A Fairly Democratic Solution
The democratic system today has an implicit and compulsive need for ‘fairness’ in the political, economic and social order. While this need may be justified, it is difficult to satisfy because of the lack of a precise definition of the term. ‘Fairness’ means different things to different people, even in a homogenous community, let alone a large and diverse society.
It is essential to realize that decisions made purely on the basis of majority opinion are unfair to the minority, which is unacceptable. Pure majority-based decisions may be useful in conditions where every individual has an equal understanding of the situation, and the ability to independently reach conclusions. For instance, a team of scientists and engineers could vote to decide if the launch of a space-shuttle is safe, but to ask for public opinion on the matter would be foolishness, because the outcome cannot be justified by reason.
Political systems are no different. The work done by the ministers of the Central and State governments has a direct bearing on the lives of millions of people. Yet when it is time to decide who is really qualified to do this work, we ask everyone in the country to vote, no matter how unqualified the voters are to contribute to such a decision. If we did have system where the more qualified individuals had a greater say in the electoral process, we’d run into the problem of devising such a system that is fair — which is probably impossible.
What can be done, however, is to have a system whereby an individual can have only one vote, but this vote must be earned by displaying some basic qualifications, such as being able to pass a specifically designed test. As long as the requirements and assessments are absolutely transparent, there is a reasonably good chance of the system being successful and efficient.
The underlying point is that if the right to vote is projected as a privilege (many people today are indifferent to the electoral system) we may finally be getting somewhere.
January 22nd, 2006 at 10:49
Yeah, but we’d also need some kind of test for aspiring politicians…nothing too hi-funda, just something that would test them on a few parameters, like say.…basic literacy (spell your name in some language other than your mother tongue) , maths (2+2 is not equal to 5 in kickbacks), comprehension (a bunch of strangers who offer you a bribe & position a bulky handbag etc pointing directly at your face for a considerable length of time is most likely a sting operation– do not take their money, dont worry…there will be other opportunities later), articulation & public speaking (string together a short speech that does not end with a beseeching appeal to your party president to anoint her son as the next party president!) On second thought, lets not have any tests for politicians… with “56 channels & nothing on”, these guys provide more public entertainment than cable TV!