manifesto does not stimulate these jumps. It is only the sheer desire for power at any cost. The public, in all this, remains clueless, and left desiring for only development, peace, and harmony. These rarely happen. For the individual politicians, a desire to make money at any cost to win the next election becomes the driving force after coming to power. The two greatest democracies, India and the US, are on the same spiralling downward path, and Greek philosophers two thousand years ago precisely predicted this downfall. Democracy is essentially flawed in the philosophy which essentially chooses to power only those who can gather the most votes and not the ones who can govern the best.
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