The Problem of Lack of Faith in Democracy - Coursework Example

Can the problem of lack of faith in democracy be resolved? If so, how? Name Institution Can the problem of lack of faith in democracy be resolved? If so, how? Introduction On the face, democracy is a form of governance that is preferred by many since it has its own fair of benefits particularly when it comes to giving the citizens a voice. It entails a rule of the majority. The people who are governed under democracy have considerable power to voice their concerns and effect changes in governance as opposed to the case in an authoritarian form of governance. Some of the elements that characterize democracy as a form of governance include; a rule of law whereby the procedures and regulations apply equally to the populace, a political system that allows for the selection and replacement of the government through fair and free elections, safeguard of the rights of all people and active involvement of individuals in civic life and politics. Democracy is not always smooth but faced by some challenges that in one way or the other leave the citizens disappointed. For instance, studies depict that there has been a challenge of lack of faith in democracy in Australia and other parts of the world (Isakhan & Slaughter, 2014). For instance, many people especially the young population feel that their expectations with regard to democracy are not met. This piece of work will give a critical discussion of the issue of democracy in Australia and various aspects that surrounds it. Nonetheless, much emphasis will be placed on the measures and strategies that could be implemented with an aim of resolving the problem of lack of faith in democracy. This is more so since in as much as there are challenges that surround democracy as a form of governance, all is not lost and with effective strategies, it is possible for the people to gain back confidence and faith in democracy. The problem of lack of faith in democracy Lack of faith in democracy is a major governance challenge in Australia and in other nations where it is practised. For instance, the people in Australia are gradually losing faith in democracy as their needs and desires are not fulfilled despite them voicing their worries. For this reason, they do not support democracy and they wish that they had a choice. There is loss of belief in a meaningful vote among the Australians, an aspect that is such a pity in any democracy. The fact that a majority of the Australian population disagrees with democracy and its principles means that their faith in democracy is dwindling day by day. Some Australians think that a non-democratic government would work better for them compared to a democracy. There are also others who do not care what type of government is in power as they do not see as if their voice really counts (Deneen, 2009). It is also saddening to note that even the young people in Australia have even lesser faith in democracy and yet they are the future generation and hence those that are supposed to be helped and supported by the governance the most. Democracy is supposed to serve the interests of the majority of those led but it seems that in Australia, democracy has been for the few. This makes a significant percentage of the population in Australia to lose faith in democracy as a form of governance. Failure in a form of governance makes people to become disappointed as their expectations are not meant and they therefore wish for a change that will make their lives better (The New Daily, 2014). One way through which the problem of lack of faith in Australia can be understood is by examining the issue of voter apathy. Voting is such as crucial aspect of democracy and through voting, people are in a position to participate in the leadership of their country through the leaders they elect and they expect them to represent them fully. The situation in Australia is not one to smile about when it comes to people exercising their voting rights. The people in Australia fail to participate in elections in different ways including failure to enrol as voters, voting informally or worst still, failing to show up during the voting process. When people feel that a given government will not impact positively on their lives, they are less likely to desire to be among those that make a step towards bring leaders into power (Harris, Wyn & Younes, 2010). The extent of voter apathy cements the fact that the people have less or no faith in democracy. Other aspects could also be evaluated to understand the extent of the problem of lack of faith in democracy in Australia but for the sake of this assignment, more effort will be put on how the problem could be resolved and make democracy a desirable form of government for many. Resolving the problem of lack of faith in democracy All is not lost when it comes to democracy as a form of governance. Faith in democracy in Australia and other parts of the world could be restored through the utilization of different strategies and measures. According to Oliver (2014), some things ought to change if a healthier democracy is to be achieved and maintained in any given country. When it comes to Australia, some of the major drivers in the country’s politics are the media, the voting system and the parties. The drivers are intertwined and hence a problem in one affects the rest. Factors affecting these drivers work towards deteriorating the state of democracy in the nation and hence the need to make some changes to achieve some effectiveness in the overall system. Dissatisfaction is a major issue that bothers the Australian population under the democracy form of governance. Various issues are raised but nothing or very little is done and hence the problems are never solved. For solutions to be found there is need to address the underlying drivers of the problems in question. The party system is one of the drivers of democracy in Australia. According to Bwalya and Mutula (2015), the era of party democracy is way gone. Despite the fact that the parties still remain, they are now quite disconnected from the wider society. The party system also tends to pursue a kind of competition that lacks significance and hence they no longer tend to be capable of upholding democracy in its current state. The situation translates to the fact that individuals are not only alienated from the parties but also from the overall democracy. Initially, the parties were in a position to connect the people to their sovereignty but in the contemporary times, they just trade it away to transnational organizations and corporations. This means that they compromise the very purpose for which they exist. Demands of global capital take over the will of the people when it comes to economic management, an aspect that is not right. It is also observed that crucial services such as education, employment benefits and health are limited as a way of funding tax for the rich individual and organizations, leaving the common people to suffer. There is need for better leadership system that clearly looks at the grassroots of the problems that the common people suffer from. Structural reform is essential in bringing back faith in democracy in Australia and other parts of the world. The voting system is also a unit that should never be ignored when it comes to democracy and faults observed therein. The Australian voting system in the Lower house, whereby the government is formed is particularly devises to channel votes to the two major parties through the preference system. This translates to the fact that the method utilized in choosing the elected representatives has as its principal feature a system that channels the votes to two feeble links in the democratic system. Initially, preferential voting was in a position to offer stability but in the present times, it just fosters mediocrity and appreciates stasis. It is not automatic that the people could opt to give the two main parties absolute control and they would do otherwise if given a choice, through a different voting system (Stoker, 2016).There is therefore a need to provide the people with alternatives. Noveck (2009) asserts that the media plays a major role in the politics and governance of Australia and other parts of the world. The media is expected to act as watchdogs and hold different individuals, organizations and parties accountable. However, the media is not always given its dues in terms of pay for the services they offer. In turn, this means that the media is not in a position to perform effectively. With limited revenue, the media reduces its breadth and depth of coverage. Also as the coverage becomes limited, the public or government is less likely to pay, claiming poor services. This becomes a death spiral that needs to be effectively handled if success is to be achieved. The media and the politicians also collide. In is quite common for politicians to play down issues as a way through which the media is likely to pay attention to them. The modern state revolves around competing elites who play critical roles in the system. The electoral system upholds the duopoly. A media is put up and organized around the elite contest. On the other hand, party organizations are involved in manufacture of majorities to serve the media. This goes on over and over again. This translates to the fact that the media, the state as well as the party system are interconnected in an enduring status quo (Noveck, 2009). There is need for people to fight their cause and protest as a way of making life uncomfortable for those who keep the status quo. Better tools should be invented and implemented so that all those involved in one way or the other play their part in enhancing democracy. Other general solutions that could be implemented to solve the problem of lack of faith in democracy in Australia and the challenges of democracy in general include the following. There should be strict adherence to the rule of law. It is true that many of the challenges that are linked with the implementation of an effective democratic system of governance come up as a result of deviance from observing the rule of raw. No one should be treated in a special way since no one is above the law. In the event that all political players and actors such as candidates and parties observe the rule of law strictly, issues of doctorial challenges and separation of powers would not be experienced in high levels as it is the case today (Young, 2002). Individuals and parties do not face major barriers when working around vested interests as opposed to the interests of the majority but if the law is enforced and followed strictly, there is no doubt that democracy will regain its glory and meet the expectations of the citizens. There is also a need for electoral bodies to be well equipped to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. There is need for the electoral bodies to be offered with adequate funding as well as legislation as a way of allowing them to carry out their roles in a more effective way. The bodies should also be given the powers needed to prosecute electoral offenders; an aspect that will go a long way in deterring would be offenders. Support of the electoral bodies from the government and other parties will make them effective in their work and when only the rightfully chosen leaders are put into power, there are high chances of them fulfilling the needs of the people who elected them (Martin, 2010). Trust in the electoral bodies also translates to faith in the political systems and democracy as a whole. Appropriate orientation of citizens is also a step that would go a long way in enhancing the state of democracy in Australia and in turn restoring faith in democracy as a form of governance among the citizens and the general population. It is advisable to orient the populations of the duties or roles they ought to play as well as the significance of the roles as they pertain to a democratic process. This way, they will be in a position to make informed decisions. It is good for the ordinary citizens to be enlightened and kept updated of everything in the political arena and how they are affected by the same. More importantly, it is imperative for the citizens to understand that democracy is for their own good. With this in mind, they will be ready to willingly nurture and safeguard it as well as do anything that is meant at allowing for maximum success of the system. Other essential measures include fixing the flaws that exist in political systems, enhancing policy reforms to reinforce all people including the middle class and re-energizing civic engagement. Another essential measure to enhance efficient democratic governance is to nurture the culture of democracy from the grassroots or the communities (Klijn & Koppenjan, 2000). This will make sure that the individual citizens are empowered and that there is collective action that eventually contribute to success. In as much as Australia is still far when it comes to having an efficient democracy, it is worth noting that all is not lost and slowly by slowly, the country is moving in the right direction with respect to implementing true democracy. People’s perception on democracy is changing. With the implementation of the above named stated solutions, there is no doubt that the situation will be better. The combination of efforts from various parties will go a long way in enhancing democracy in Australia and other parts of the world. Conclusion In summary, democracy is a form of government that is widely desired by many because of many benefits associated with it. However, it has its dark side or challenges that ought to be addressed for it to remain effective. One of the major problems associated with democracy is lack of faith in it among the populations. This can be seen in various countries one of them being Australia. Individuals, especially the young people do not find democracy helpful to them in the current as well as in the future. This is more so because the governing bodies do not meet their expectations and do not seem to have their interests. It is nonetheless pertinent to note that all is not lost when it comes to democracy as a form of governance in Australia and other parts of the world. The problem of lack of faith in democracy could be resolved through the implementation of various measures and strategies. This could include empowering the electoral bodies and financing them so that they are in a position to undertake their roles effectively. There is also a need to enforce and insist on strict adherence of the rule of law and appropriate orientation of citizens. There is a need to effectively manage the problems that are experienced in contemporary democracy in order to ensure that democracy stands out as a reliable and respected form of governance. This will maintain citizen’s faith on democracy. References Bwalya, K. J., & Mutula, S. M. (Eds.). (2015). Digital Solutions for Contemporary Democracy and Government. Pennsylvania: IGI Global. Deneen, P. (2009). Democratic faith. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Harris, A., Wyn, J., & Younes, S. (2010). Beyond apathetic or activist youth: ‘Ordinary ‘young people and contemporary forms of participation. Young, 18(1), 9-32. Isakhan, B., & Slaughter, S. (Eds.). (2014). Democracy and Crisis: Democratising Governance in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Springer. Klijn, E. H., & Koppenjan, J. F. (2000). Interactive decision making and representative democracy: Institutional collisions and solutions. In Governance in modern society (pp. 109-134). Netherlands: Springer. Martin, A. (2010). Does political trust matter? Examining some of the implications of low levels of political trust in Australia. Australian Journal of Political Science, 45(4), 705-712. Noveck, B. S. (2009). Wiki government: how technology can make government better, democracy stronger, and citizens more powerful. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press. Oliver, A. (2014). Are Australians disenchanted with democracy? Parliament of Australia. Retrieved from http://www.aph.gov.au/~/~/link.aspx?_id=01FD7901F7E14E9A86A44F9C217BFEC6&_z=z Stoker, G. (2016). Why politics matters: Making democracy work. Macmillan: Palgrave Macmillan. The New Daily (2014). Over it: why we’re losing faith in democracy. Retrieved from http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2014/08/11/114381/ Young, I. M. (2002). Inclusion and democracy. 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