Democracy creates stability in society

Democracy, firstly, is a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them. For the purpose of the discussion, stability refers to the political stability of a society. Personally, I agree that democracy, when it is implemented appropriately, promotes stability rather than wreaking havoc.


Firstly, Taiwan is a typical example for the negative sides of democracy. The notion many parties can participate in the election turned out to cause chaos in this island. Bitter rivalry between the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the opposition Kuomintang has brought Taiwan to a standstill. The plight can be described succinctly as whatever one party proposes then its rival opposes. The debate over the government Budget for this year has been stalled on account of bickering over a proposal to amend the make-up of a key election committee. Taiwan appears to go around in circles when their competitors are surging ahead.


However, let’s take Switzerland as an example; their form of government includes direct democracy in which individuals participate directly in the decision-making process in all government matters. Therefore, decision-making is shared among all Swiss men and women over 18 years of age. If a citizen intends to reject parliament’s proposal or wish to propose new law, he has to gather 50,000 signatures to support him. Likewise, any citizen can demand a change to the Federal Constitution, known as an Initiative, by gathering 100,000 signatures. In this way, the rights of the citizens are protected and the country’ stability is promoted.


The dissimilarity between the two countries is that Switzerland is a wealthy nation with educated citizens whereas Taiwan has just adopted democracy for years and its people to some extent are not educated enough. Thus, a society with solid foundation is more likely to implement democracy better.


Nevertheless, it is impossible to conclude that Switzerland stands out as a role model for other countries. Mankind would move towards the wrong direction should democracy is imposed on nations all over the world. Historical and geographical differences must not be overlooked. For instance, Che Guevara, a historic figure and a legend to many generations, committed a great mistake when he tried to so-called export communism to other parts of the developing world. After the resounding victory in Cuba, he dreamed of a day when human would all live under Communism and strived for that utopia. Consequently, he was defeated. The eminent reason for this fiasco was that he attempted to fulfill his ideal regardless of differences among countries.


Similarly, democracy may also become history if leaders try to spread democracy reluctantly and disregard of small nations’ specific situations. “Rule of majority” needs to be changed and adapted in a flexible way to many countries. Based upon that idea, individuals can hope to have a bright future when democracy would create a stable society and make human suffer far less.