DEMOCRACY
Summary
TLDRThis lecture delves into the concept of democracy, contrasting it with other forms of governance like totalitarianism and authoritarianism. It emphasizes the importance of active participation, transparency, and accountability in a democratic system. The speaker also addresses the challenges faced by democracies, including voter apathy and the complexity of modern politics. The lecture further explores alternative systems and the debate surrounding the merits and drawbacks of democracy, urging citizens to understand and engage with the political process to effect change.
Takeaways
- ποΈ Democracy is a system where citizens elect representatives to make decisions that affect society, with mechanisms for accountability and questioning of the government.
- π³οΈ Representative or parliamentary democracy involves voting for people who will govern and also for those who will hold the government accountable in a legislative body like Parliament.
- π In South Africa, despite the importance of voting, statistics show that a significant number of young people aged 18 to 25 do not participate in elections, raising questions about their engagement in political change.
- π₯ Citizens are the most vulnerable stakeholders in a democracy, directly affected by government decisions, and their lack of engagement can hinder societal progress.
- π Totalitarianism and authoritarianism are contrasting systems to democracy, characterized by the absence of political plurality, suppression of opposition, and high levels of control over public and private life.
- π Monarchism and technocracy are alternative forms of government, with the former advocating for rule by a monarch and the latter for decision-making based on technical expertise.
- π Democracy has evolved over time, with historical examples showing early forms of referendums and the concept of 'government by the people' as articulated by Abraham Lincoln.
- π Democracy is often associated with prosperity, peace, and lower corruption rates due to its accountability mechanisms, and is considered by many as the best form of government.
- π The core principles of democracy include transparency, accountability, active participation, freedom of speech and association, free and fair elections, and checks and balances.
- π Referendums are a form of direct democracy where citizens vote on specific issues rather than representatives, as seen in examples like Switzerland and historical moments in South Africa.
- π Different types of democracies, such as direct and representative democracies, have their own advantages and challenges, with direct democracies offering more citizen participation and representative democracies being more common in modern states.
Q & A
What is the fundamental concept of representative or parliamentary democracy?
-Representative or parliamentary democracy is a system where people elect individuals to make decisions on their behalf and to hold the government accountable. It's a form of governance where decisions that affect everyone are made by elected officials who are responsible to the public.
Why is it important for citizens to vote in a democratic society?
-Voting is crucial in a democratic society because it allows citizens to have a direct influence on the decisions that affect their lives. It is a means of expressing their opinions and desires for the country's future, and it is a way to hold the government accountable.
What is the concern regarding young people's participation in the voting process in South Africa?
-The concern is that a significant number of young people, particularly those aged 18 to 25, are not participating in the voting process. This lack of engagement raises questions about the younger generation's role in spearheading change and influencing political decisions.
What is totalitarianism and how does it differ from democracy?
-Totalitarianism is a form of government and political system that prohibits all opposition and exercises a high degree of control over public and private life. It is different from democracy, which is based on the principles of representation, accountability, and the freedom of speech and association.
Can you explain the concept of technocracy in the context of governance?
-Technocracy is a form of government where decision-makers are selected based on their expertise in a given area, particularly scientific or technical knowledge. It contrasts with democracy, which is based on the principle of elected representatives making decisions on behalf of the people.
What are the five core key principles of democracy?
-The five core principles of democracy are transparency and accountability, active participation, freedom of speech and association, free and fair elections, and checks and balances to prevent the concentration of power.
What is a referendum and how does it function in a democratic process?
-A referendum is a direct vote in which citizens are given a two-way choice on a specific issue. It allows the public to vote on policies or laws directly, rather than through elected representatives, and is a way for citizens to have a direct say in governance.
What is the difference between direct democracy and representative democracy?
-Direct democracy involves citizens participating directly in decision-making, often through mechanisms like referenda and initiatives. Representative democracy, on the other hand, involves citizens electing representatives who make decisions on their behalf.
Why are some countries considered to be practicing anti-democracy?
-Countries are considered to be practicing anti-democracy when they actively work against democratic principles such as representation, accountability, and the freedom of speech. These countries often have oppressive regimes that centralize power and suppress opposition.
What are some of the challenges faced by modern democracies?
-Modern democracies face challenges such as the complexity of politics making it difficult for individuals to make meaningful choices, the potential for democratic transitions to lead to instability or violence, and the risk of political competition being dominated by tribal or ethnic groups rather than policy issues.
What is the importance of debating the merits and drawbacks of democracy?
-Debating the merits and drawbacks of democracy is important as it allows for a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of democratic systems. It also encourages the exploration of alternative forms of governance and the discussion of how to improve democratic processes to better serve society.
Outlines
ποΈ Understanding Democracy and Its Importance
This paragraph introduces the concept of democracy, emphasizing its significance in organizing society and the role of elected officials in shaping decisions that affect everyone. It highlights the importance of voting in a representative democracy and the accountability of government through parliamentary mechanisms. The script also discusses the difference between direct and indirect democracy and encourages introspection on the importance of voting, especially among the younger generation. It ends by stressing the responsibility of citizens in a democracy and the potential consequences of non-engagement.
π₯ Forms of Government and Democracy's Historical Context
The second paragraph delves into various forms of government, including totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and monarchism, providing brief descriptions of each. It encourages further research into different monarchies and democracies around the world, with a specific call to understand the Zulu monarchy in South Africa. The paragraph also touches on concepts like elitism, autocracy, technocracy, and the historical evolution of democracy, including references to ancient practices and figures like Abraham Lincoln.
π Democracy's Triumph and Core Principles
This section celebrates democracy as a victorious form of governance, noting its association with wealth, peace, and reduced corruption. It underscores the importance of democracy in allowing people to express themselves and shape their futures. The paragraph outlines the historical significance of the phrase 'government of the people, by the people, for the people' and mentions the core principles of democracy, such as transparency, accountability, active participation, freedom of speech and association, free and fair elections, and checks and balances.
π³οΈ Referendums and Types of Democracies
The fourth paragraph explains the concept of a referendum, providing examples from Cuba and the UK, and discussing its role in direct democracies. It contrasts direct democracy with representative democracy, where citizens vote for representatives to make decisions on their behalf. The paragraph also introduces different theories of representation and various voting systems, each with its own implications for minority representation and majority rule.
π Challenges and Debates Surrounding Democracy
The fifth paragraph addresses the challenges faced by representative democracies and the complexity of modern politics, which may limit the meaningful choices available to individuals. It acknowledges the potential dangers of democratic transitions in countries not prepared for the shift, including the risk of violence and oppression. The paragraph invites a debate on the merits and drawbacks of democracy and the possibility of alternative governance systems.
π Anti-Democracy Movements and Their Impact
This paragraph discusses the rise of anti-democratic sentiments, particularly from global powers like Russia and China, which view democracy as a threat to their regimes. It highlights the strategies used by these nations to undermine democracy and mentions countries considered the least free according to a democratic index. The paragraph calls for an understanding of these nations' struggles to defend democracy effectively.
π Conclusion and Invitation to Further Inquiry
In conclusion, the final paragraph reiterates the importance of understanding the complexities of democracy and the need for further research into alternative systems of government. It acknowledges the potential pitfalls of democratic systems and invites questions and discussions on the topic. The lecture ends with an open invitation for questions, emphasizing the importance of continued learning and debate on the subject of democracy.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Representative Democracy
π‘Accountability
π‘Direct Democracy
π‘Political Participation
π‘State Capture
π‘Totalitarianism
π‘Authoritarianism
π‘Monarchism
π‘Technocracy
π‘Referendum
Highlights
Definition of governance and its impact on society in a democratic context.
Explanation of representative or parliamentary democracy and its role in holding the government accountable.
Introduction to direct and indirect democracy and their distinctions.
The importance of voter participation, especially among the youth, in shaping political change.
Analysis of why young people may not engage in voting and the implications for democracy.
The role of citizens as stakeholders in a democracy and the consequences of non-engagement.
Definitions and comparisons of totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and monarchism as contrasting systems to democracy.
Insight into the importance of understanding different forms of monarchies beyond the traditional concept.
Discussion on the concept of oligarchy and its characteristics in terms of power distribution.
Description of technocracy as a form of government based on expertise in scientific or technical knowledge.
Historical context of democracy, from ancient practices to the influence of Abraham Lincoln's definition.
South Africa's transition from a pseudo-democracy to a true democracy in 1994 and its significance.
The core principles of democracy, including transparency, accountability, active participation, and freedom of speech and association.
The advantages of democracy in terms of wealth, peace, and corruption control due to its accountability mechanisms.
Different types of voting systems and their implications for representation and majority rule.
Debates on the merits and drawbacks of democracy, including its complexity and potential for political competition.
The concept of anti-democracy and the strategies used by oppressive regimes to undermine democratic processes.
Examples of countries with the least freedom and the challenges they face in the context of democracy.
Importance of understanding both the strengths and weaknesses of democracies for effective debate and defense of democratic values.
Transcripts
understand the definition first
the people who govern a country make
decisions about how Society is organized
decisions that affect everyone it is an
election of the people who govern us we
also elect people to question the
government and hold them to account on
our behalf in Parliament this is called
representative or parliamentary
democracy
right fairly simple to understand the
last line here is
um
um what we are going to understand
further on in this lecture where it says
this is called representative or
parliamentary democracy there's two
types of a democracy that is a direct
and an indirect democracy but I'm going
to discuss that with you now remember we
have a very important decision we have a
very important opportunity rather to to
make a decision as to who we want to
vote for in any political election as
South Africans
let's look at that context because
that's obviously closer to home and we
understand exactly what happens in our
country in our families etc etc etc
right so
we have this opportunity that is to now
go and cast our vote and to sort of make
this difference that is so
um
that is
um so fantasized about they've been
fantasizing about it pre
-democracy in in our country
and in many other countries around the
world who do not exist in a democracy
they are just like listen we want that
opportunity to cast our vote but when we
actually look at the voting statistics
of our country
we see that
a vast majority of our country
especially young people aged 18 to 25.
we do not
we do not vote right
and that begs the question is why
exactly
are these groups of people the supposed
newer generation who is supposed to be
spearheading change within the nation
why aren't they so infested into making
this political change or
if not a political change keeping
government as it is there's just like no
no engagement whatsoever in that severe
why is that that's something that you
need to understand you need to
introspect and think now okay why would
I not want to vote what exactly
or what exactly could be standing in my
way as a voter and things like that all
of those are important for you to
understand because we as Citizens are
essentially
the most vulnerable stakeholder within
our democracy because we are the people
who are directly affected by whatever
decision
decisions this government is going to
make about us
and
it becomes a problem when we don't
engage in these procedures because it's
just like
how do you expect anything to to change
if you
are not putting in a minimal effort to
even
um try to push the change into
um
the direction under which you are
following
because if we don't
it means that basically everything is
going to stay the same
or our opinions our perspectives
everything that we stand for in society
everything that we want for our country
are essentially not going to be achieved
some more definitions right so
totalitarianism is a form of government
and a political system that prohibits
all opposition policies Outlaws
individual and group oppositions to the
state and its claims and exercise is an
extremely high if not complete degree of
control and regulation over public and
private life
right for this totalitarian state I need
you to go and read up on North Korea and
what exactly it means to live in a
country like that watch a YouTube video
about
um citizens of North Korea who have
managed to to escape
that country
authoritarianism is a political system
characterized by the rejection of of
political plurality sorry
the use of strong central power to
preserve the political status quo and
reductions in the rule of law separation
of powers and Democratic voting
right so this is a source of system in
which you have a political party but
there is sort of no
um standing opposition because this
political party exits exerts sorry so
much of control over the nation right
we see this in examples such as Russia
such as China not so much China but more
more um Putin in his state monoxism is
the advocacy of a system and monarchy or
monarchial rule a monarchist is an
individual who supports this form of
government independently of any specific
Monarch whereas one who supports a
particular monarchy as a royalist right
don't worry about what's a royal list
but I need you to not only something
that I see with debases a lot is that
they don't have any
um general knowledge about other
monarchies other than the queen right
you need to also understand other
democracies that exist in Asia in the
African
um continent
right and more specifically in the
Middle East even and more specifically
in South Africa you need to know about
the Zulu monarchy we're living in kzn
right you are doing yourself a great
disservice if you don't
um do some research and understand the
Zulu monarchy that we
um that is essentially all around us
right
is a conceptual form of power structure
in which power is with a small number of
people right this is sort of like
elitism these people may or may not be
distinguished by one or several
characteristics such as nobility Fame
wealth education or corporate religious
political or military control right
autocracy is a system of government in
which absolute power is held by the
ruler known as an ostercraft
it includes most forms of monarchy and
dictatorship while it is contrasted with
the Democracy with democracy and
feudalism
technocracy is a form of government
technocracy is more of a concept right
foreign of government in which
um
decision makers are selected on the
expertise in a given area of
responsibility particularly with regard
to Scientific or technical knowledge
that's for example having a department
of Health
um
Minister sorry the word wasn't coming to
me a minister of the Department of
Health who is maybe a doctor who is
maybe a nurse
someone who is at the top of their field
in science who probably knows the most
about their field as opposed to the
government our elected government now
having a cabinet they reshuffle based on
leadership ability this one is now
focused on
um
the skill of the person who is meant to
lead that specific portion of government
right but let's understand what's the
difference between
autocracy
and
plus meaning
people and Kratos meaning power
and therefore the most Kratos became a
power of the people power to the people
so they decided 2 500 years ago then
listen
they we are going to make a new law now
but how are we going to decide whether
this is the best way forward for our
state
let's all put it to a vote and decide as
to whether this now is going to this new
legislation it was like a very
primordial form of a referendum but
we'll call it the referendum for my
explanation sake
so they they had to decide whether this
referendum was going to pass or fill and
this was how they decided
um whether that specific
um law policy or whatever passed right
that was the first historical
um tracking back to where it came from
then in 1863 we're seeing that Abraham
Lincoln is
writing the bandwagon on the
democracy concept ways where he coins
the phrase
government of the People by the people
for the people
and you must understand that anything
that is supposed by the United States
sort of spearheads it in the
International Space
so that became a very influential point
in the concept of democracy
looking more specifically at South
Africa we see that after 1910
we see that we have this sort of
pseudo-democracy in South Africa where
only white South Africans are
responsible for electing a political
party
um to to run the nation I believe it was
the Nationalist policy I think it was
and
um
at that time in 1910 and then they had
consecutive rules up until the beginning
of
the true democracy which began in 1994
where we see
the first opportunity of everyone to
have an equal
rights to now go and vote for who is
going to now run our country
why exactly is democracy
heralded as such an important concept
firstly it's easy to understand why
right you shouldn't think too hard about
it democracies are on average richer
than non-democracies right they are less
likely to go to war and they have a
better record of fighting corruption
because of this accountability mechanism
that I'll speak about earlier but more
fundamentally democracy lets people
speak their minds and shape their own
future
in addition to the children's Futures as
well
so many people in so many different
parts of the world are prepared to risk
everything that they have
for this idea that is testimony
to its enduring appeal
foreign
representatives of more than 100
countries gathered in the world Forum of
democracy in Warsaw to Proclaim that the
will of the people was the basis of the
authority of government right a report
issued by America's State Department
declared that having seen of universal
Commerce failed experiments with
authoritarian and totalitarian forms of
government it seems that
now at long last democracy is the is
triumphant
so this sort of became the
in solution to all of the poor political
um
sorry all of the poor mechanism
mechanisms under which countries were
controlled this became
the most powerful mechanism right
so there's five core key principles for
for democracy
I'm not going to go through them in
order right but I'm going to speak to
speak about
um
a few of them more specifically
the first one here is transparency
and accountability right so those two
words go hand in hand I'm going to speak
a lot now so you you should be taking
notes at this time
transparency basically means that at
every level there is some sort of
oversight and everyone is answerable to
someone
if not the whole nation
so
we see that
accountability and transparency becomes
an asset to democracy because it allows
for
everyone
to to to have an active
um
an active and involved oversight into
what is running
what is happening sorry in the country
look at the state capture inquiry for
example right look at the
other countries around the world and how
they hold their political leaders
accountable and sometimes it's not even
as dramatic as as having a state capture
inquiry it's just the facts of listen
I'm on a public platform as a political
figure there is little to no opportunity
for me to do anything wrong because I am
being watched so closely
although that is an idealistic concept
um in our status quo
a lot of countries around the world
follow that that mechanism of integrity
well they own Integrity firstly but
secondly
it's because the people in the the
countries watch them very closely to see
now listen
is this person fit to governess govern
us or not right
and they are allowed to monitor them
through that uh that window of
transparency that democracy promotes
when we look at
um active participation right this is
obviously the most basic but maybe the
most important principle of democracy
it's so crucial because it it
underpins the other two principles
because it is the basis of democracy the
other uh four principles sorry
participation means that unless there is
a very good reason everyone deserves a
vote and all votes should have equal
weight
right
then
freedom of speech and Association
different views
can be aired so we're saying that in a
democracy we value different
perspectives we value
we value your input because in order for
us to have a successful Nation it means
that everyone should be able to be heard
and everyone should have
um
should use their voice to to contribute
positively to the country and to the
running of the country
different views can be aired and
political parties or groups can form
and compete openly
because of this freedom of speech as
well it allows us to now
um form
and Associate this word association
to allows us to associate inform
political parties that we sort of
identify with
so it the freedom of speech Concepts
leads to the sort of Freedom uh leads to
the freedom of Association concept
because it's just like okay if I'm
allowed to Now voice my opinions and
make it clear
that
sorry if I'm allowed to voice my
opinions
and make it clear what I stand for and
what's my perspectives I can then go on
and find a political party and choose to
associate with a political party whose
virtues align with what I stand for as a
person and then I can go and say listen
I support this political party I'm going
to vote for them
in the upcoming elections right the next
one is
free and fair elections
when they say fair it's very similarly
to what I spoke about earlier for active
participation
everyone's vote should have equal weight
right that is one of the main purposes
of democracy I am one person so I should
have one vote people can vote for who
they want and they can trust the outcome
of the elections by by having this
process right
and then finally I think we have
discussed everything else finally checks
and balances right this is the concept
of preventing
one person and one group has no power so
by ensuring that
excuse me there is this distribution of
power
um amongst all of these political
parties because now it's not listen we
definitely know that we're going to be
in power so there's no use changing
status quo at all
by having a vast range of competitors to
be um electoral race
it means that this sort of becomes
um
a mechanism to ensure that
there is no one person
and one group who has all of the Power
right
let's quickly understand what's a
referendum right
so the first concepts of a well not the
first concept but
some concepts of of um referenda and I
think the most
recent one was in um Cuba earlier this
year I think it was last year where
they had a referendum where everyone in
the population had to vote or had the
opportunity to vote on passing a new law
about whether they want to approve
um certain changes
within the country's um social landscape
so for example it was about same-sex
marriage it was about surrogate
pregnancies grandparents rights and uh
most stringent
um measures against gender gender
violence right so everyone in the
country got up that morning and they
were just like no listen I'm going to
vote on this policy I either stand for
it or I don't stand for it right
and then this was the response
more than 3.9 million voters 69.9
percent voted to ratify the new code
while 1.95 million or 33 percent
were opposed National electoral council
president Alina
basilero quitares I think I'm saying
that right said on stage run television
on Monday right
so that's
um that referendum passed for that
country right
so referendums are ballots in which
people are given a two-day choice on a
specific issue two-way choice on a
specific issue sorry in the UK
referendums tend to be used only to
decide an important constitutional
methods such as the two in 2014
referendum in Scotland without about
leaving the UK right in a South African
context a referendum was held in 1992
which allowed white South Africans to
vote on whether or not they agreed with
FW de klerks dance to end apartheid
right this referendum in South Africa
passed as well right but what are the
advantages and disadvantages two
different types of democracies the first
type is a direct democracy what's called
a pure democracy
um forms of direct participation of
citizens in Democratic decision making
direct democracies May operate through
an assembly of citizens or by means of
referenda and initiatives in which
citizens vote on issues instead of
candidates or parties
now this is the system that they use in
Switzerland and we see that the the
Democratic I think that this is called
the Democratic
index they rank very highly on the
Democratic index achieving a 96 score
with political rights ranking as a 39
out of 40 and civil liberties ranking as
a 57 out of 60. right
obviously this is not uh necessarily the
gold standard in measuring whether a
democracy is effective or not but
Switzerland's success in achieving these
two concepts mean that it's essentially
working for them and it has the
potential to work for other countries
around the world
but what's a representative democracy
it's a political system in which
citizens of a country or other political
entities vote for representatives to
handle legislature legislative
legislature I think it's supposed to say
and
otherwise rule that
an otherwise rule that entity on their
behalf the elected representatives are
in turn accountable to the electorates
for their actions as a form of democracy
representative democracy exists in
contrast to direct democracy in which
all citizens directly vote on laws to be
passed and other issues most modern
democracies are representative
democracies and as such they face many
challenges
right so
uh
this the information that I've taken
here is directly from the uh Britannica
encyclopedia so
on the PDF you can click directly on
these links to see what all of these
different concepts mean
there's three different types of
represent representative governments
right we exist
okay I'll I'll cover that after I go
through the theories the first theory is
delegate Theory there's little room for
the elected's personal beliefs and it's
run by the Judgment of the people right
delegate meaning someone who is
um
to delegate the English word means that
I'm giving someone the responsibility to
do something that basically means that
no you you are not allowed to
incorporate your viewpoints your
personal beliefs here you are just a
proxy for whatever we stand for and you
will say whatever we say whatever we say
right
secondly mandate Theory the elected
carry out a preconceived mandate or a
Manifesto that the public would have
elected
that's that's the that's what we that's
the Democracy that we exist in so we see
that we see political figures standing
in stadiums delivering their manifestos
with thousands and thousands of
supporters
but the problem with manifestos is that
we might not necessarily believe in
everything that is written in that
Manifesto maybe the majority of what's
written in that Manifesto if not
believing in a political party for other
reasons
and
that is why we value referendums or
referenda because it's just like if we
have an opportunity to vote on specific
issues as opposed to one political party
who has a set standpoint on everything
according to mandate Theory that's what
mandate Theory tells us
it's obviously more favorable to have a
direct democracy in that case
and then you have berkian Theory
requires the elected to use their
judgment and beliefs to run the country
right
that's self-explanatory but it also
sounds very problematic you can go and
do your research as to why that is
now there's five different types of
voting systems I'm just going to read
through this slide because it's very
self-explanatory
the first one on the
top left hand side here first past the
post system allows voters to cast one
local vote with the most votes
determining the elected however small
parties and minority groups can often be
underrepresented
supplementary vote is used in mayoral
elections voters indicate first and
second preferences If no candidate wins
the majority the two candidates with the
highest number of votes are retained
the other candidates are eliminated and
the second choice candidates are counted
to choose the winner this is likely to
lead to majority government however
parties are not awarded
their share of votes in these types of
voting systems
a closed list system is used in European
Parliament and requires voters to choose
a party of their choice while parties
represent lists of candidates to be
allocated according to their share of a
vote
this system is likely to produce
coalitions this will likely greatly
include minorities but is more
complicated right you need to go and
understand why the system is more
complicated it's a very interesting
system the closed list system but you
need to understand
foreign
it's a very interesting system to use
but you need to understand why is it so
complicated to Institute
itself it does sound messy based on what
I've said but you need to understand why
then single transferable vote is when a
number of seats are available in each
district and voters select from a formal
list of candidates in order of
preference seats are assigned as soon as
a candidate receives a quota a certain
number of votes and votes can be
reassigned to reduce wasted votes
seats are essentially equal to votes in
the system but it is more complicated
the additional member system allows
voters to elect a local constituency
member and indicate their party Choice
resulting in a hybrid system that
include increases coalition
likelihood we don't really see a lot of
additional members
right so we've understood what
um democracy is so let's go into like
the sort of opposite of what democracy
is this concept of
anti-democracy it's not the opposite per
se but most basically that is the best
way for me to describe it right
historically while the United States and
all of the other Democratic Powers were
worrying about what was happening within
their own countries and looking at
developing policy
the world's leading or secrecies that is
Russia and China
continued to push their own agenda right
Russia and China are single-minded
in their understanding of what a
democracy is and they think that this
democracy is a threat to the oppressive
regimes so they their own agendas
and therefore they work
they actively work against this concept
of democracy right
and as time has gone on we've seen
increasing
um and differentiated ideas
sophisticated ideas to undermine exactly
what democracy is and to um sort of
pokehold in the concept of democracy
right
list alongside of um some countries who
are considered the least free according
to the same Democratic index that I've
mentioned to you earlier
right so these are the countries
and the sort of reasons why
um these countries uh
far from a democracy so you need to
understand
these
um
these nations and the things that
they've suffered from and what does it
mean
to to them
sorry I just got a message yeah so I was
saying um you need to understand that
this that these are some of the Nations
that are actually the most affected by
uh dictators and autocrats and things
like that
and you need to see exactly what is
status quo in these countries and you
need to understand these nations because
in order for you to defend democracy you
will use these as examples within your
cases
all right
now let's go into some of the debating
stuff so why exactly would this be
chosen as a motion firstly we know that
it's a controversial issue and it's also
very complex as I've mentioned to you
while it's easy to understand the
logistics behind a democratic state are
not easy to put the puzzle pieces
together not necessarily right while
many people believe that democracy is
the best form of government others argue
that there are significant limitations
and flaws to this process this these
debate motions usually invite discussion
on a variety of topics including the
strengths and weaknesses of democratic
systems the importance of representation
the role of political institutions and
the challenges of balancing individual
rights with social welfare these debates
will also
would also allow for the exploration of
alternative systems of government such
as authoritarianism totalitarianism and
anoxism anarchism I haven't discussed
during this lecture but you should go
and read up on it as well right
and then there's just some examples of
um emotions that you could get that you
can
started reading up on
just for your own information
right so let's look at some of the
importances of government of democracies
right firstly a country should be
governed by Representatives chosen by
every member of society who are
answerable to and removable by the
people right that's the main concept of
this first bubble secondly modern
democracies should be made more truly
Democratic and this is happening to
contain these problems for example South
Africa
yeah some detriments the importance is
in detriments that I've listed here are
taken from a textbook right so you can
decide whether you agree or you disagree
with these Concepts and you
um will need to summarize it
and understand these points before you
use it in any debates obviously all of
us are open to any questions that you
have regarding these uh Concepts right
the first point under the detriments of
democracy modern politics is simply too
complex for democracy to offer any
meaningful choice to individuals we do
not select stances on individual issues
but pick from a predetermined bundle of
choices offered by a candy party or
candidate
which means we exercise almost no choice
over any given policy all right that's
obviously besides a direct democracy but
yes it's a fair point right
the next bubble on a more practical
level Democratic transitions are often
not a good idea for countries that
currently have an alternative system of
government democracy explodes political
competition and it may be that Society
is simply not ready for it
we're Society we're institutions like
the police and courts are weak violence
means you're like the uncomposed six
Ocampo six I'm sorry who were indicated
in
indicted in 2011 by the ICC over
electoral violence in Kenya represent
the worst excesses of this
tendency right in addition
where political parties in the media are
weak politicians turn to tribal ethnic
groups which can spiral into violence
and oppression for instance what
happened in Malaysia which is democratic
in a formal sense but still usually
oppresses minorities
all right so thank you all for your time
and
um I hope that you
enjoyed this lecture and we are all open
to questions if you have any
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